Hi,
I'm in need of some help judging the different stories I get from
several painters recently. I've been getting estimates to paint my
house exterior (wood clapboard). Please give me your take on the
following statements.

1a) You should caulk everywhere, including between the clapboard to
seal the house from moisture and prevent pests from getting inside. (
I do have a big ant problem and see them crawling between the boards).

1b) You should never caulk between the wood boards because the house
must breathe and adjust with the moisture and temperature changes.

----------------------------------------------------------------
2a) The paint job should last between 15-20 years.

2b) The paint job will last up to 10 years.

----------------------------------------------------------------
3a) Using rollers and brushes is superior to spraying the paint on.

3b) Spraying gives a more uniform paint job with no roller marks.

----------------------------------------------------------------
4a) Painting the 1 story house (approx 1675 sqft) should take 3-4
days.

4b) Painting the 1 story house (approx 1675 sqft) should take about 2
weeks.
----------------------------------------------------------------

5a) You should putty over the nail heads to both make it look better
and protect the nail.

5b) You shouldn't waste your time putting over the nail since it will
come off within a few years. The primer and paint will protect the
nail head.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
6a) Two coats of paint are essential. The extra coat will extend the
life of the paint job.

6b) One coat is sufficient, and we put more paint on with that coat so
it will protect better.
------------------------------------------------------------------

7a) Spot priming is fine, only on wood that is bare or where the old
paint comes right off.

7b) It is good to prime the whole house regardless as to the condition
of the wood or existing paint.

------------------------------------------------------------------
8a) The new paint will only look as good as the old if the surface is
still rough. Sanding the wood is for aesthetic reasons, not
protection.



I've also been given estimates ranging from $2000-8600 and warantees
from 2 years to 7 years, respectively.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

1 Caulk if it looks bad

2 A job can last only as long as the old paint , depending on its
condition. It can last 30+ but will look bad alot sooner. Prep and paint
and the painter are key, as in a clean surface, paint in shade not a hot
or soon to be hot surface in sun. and not when above 85 or so. Use the
best paint.

3 Spraying is optional , it will only look as good as the surface. A
pro will brush after rolling, so no roller marks.

4 Painting will take as long as it does depending on prep and weather,
you have a small house

5 Putty will flake off good caulk should not, it is a matter of looks.

6 On an old cracked surface 2 may be better for hiding imperfections but
is not mandatory, depends on job.

7 Prime bare wood only and with slow drying old fasioned oil. If
surface is chalky clean it good and only one paint made is designed for
chalk adhesion it is made by Sherwin Williams and is expensive, but
quality paint is.

8 New paint will only look as good as its surface, Gloss should be
sanded for good adhesion

*8600 for a 1600 sq ft house, alot, but we cant see the prep needed. 2
yr warranty, a joke, 7 yr that is better
Go look at their work, talk to customers

"David Roberts" wrote in message
om...
Hi,
I'm in need of some help judging the different stories I get from
several painters recently. I've been getting estimates to paint my
house exterior (wood clapboard). Please give me your take on the
following statements.

1a) You should caulk everywhere, including between the clapboard to
seal the house from moisture and prevent pests from getting inside. (
I do have a big ant problem and see them crawling between the boards).

seal it up. see below on how to keep it sealed.

1b) You should never caulk between the wood boards because the house
must breathe and adjust with the moisture and temperature changes.

ya the house must breathe. but not from between these cracks...


----------------------------------------------------------------
2a) The paint job should last between 15-20 years.

2b) The paint job will last up to 10 years.


this totally depends on where you live, how much sun a given part of the
house gets, etc. that said for latex, its b. a good oil paint job will
last longer.


----------------------------------------------------------------
3a) Using rollers and brushes is superior to spraying the paint on.

you tend to get a better coat of paint and are less likely to miss areas.
it also requires a bit of a touch to make it look as good but its not rocket
science. and nobody is gonna start that close at it anyway.


3b) Spraying gives a more uniform paint job with no roller marks.

in theory if you put on enough paint it should be as good. in practice ive
never seen a spray job on an older house that lasted anywhere near as long
as a brush job.


