Hi, with spring hitting it's time to touch up the outside of my wooden
frame windows. They are a bit of a mess right now with some paint
gone and perhaps the first signs of the wood starting to rot. So if I
strip the paint off, is it OK to just prime and paint ... will the
wood rot stop - there is perhaps just a few small signs of rot - it's
not too bad.
And, what is the best way to strip the old paint off? Scraper? Paint
stripper? Someone even once mentioned that a pressure washer would
strip paint pretty well.
Any advice is gratefully received.

Thx.

On 6/1/2008 11:26 AM gee-dub spake thus:

Hi, with spring hitting it's time to touch up the outside of my wooden
frame windows. They are a bit of a mess right now with some paint
gone and perhaps the first signs of the wood starting to rot. So if I
strip the paint off, is it OK to just prime and paint ... will the
wood rot stop - there is perhaps just a few small signs of rot - it's
not too bad.
And, what is the best way to strip the old paint off? Scraper? Paint
stripper? Someone even once mentioned that a pressure washer would
strip paint pretty well.
Any advice is gratefully received.

Stay away from the pressure washer. Not the right tool, and you really
don't want to force water into all the fissures in the wood.

Mechanically removing the paint (scraping, etc.) is the way to go. And
you're going to want to patch the areas where wood has been lost to rot.

The method an acquaintance of mine uses is good, I think: before
patching, he primes the wood. Then the patch goes over primer, which is
much more likely to stick well. Be sure to force the primer into all the
nooks & crannies.

And be sure to scrape out all the soft, spongy wood first.


--
The best argument against democracy is a five-minute
conversation with the average voter.

- Attributed to Winston Churchill

Stay away from the pressure washer. Not the right tool, and you really
don't want to force water into all the fissures in the wood.

Mechanically removing the paint (scraping, etc.) is the way to go. And
you're going to want to patch the areas where wood has been lost to rot.

The method an acquaintance of mine uses is good, I think: before
patching, he primes the wood. Then the patch goes over primer, which is
much more likely to stick well. Be sure to force the primer into all the
nooks & crannies.

And be sure to scrape out all the soft, spongy wood first.

Thanks, that sounds like good advise. What is the best stuff to using
for 'patching' up rotted out/removed wood? Is a silicon caulking good
for that?

Cheers.

On 6/1/2008 12:11 PM gee-dub spake thus:

Stay away from the pressure washer. Not the right tool, and you really
don't want to force water into all the fissures in the wood.

Mechanically removing the paint (scraping, etc.) is the way to go. And
you're going to want to patch the areas where wood has been lost to rot.

The method an acquaintance of mine uses is good, I think: before
patching, he primes the wood. Then the patch goes over primer, which is
much more likely to stick well. Be sure to force the primer into all the
nooks & crannies.

And be sure to scrape out all the soft, spongy wood first.

Thanks, that sounds like good advise. What is the best stuff to using
for 'patching' up rotted out/removed wood? Is a silicon caulking good
for that?

I just patched a rotted spot on a window frame with some stuff called
"P. C. Woody". It's a 2-part epoxy wood filler. Works well, but since it
sets up pretty hard, you need to be careful putting it on, since it's
hard to sand afterwards.

For smaller patches, just use ordinary painter's putty (like Crawford's).


--
The best argument against democracy is a five-minute
conversation with the average voter.

- Attributed to Winston Churchill

On Jun 1, 2:26*pm, gee-dub wrote:
Hi, with spring hitting it's time to touch up the outside of my wooden
frame windows. *They are a bit of a mess right now with some paint
gone and perhaps the first signs of the wood starting to rot. *So if I
strip the paint off, is it OK to just prime and paint ... will the
wood rot stop - there is perhaps just a few small signs of rot - it's
not too bad.
And, what is the best way to strip the old paint off? *Scraper? *Paint
stripper? *Someone even once mentioned that a pressure washer would
strip paint pretty well.
Any advice is gratefully received.

Thx.

Be very careful to remove all rotted, or soft wood.
If mold or mildew spores remain below the paint film, they will
eventually cause more deterioration.
Pressure washing is used in my area to remove spores of mold and
mildew before painting.
The wood must be allowed to dry, since moisture trapped behind the
paint film will expand when heated and cause blistering.
Two part epoxies require careful adherence to mixing instructions to
work and when mixed and applied as directed are much the best fix for
deteriorated wood.
These comments are based on my direct experience.
T