Hello,

Live in Mass.

Will be having the exterior of our house repainted.
Latex paint.

a. Was wondering about how "absolutely" dry the horiz. Clapboards
of the house must be after a rain before I allow the painter to put on
the new paint.

Worried, of course, about adhesion to the old, existing paint that is on
there now.

Does the fact that we will again be using Latex Paint make this a minor
point,as the Clapboards can be somewhat "moist" still on their surface ?

Or, should/must they be absolutely dried out first ?

Would take several days, I imagine to achieve a really totally dry
state,and I imagine the Painter would be putting a lot of pressure on
saying "it's O.K. even if a little damp, etc."

Same question for the areas where the paint has peeled, and the new
paint will be going over the bare wood Clapboards ?

b. Let me also ask this, please:
Lots of paint peeling of existing paint.
How is this handled, for new paint.

Does one just hope that the new paint is going over areas of old paint
that still adheres to the clapboards, or is there some "treatment" to
put on first, or...?

Scared about having the house prerssure washed first.
Would this likely cause even additional peeling ?

Much thanks,really appreciate your help and comments,
Bob

On 04/17/2016 06:02 AM, Bob wrote:
Hello,

Live in Mass.

Will be having the exterior of our house repainted.
Latex paint.

a. Was wondering about how "absolutely" dry the horiz. Clapboards
of the house must be after a rain before I allow the painter to put on
the new paint.

Worried, of course, about adhesion to the old, existing paint that is on
there now.

Does the fact that we will again be using Latex Paint make this a minor
point,as the Clapboards can be somewhat "moist" still on their surface ?

Or, should/must they be absolutely dried out first ?

Wou


snip


Though I'd not call my self an expert, my buddies and I worked our way
through college by painting houses.


The peeling paint must be thoroughly scraped first. We used scrapers and
coarse wire brushes.

Next, the bare areas were primed, then we'd make sure everything was dry.

Then we'd do the actual painting.

We generally painted on hot, sunny days and got good results.

It would not have occurred to us to paint unless the surface was
completely dry.


We'd often go back to check even a year or two later...all looked good.

On Sunday, April 17, 2016 at 7:02:55 AM UTC-4, Bob wrote:
Hello,

Live in Mass.

Will be having the exterior of our house repainted.
Latex paint.

a. Was wondering about how "absolutely" dry the horiz. Clapboards
of the house must be after a rain before I allow the painter to put on
the new paint.

Worried, of course, about adhesion to the old, existing paint that is on
there now.

Does the fact that we will again be using Latex Paint make this a minor
point,as the Clapboards can be somewhat "moist" still on their surface ?

Or, should/must they be absolutely dried out first ?


They must be thoroughly dried out. The new paint needs to go into the
surface. If it's dry, the excess moisture that's already there will
prevent the paint from properly integrating itself into the surface
and bonding. Latex paint is probably more tolerant, but read any paint
can instructions and they say it has to be dry.



Would take several days, I imagine to achieve a really totally dry
state,and I imagine the Painter would be putting a lot of pressure on
saying "it's O.K. even if a little damp, etc."


That depends on how wet it got, what the conditions after are and
where exactly on the house you're painting. If it was raining in the
morning on a warm sunny day, followed by low humidity and a breeze,
you're probably OK to start the next
day. If it was a soaking, driving rain, followed by 50F temps,
cloudy, high humidity, then it may take a couple days. If it
was after power washing it, then even longer is typical. You can
get an idea by touching it, to some extent. Or there are moisture
meters and a pro may have one. It's definitely not OK if it's
a "little damp". It should feel dry to the touch for sure.


Same question for the areas where the paint has peeled, and the new
paint will be going over the bare wood Clapboards ?

b. Let me also ask this, please:
Lots of paint peeling of existing paint.
How is this handled, for new paint.

Prep is the most important part. First it should be power-washed, using
a detergent made for the purpose that includes a mildewcide. I like Jomax.
Then any loose paint areas must be scraped/sanded, etc. Then primed. For
priming those areas, I like PeelBond, which is a very thick primer. It
helps level the transition areas from bare wood to where there is paint,
so even if it's not sanded perfectly, it will look much better, more
uniform. On areas that are not as visible, eg high up gables, you can
even use it with good results with just scraping, no sanding. Any areas
that need to be caulked, filled, etc should be done.