----------------------------------------------------------------
4a) Painting the 1 story house (approx 1675 sqft) should take 3-4
days.

for how many people? for one or two thats just crazy talk. also depends on
some things. see below.


4b) Painting the 1 story house (approx 1675 sqft) should take about 2
weeks.

more reasonable. 1-2 weeks for two guys to do it right. also depends on
trim situation, whether the trim is a different color. lots of factors.

----------------------------------------------------------------

5a) You should putty over the nail heads to both make it look better
and protect the nail.

5b) You shouldn't waste your time putting over the nail since it will
come off within a few years. The primer and paint will protect the
nail head.

you should make sure the siding is tight to the wall. if you have loose
nails, remove them and screw it down. prime and paint as usual. as for
your first question, when caulk fails between the boards its because the
boards are loose.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
6a) Two coats of paint are essential. The extra coat will extend the
life of the paint job.

6b) One coat is sufficient, and we put more paint on with that coat so
it will protect better.

one coat is never sufficient. the second coat takes 1/2 as long to put on
if its done right after the first.

------------------------------------------------------------------

7a) Spot priming is fine, only on wood that is bare or where the old
paint comes right off.

7b) It is good to prime the whole house regardless as to the condition
of the wood or existing paint.

the primer job IS the paint job. prime the whole thing.


------------------------------------------------------------------
8a) The new paint will only look as good as the old if the surface is
still rough. Sanding the wood is for aesthetic reasons, not
protection.

if you want new siding buy new siding. a good paint job entails scraping
the loose paint, lightly sanding the house to rough it up, prime it, then
paint it. if you want to sand the siding, just replace the siding with
something better that doestn need paint and be done with it forever.




I've also been given estimates ranging from $2000-8600 and warantees
from 2 years to 7 years, respectively.

if the 2000 job is guaranteed for 2 years and the 8600 is seven years, you
get more warranty by having 4 2000$ jobs done every two years. this would
probably be better than the 8600$ job... 8600 is also soo00 close to a
siding job that would last for 20-30 years that it would be hard to swallow
that cost...

anyway my 2 cents...

randy

David Roberts wrote:

Hi,
I'm in need of some help judging the different stories I get from
several painters recently. I've been getting estimates to paint my
house exterior (wood clapboard). Please give me your take on the
following statements.

1a) You should caulk everywhere, including between the clapboard to
seal the house from moisture and prevent pests from getting inside. (
I do have a big ant problem and see them crawling between the boards).


HEH!
If you have a INSECT problem, no paint or coating will stop that!
ANYBODY that says different, is a ****ing moron!

You had best TERMINATE that rather LARGE DESTRUCTIVE _PROBLEM_ now!

Also, you have to REPLACE the infested wood that is holding up your "ant
farm!"

Xronger since the lead was taken out of oil and compared to latexs of
even 15 years ago there is no comparison . Latex lasts longer on wood.
Even 10 yrs ago you would not see a warranty offered with oil, but with
latex yes. Sherwin williams best has a lifetime warranty, it will look
like crap in 20, but bonds like glue, and actualy has a polyurethand
bonder in it. Latexes outperform on wood, they have expansion abilities
of wood that will ruin Oil paint

David Roberts wrote:
Hi,
I'm in need of some help judging the different stories I get from
several painters recently. I've been getting estimates to paint my
house exterior (wood clapboard). Please give me your take on the
following statements.

1a) You should caulk everywhere, including between the clapboard to
seal the house from moisture and prevent pests from getting inside. (
I do have a big ant problem and see them crawling between the boards).

1b) You should never caulk between the wood boards because the house
must breathe and adjust with the moisture and temperature changes.


Calk where needed. Sounds easy, but a good pro will know. Not
everything should calked. In general cracks protected by overhangs should
not be calked. Insects will not be stopped by calk.

----------------------------------------------------------------
2a) The paint job should last between 15-20 years.

2b) The paint job will last up to 10 years.

It depends on the prep, the local weather conditions, the prep, the
condition and type of wood, the prep, the quality of paint, and did I
mention prep?


