I may have a job painting three 25 yr. old stuccoed chimneys in south
east PA. The chimneys have dark staining mostly near the top. All
three chimneys are equally stained so I don't think this is related to
the oil furnace and the home owners don't burn wood. The stucco seems
in good shape. See photos of chimneys at,

https://picasaweb.google.com/andyeve...September82012

Do I bleach and power wash, thoroughly dry, and prime with a stain
blocking primer or can I skip the bleach and power washing stage, if I
can I can save home owners some money. I will probably rent a Nifty
tm50 high lift which rents for $300+ a day. What is the proper prep
for this job and have I left out any details?

Any suggestions on how this job should be done would be welcome.

On Sat, 8 Sep 2012 13:37:07 -0700 (PDT), andyeverett
wrote:

I may have a job painting three 25 yr. old stuccoed chimneys in south
east PA. The chimneys have dark staining mostly near the top. All
three chimneys are equally stained so I don't think this is related to
the oil furnace and the home owners don't burn wood. The stucco seems
in good shape. See photos of chimneys at,

https://picasaweb.google.com/andyeve...September82012

Do I bleach and power wash, thoroughly dry, and prime with a stain
blocking primer or can I skip the bleach and power washing stage, if I
can I can save home owners some money. I will probably rent a Nifty
tm50 high lift which rents for $300+ a day. What is the proper prep
for this job and have I left out any details?

Any suggestions on how this job should be done would be welcome.

I don't know your exact answer, but the roof looks to have the same
coloration in spots, as the stucco.

It is a growth of plant material? If the stucco was soot you could
use TSP* (Trisodium Phosphate) for cleaning the stucco. Find it in
the paint section of a local store or online. The red box TSP will
clean soot.

"...A non-sudsing powdered Trisodium Phosphate compound that is
formulated for heavy duty cleaning. Preferred by painting and cleaning
professionals for removing heavy deposits of greasy grime, smoke, soot
stains and chalked paint from walls, woodwork and floors. Removes
mildew and mildew stains when mixed with bleach. Cleans and prepares
surfaces for repainting. Also recommended for washing away paint
remover sludge.

http://www.savogran.com/Retail_Products/Cleaning_Products/cleaning_products.html

Good luck

andyeverett wrote:
I may have a job painting three 25 yr. old stuccoed chimneys in south
east PA. The chimneys have dark staining mostly near the top. All
three chimneys are equally stained so I don't think this is related to
the oil furnace and the home owners don't burn wood. The stucco seems
in good shape. See photos of chimneys at,

https://picasaweb.google.com/andyeve...September82012

Do I bleach and power wash, thoroughly dry, and prime with a stain
blocking primer or can I skip the bleach and power washing stage, if I
can I can save home owners some money. I will probably rent a Nifty
tm50 high lift which rents for $300+ a day. What is the proper prep
for this job and have I left out any details?

Any suggestions on how this job should be done would be welcome.

I don't know the answers about what type of cleaning and how to go about the
repainting process etc.

But, from looking at the photos, I have two thoughts on the project:

1) From the second photo, it looks like there may be horizontal lines and
signs of efflorescence near the top portion of the chimney. I wonder if
that means that water is getting in from the top or near the top of the
chimney. Maybe the chimney crown is cracked or needs repair, or maybe there
are other chimneys repairs that are needed. So, you may want to suggest
that the homeowner first have a chimney person inspect the chimney and see
if any repairs to the crown etc. need to be made before the chimney stucco
gets painted. Otherwise, painting the chimney may not last because the
underlying problem may cause more efflorescence to bleed through etc. Just
a thought.

2) How high up off the ground is this roof and chimney? I ask because you
mentioned bringing in a lift for $300/day, but if the chimney is not too
high up off the ground, and the chimney is in good shape, you may be able to
access it for painting by just leaning a 44-foot (+/-) ladder up against it.
And, maybe laying a ladder that hooks over the peak of the roof along the
roof line next to the chimney to get to that side of the chimney for
painting.

On Sat, 08 Sep 2012 13:37:07 -0700, andyeverett wrote:

I may have a job painting three 25 yr. old stuccoed chimneys in south
east PA. The chimneys have dark staining mostly near the top. All three
chimneys are equally stained so I don't think this is related to the oil
furnace and the home owners don't burn wood. The stucco seems in good
shape. See photos of chimneys at,

https://picasaweb.google.com/andyeve...September82012

Do I bleach and power wash, thoroughly dry, and prime with a stain
blocking primer or can I skip the bleach and power washing stage, if I
can I can save home owners some money. I will probably rent a Nifty tm50
high lift which rents for $300+ a day. What is the proper prep for this
job and have I left out any details?

Any suggestions on how this job should be done would be welcome.

Stucco is porous and admits moisture. That moisture and just about
anything, pollen, pollution, etc. can cause that staining. Use a masonry
cleaner to get what you can off, then consider whitewash rather than
paint. Whitewash is a masonry product, 1 part white Portland cement and
1 part white hydrated lime, will work, color tint if wanted.

On Sat, 8 Sep 2012 23:16:01 +0000 (UTC), thunder
wrote:

Stucco is porous and admits moisture. That moisture and just about
anything, pollen, pollution, etc. can cause that staining. Use a masonry
cleaner to get what you can off, then consider whitewash rather than
paint. Whitewash is a masonry product, 1 part white Portland cement and
1 part white hydrated lime, will work, color tint if wanted.