Does one just hope that the new paint is going over areas of old paint
that still adheres to the clapboards, or is there some "treatment" to
put on first, or...?


The power-washing, scrapping, etc should have gotten rid of the paint
that won't stick.


Scared about having the house prerssure washed first.
Would this likely cause even additional peeling ?


Yes, and that's what you want. Paint that can't stand up to
the power-washing needs to come off. That's with the correct
pressure, obviously. If you don't know what you're doing, you
can easily damage the wood with too high a pressure, getting too
close, etc. I'd wait about 4 days after power-washing to paint,
assuming it's reasonable weather for those days. Usually that's
not a problem, because there is prep work or the painter has
other jobs, etc.


Much thanks,really appreciate your help and comments,
Bob

Existing paint won't stay wet for long. Bare
wood should be allowed to dry and then primed
first, preferably with linseed oil primer, which
should then dry for a couple of days.

Loose paint: Scraping needs to be done first,
to look for and scrape off anything that's starting
to peel.

Powerwashing can do some damage, but it's also
a popular method. I wouldn't do it myself. If it
needs washing I use TSP solution by hand, and
bleach for mildew. Areas in the open generally
don't need washing. (Or at least they didn't used
to need it, before it became easy to point a
powerwashing hose at the side of the house
and blast away.

I wonder why you're so worried, though. It sounds
like you haven't even hired a contractor yet, but
you already distrust their competence. You're
asking random people in a newsgroup to decide how
your house should be painted. Maybe you
just routinely distrust people? That's not going to
be a good way to get along with the contractor --
second guessing how he does the work. You don't
have to be a sucker, but you should try to find
someone you trust and then just keep an eye on
him without being a busybody.

On 4/17/2016 7:02 AM, Bob wrote:
Hello,

Live in Mass.

Will be having the exterior of our house repainted.
Latex paint.

a. Was wondering about how "absolutely" dry the horiz. Clapboards
of the house must be after a rain before I allow the painter to put on
the new paint.

Worried, of course, about adhesion to the old, existing paint that is on
there now.

Scared about having the house prerssure washed first.
Would this likely cause even additional peeling ?

Did you hire a reputable painter or the kid down the street? A pro
painter will have all the answers and do the job right.
Pressure washing takes a bit of skill so you get rid of the dirt, loose
paint, but you don't put gouges in the wood.

Latex paint is water based so a little moisture is not a big deal, but
is should still be dry to the touch.

On Sunday, April 17, 2016 at 8:47:23 AM UTC-4, Mayayana wrote:
Existing paint won't stay wet for long. Bare
wood should be allowed to dry and then primed
first, preferably with linseed oil primer, which
should then dry for a couple of days.

Loose paint: Scraping needs to be done first,
to look for and scrape off anything that's starting
to peel.

Powerwashing can do some damage, but it's also
a popular method. I wouldn't do it myself. If it
needs washing I use TSP solution by hand, and
bleach for mildew. Areas in the open generally
don't need washing. (Or at least they didn't used
to need it, before it became easy to point a
powerwashing hose at the side of the house
and blast away.


I disagree and I think you'll find almost every pro painter
will too. Old paint oxidizes, what's there will come off
with a good washing, leaving a better surface. It will also
have dirt on it, even if you don't see it. Rub it with a white
wet cloth and see what comes off.



I wonder why you're so worried, though. It sounds
like you haven't even hired a contractor yet, but
you already distrust their competence. You're
asking random people in a newsgroup to decide how
your house should be painted. Maybe you
just routinely distrust people? That's not going to
be a good way to get along with the contractor --
second guessing how he does the work. You don't
have to be a sucker, but you should try to find
someone you trust and then just keep an eye on
him without being a busybody.

I don't see anything wrong with asking questions, learning
about the process. It's a good way to help prevent yourself
from getting screwed.