----------------------------------------------------------------
3a) Using rollers and brushes is superior to spraying the paint on.

3b) Spraying gives a more uniform paint job with no roller marks.

Which ever one is used by the best professional. That will almost
always be brush and roller.


----------------------------------------------------------------
4a) Painting the 1 story house (approx 1675 sqft) should take 3-4
days.

4b) Painting the 1 story house (approx 1675 sqft) should take about 2
weeks.

It depends on how many people you have working, the conditions of the
surface that need to be addressed (did I mention prep was important?)
weather conditions etc.

----------------------------------------------------------------

5a) You should putty over the nail heads to both make it look better
and protect the nail.

5b) You shouldn't waste your time putting over the nail since it will
come off within a few years. The primer and paint will protect the
nail head.

Good contractors will use putty. It will look better and may (depending
on the situation) last better.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
6a) Two coats of paint are essential. The extra coat will extend the
life of the paint job.

6b) One coat is sufficient, and we put more paint on with that coat so
it will protect better.

Almost always two coats will be better. Of course two poorly applied
coats are not as good as one well applied coat. Just look on the can of
paint. They will say two coats. It works better. The guy who wants to use
one coat is not planning on getting the job next time.

------------------------------------------------------------------

7a) Spot priming is fine, only on wood that is bare or where the old
paint comes right off.

7b) It is good to prime the whole house regardless as to the condition
of the wood or existing paint.

Yes and yes. It depends on the condition of the surface. This is part
of the prep work. Did I say that prep work was important?


------------------------------------------------------------------
8a) The new paint will only look as good as the old if the surface is
still rough. Sanding the wood is for aesthetic reasons, not
protection.

That advice comes from your painter who wants to spray one coat spot
prime no putty on nails is planning to do a rush job faster than anyone else
tells you that 10 years is max life for paint and does not think prep work
is important. You will be lucky if he wants to powerwash it as his only
prep.




I've also been given estimates ranging from $2000-8600 and warantees
from 2 years to 7 years, respectively.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

In article , Joseph Meehan says...




... the prep, the ...the prep, the quality of paint, and did I
mention prep?


(did I mention prep was important?)



7b) It is good to prime the whole house regardless as to the condition
of the wood or existing paint.

Yes and yes. It depends on the condition of the surface. This is part
of the prep work. Did I say that prep work was important?

The *best* house paint job means the ugliest house. For the longest time.
Scraped and sanded and primed everywhere. Uuuggglliiee!

......that is, ofcourse, until the paint is actually applied. (Or perhaps
all-over primer first.) Which is the shortest part of a good paint job.

Banty

1a) You should caulk everywhere, including between the clapboard to
seal the house from moisture and prevent pests from getting inside. (
I do have a big ant problem and see them crawling between the boards).

1b) You should never caulk between the wood boards because the house
must breathe and adjust with the moisture and temperature changes.

You don't caulk between the clapboards--in fact, they sell wedges to
install between clapboard siding so that it will breathe better.

----------------------------------------------------------------
2a) The paint job should last between 15-20 years.

2b) The paint job will last up to 10 years.

Not many paint jobs will last ten years. The better the preparation
and the better the paint, the longer it will last.

----------------------------------------------------------------
3a) Using rollers and brushes is superior to spraying the paint on.

3b) Spraying gives a more uniform paint job with no roller marks.

Most pros use both an airless and a roller. You use the airless to
spray on the paint and then "backroll" the paint into the siding with
an 18" roller. This is the best way.

----------------------------------------------------------------
4a) Painting the 1 story house (approx 1675 sqft) should take 3-4
days.

4b) Painting the 1 story house (approx 1675 sqft) should take about 2
weeks.

If it is one color, the house can be sprayed/backrolled in a couple of
hours. The real work that takes time is the preparation--this could
only take a few hours or several days--it depends on the condition of
your house.

----------------------------------------------------------------

5a) You should putty over the nail heads to both make it look better
and protect the nail.

5b) You shouldn't waste your time putting over the nail since it will
come off within a few years. The primer and paint will protect the
nail head.