....or use exterior acrylic latex elastomeric paint to stop water
infiltration

On Sep 8, 5:35*pm, Oren wrote:
....
It is a growth of plant material? ... Good luck

It kind of looks like the mold that stains shingle roofs in this
region. I guess it is alive, some kind of growth. Thanks for your help
Oren, TomR, and thunder!

On Sep 8, 6:29*pm, "TomR" ...

2) How high up off the ground is this roof and chimney? *I ask because you
mentioned bringing in a lift for $300/day, but if the chimney is not too
high up off the ground, and the chimney is in good shape, you may be able to
access it for painting by just leaning a 44-foot (+/-) ladder up against it.
And, maybe laying a ladder that hooks over the peak of the roof along the
roof line next to the chimney to get to that side of the chimney for
painting.

Three stories plus. My first thought was ladders and planks and some
climbing rope for safety. With the larger lift I think I could roll
two coats of paint in one day, or rent in the middle of the day and
prime in the afternoon and paint the next morning. It would be a lot
of hustle to get all three chimneys done in a day.

andyeverett wrote:
On Sep 8, 5:35 pm, Oren wrote:
...
It is a growth of plant material? ... Good luck

It kind of looks like the mold that stains shingle roofs in this
region. I guess it is alive, some kind of growth. Thanks for your help
Oren, TomR, and thunder!

Mold usually is heavier on the shady side.

Greg

andyeverett wrote:
I may have a job painting three 25 yr. old stuccoed chimneys in south
east PA. The chimneys have dark staining mostly near the top. All
three chimneys are equally stained so I don't think this is related to
the oil furnace and the home owners don't burn wood. The stucco seems
in good shape. See photos of chimneys at,

https://picasaweb.google.com/andyeve...September82012

Do I bleach and power wash, thoroughly dry, and prime with a stain
blocking primer or can I skip the bleach and power washing stage, if I
can I can save home owners some money. I will probably rent a Nifty
tm50 high lift which rents for $300+ a day. What is the proper prep
for this job and have I left out any details?

Any suggestions on how this job should be done would be welcome.

No suggestion but a comment: to me, the dark areas look like mildew. If it
is, check the top of the chimney - the caps - to make sure water isn't
getting in there.

I have a block garden wall. When it was built, the top course was filled
with grout. Over time, much of the wall developed a nice, furry coat of
mildew especially near the top. I capped the wall with clay barrel tiles,
cleaned off the mildew and painted the wall. That was three years ago, no
mildew since.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Maybe just ready for a change? Check it out...
http://www.floridaloghouse.net

andyeverett wrote:
On Sep 8, 6:29 pm, "TomR" ...

2) How high up off the ground is this roof and chimney? I ask
because you mentioned bringing in a lift for $300/day, but if the
chimney is not too high up off the ground, and the chimney is in
good shape, you may be able to access it for painting by just
leaning a 44-foot (+/-) ladder up against it. And, maybe laying a
ladder that hooks over the peak of the roof along the roof line next
to the chimney to get to that side of the chimney for painting.

Three stories plus. My first thought was ladders and planks and some
climbing rope for safety. With the larger lift I think I could roll
two coats of paint in one day, or rent in the middle of the day and
prime in the afternoon and paint the next morning. It would be a lot
of hustle to get all three chimneys done in a day.

Well, that's higher up than I thought, so I guess my ladder idea won't work.
And, when you originally said 3 chimneys, I wasn't sure if you meant 3
chimneys in one (which the photo seemed to look like) or 3 separate
chimneys. Anyway, you are there and I am sure that you would know better
what the best way to get up to all 3 chimneys is.

It still may be worthwhile to have the homeowner consider having the
chimneys checked by a chimney person before you paint them. And, if it
turns out the chimneys need repair, and if the chimney person builds some
kind of scaffolding or whatever to get up there to do the work, maybe they
could leave that up when they're done until you paint the high parts.

On Sep 10, 12:43*pm, "TomR" wrote:
andyeverett wrote:
On Sep 8, 6:29 pm, "TomR" ...

2) How high up off the ground is this roof and chimney? I ask
because you mentioned bringing in a lift for $300/day, but if the
chimney is not too high up off the ground, and the chimney is in
good shape, you may be able to access it for painting by just
leaning a 44-foot (+/-) ladder up against it. And, maybe laying a
ladder that hooks over the peak of the roof along the roof line next
to the chimney to get to that side of the chimney for painting.
Three stories plus. My first thought was ladders and planks and some
climbing rope for safety. With the larger lift I think I could roll
two coats of paint in one day, or rent in the middle of the day and
prime in the afternoon and paint the next morning. It would be a lot
of hustle to get all three chimneys done in a day.

Well, that's higher up than I thought, so I guess my ladder idea won't work.
And, when you originally said 3 chimneys, I wasn't sure if you meant 3
chimneys in one (which the photo seemed to look like) or 3 separate
chimneys. *Anyway, you are there and I am sure that you would know better
what the best way to get up to all 3 chimneys is.

It still may be worthwhile to have the homeowner consider having the
chimneys checked by a chimney person before you paint them. *And, if it
turns out the chimneys need repair, and if the chimney person builds some
kind of scaffolding or whatever to get up there to do the work, maybe they
could leave that up when they're done until you paint the high parts.

putting a ladder against a chimney with possible problems could make
for the utimate bad day.

20+ years ago a miser friend of mine was on his roof taring over bad
slate, he leaned on the chimney a lot...

not long after he had no choice but to remove the bad chimney, the
roofers found it was no longer stable when they touched it and it fell
30 feet to the ground. fortunately no one was hurt.....