If the nail heads are okay you can just paint over them. If they are
rusty or loose I would replace them and put a dab of caulk over the
head before painting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
6a) Two coats of paint are essential. The extra coat will extend the
life of the paint job.

6b) One coat is sufficient, and we put more paint on with that coat so
it will protect better.

Two coats are much better, however, I would recommend using SW
Duration that is a true one coat coverage. Duration is almost twice
as thick as regular paint, self-priming, and offers a lifetime
guarantee against certain problems.
------------------------------------------------------------------

7a) Spot priming is fine, only on wood that is bare or where the old
paint comes right off.

7b) It is good to prime the whole house regardless as to the condition
of the wood or existing paint.

You can spot prime if there aren't too many bare areas. Full priming
is only required on a house that hasn't been painted before--that is
what primer is for, to prepare the bare wood to take a coat of paint.
If the house is already painted, full priming isn't necessary.

------------------------------------------------------------------
8a) The new paint will only look as good as the old if the surface is
still rough. Sanding the wood is for aesthetic reasons, not
protection.

Sanding is to remove peeling paint. Latex paint will stick to about
anything without any sanding so it isn't necessary to sand before
painting unless there is a problem with the existing coat of paint.

What I would recommend is to use TSP to clean the house before it is
pressure washed. The TSP will not only clean the siding but will also
degloss the paint.


I've also been given estimates ranging from $2000-8600 and warantees
from 2 years to 7 years, respectively.

This is very subjective. I would look for someone who is a member of
the PDCA, has been in business at least 5 years, and leaves a list of
50-100 references.


Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Bruce
A.& B.Construction
Houston, Texas
www.1-866-Roof-Men.com

David Roberts wrote:

Hi,
I'm in need of some help judging the different stories I get from
several painters recently. I've been getting estimates to paint my
house exterior (wood clapboard). Please give me your take on the
following statements.

1a) You should caulk everywhere, including between the clapboard to
seal the house from moisture and prevent pests from getting inside. (
I do have a big ant problem and see them crawling between the boards).

1b) You should never caulk between the wood boards because the house
must breathe and adjust with the moisture and temperature changes.

----------------------------------------------------------------
2a) The paint job should last between 15-20 years.

2b) The paint job will last up to 10 years.

----------------------------------------------------------------
3a) Using rollers and brushes is superior to spraying the paint on.

3b) Spraying gives a more uniform paint job with no roller marks.

----------------------------------------------------------------
4a) Painting the 1 story house (approx 1675 sqft) should take 3-4
days.

4b) Painting the 1 story house (approx 1675 sqft) should take about 2
weeks.
----------------------------------------------------------------

5a) You should putty over the nail heads to both make it look better
and protect the nail.

5b) You shouldn't waste your time putting over the nail since it will
come off within a few years. The primer and paint will protect the
nail head.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
6a) Two coats of paint are essential. The extra coat will extend the
life of the paint job.

6b) One coat is sufficient, and we put more paint on with that coat so
it will protect better.
------------------------------------------------------------------

7a) Spot priming is fine, only on wood that is bare or where the old
paint comes right off.

7b) It is good to prime the whole house regardless as to the condition
of the wood or existing paint.

------------------------------------------------------------------
8a) The new paint will only look as good as the old if the surface is
still rough. Sanding the wood is for aesthetic reasons, not
protection.

I've also been given estimates ranging from $2000-8600 and warantees
from 2 years to 7 years, respectively.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Answers: 1b (a good paint job seals the boards), 2a, 3a and 3b (ok
modern airless spray gun puts on a lot of paint), 4a (professional,
airless should take one day, two at the most) 4b (if me), 5b, 6a, 7a,
8a.
Cost depends on a lot of things including location, amount of trim and
windows, whether it is brush or spray, etc. I would say anything in
excess $3500 would be excessive.

David Roberts wrote:

Hi,
I'm in need of some help judging the different stories I get from
several painters recently. I've been getting estimates to paint my
house exterior (wood clapboard). Please give me your take on the
following statements.

Just out of curiousity, have you considered siding? How many times
would you have to paint in order to recoup the cost of siding?

FurPaw

im just parroting what people have told me about oil. i dont touch the
stuff myself, too much of a pain to use... i think maybe my painter
friends use that lasts longer line to justify charging much more to apply
oil paint g

ive heard that poly latex is good in places where temperatures dont vary too
much because it will still crack, but again thats second hand info.. where
i live now surface temps of the paint will vary from well over 100F to well
under 0 (-30 i think was the low last year). from what ive seen, nothing
holds up all that well except stains. if i were starting fresh here i would
use oil stains on bare wood.

randy

"m Ransley" wrote in message
...
Xronger since the lead was taken out of oil and compared to latexs of
even 15 years ago there is no comparison . Latex lasts longer on wood.
Even 10 yrs ago you would not see a warranty offered with oil, but with
latex yes. Sherwin williams best has a lifetime warranty, it will look
like crap in 20, but bonds like glue, and actualy has a polyurethand
bonder in it. Latexes outperform on wood, they have expansion abilities
of wood that will ruin Oil paint

In article , (David Roberts) wrote:
Hi,
I'm in need of some help judging the different stories I get from
several painters recently. I've been getting estimates to paint my
house exterior (wood clapboard). Please give me your take on the
following statements.

1a) You should caulk everywhere, including between the clapboard to
seal the house from moisture and prevent pests from getting inside. (
I do have a big ant problem and see them crawling between the boards).

You should caulk any gaps that won't be sealed by a couple coats of paint. As
a practical test, if you can slide a credit card into a gap, caulk it.

1b) You should never caulk between the wood boards because the house
must breathe and adjust with the moisture and temperature changes.

It'll breathe *through* the wood -- and through the door every time you come
or go.


----------------------------------------------------------------
2a) The paint job should last between 15-20 years.

With proper surface preparation and a premium quality paint, yes.

2b) The paint job will last up to 10 years.

With proper surface preparation and a good quality paint, yes.

With poor surface prep, or a cheap paint, you might be lucky to get five
years.

----------------------------------------------------------------
3a) Using rollers and brushes is superior to spraying the paint on.

3b) Spraying gives a more uniform paint job with no roller marks.

Yeah, including a uniform paint job on anything that the prep crew didn't
remember to mask off. It's a hell of a mess. It's fast, though, which means
less time spent for the painter and thus higher profit.

If the guy who told you that rollers and brushes are superior to spray is the
same guy who told you the job should last 15 to 20 years -- hire him.

----------------------------------------------------------------
4a) Painting the 1 story house (approx 1675 sqft) should take 3-4
days.

4b) Painting the 1 story house (approx 1675 sqft) should take about 2
weeks.

Highly variable, depending on the skill of the painter, the method of
application, and the size of the crew.
----------------------------------------------------------------

5a) You should putty over the nail heads to both make it look better
and protect the nail.

True.

5b) You shouldn't waste your time putting over the nail since it will
come off within a few years. The primer and paint will protect the
nail head.

Oil-based primer and paint, yes. Latex primer and paint, no.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
6a) Two coats of paint are essential. The extra coat will extend the
life of the paint job.

That's generally what the manufacturers of the better paints recommend.

6b) One coat is sufficient, and we put more paint on with that coat so
it will protect better.

Naaah. Two thin coats are better than one thick one.
------------------------------------------------------------------

7a) Spot priming is fine, only on wood that is bare or where the old
paint comes right off.


7b) It is good to prime the whole house regardless as to the condition
of the wood or existing paint.

Somewhere in between the two strikes me as about right. If the old paint is
loose, even if it doesn't "come right off", it should be scraped to bare wood
(and then primed, of course). Areas in which the existing paint is in good
condition *and* well-adhered to the wood probably don't need repriming, but it
doesn't hurt.

A couple of "gotchas" to look out for:

1) If the house is already painted some medium to dark color, spot priming may
give a spotty appearance to the final coat, because the spot primed areas will
be lighter than the rest of the wall. In this case, either the primer should
be tinted, or the entire house should be primed.

2) The guy who says to prime the entire house may be wanting to do a quick job
he it's faster to just prime everything, than to scrape the areas that need
scraping, and then spot prime them. If the guy advocating spot priming is
going to go to the trouble of scraping loose paint (and if he's the same guy
that says to putty the nails), let him do it.

------------------------------------------------------------------
8a) The new paint will only look as good as the old if the surface is
still rough. Sanding the wood is for aesthetic reasons, not
protection.

Sounds about right. Beware, though: on older homes, the paint may be
lead-based. Sanding that stuff is a Bad Idea.

I've also been given estimates ranging from $2000-8600 and warantees
from 2 years to 7 years, respectively.

I'm guessing there's a direct relationship between price and guarantee, right?
You can probably figure out why.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Ask for references from all of them.

You've gotten all these different prices and different opinions because
the painters are all working their own agenda; some are pricing for a good
job, some for a not-so-good job. Write your own specs and have each
painter give you a price. Note how some of them will whine about you "not
needing to do" certain steps you specify. As others have noted, prep is
key; so some of the following steps may or may not be applicable. Here are
the basic steps for a good job:

1. Pressure wash the house.
2. Sand down to bare wood.
3. Replace any cracked or broken boards.
4. Tighten up all the nails.
5. Set the nails below the surface with a nail set.
6. Prime the entire house.
7. Putty/spackle, and caulk all holes and cracks, including all the siding gaps.
8. Hand sand.
9. Prime again.
10. Hand sand.
11. Two finish coats, oil or latex, your pick.

--
Jedd Haas - Artist
http://www.gallerytungsten.com
http://www.epsno.com

In article , (Jedd Haas) wrote:
You've gotten all these different prices and different opinions because
the painters are all working their own agenda; some are pricing for a good
job, some for a not-so-good job. Write your own specs and have each
painter give you a price. Note how some of them will whine about you "not
needing to do" certain steps you specify. As others have noted, prep is
key; so some of the following steps may or may not be applicable. Here are
the basic steps for a good job:

1. Pressure wash the house.

Definitely *not* a good idea. If there are gaps in the siding, as the OP
described, this will force a lot of water behind the siding. Not a place you
want water.

Even if there are *not* gaps in the siding, pressure washing is still
questionable IMHO: the pressure can be high enough to damage the siding.

If it needs to be washed, wash it by hand.

2. Sand down to bare wood.

The entire house??? Naaaah. Totally unnecessary. Sand the parts that need
sanding (if any).

3. Replace any cracked or broken boards.

Should be done *before* sanding, so that sanding can remove any unevenness or
splintering that occurs during board replacement.

4. Tighten up all the nails.
5. Set the nails below the surface with a nail set.
6. Prime the entire house.

Your steps are out of order again. Priming comes *after* puttying and sanding.

7. Putty/spackle, and caulk all holes and cracks, including all the siding
gaps.
8. Hand sand.
9. Prime again.

Ridiculous. One prime coat is enough -- as long as it's applied at the right
time, i.e. *after* puttying and sanding, not before.

10. Hand sand.

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Prime, then paint. The whole point of priming is to give
the top coat a good surface to grab onto. It's a total waste of time to sand
*after* priming.

11. Two finish coats, oil or latex, your pick.

Got that part right, anyway. :-)

Jedd Haas wrote:
You've gotten all these different prices and different opinions
because
the painters are all working their own agenda; some are pricing for a
good
job, some for a not-so-good job. Write your own specs and have each
painter give you a price. Note how some of them will whine about you
"not needing to do" certain steps you specify. As others have noted,
prep is
key; so some of the following steps may or may not be applicable.
Here are
the basic steps for a good job:

1. Pressure wash the house.

Not always a good idea. Pressure washing can cause problems. Under the
right conditions with a good crew it is a good idea. Note Jedd did cover
this under his comment "some of the following steps may or may not be
applicable"

2. Sand down to bare wood.
3. Replace any cracked or broken boards.
4. Tighten up all the nails.
5. Set the nails below the surface with a nail set.
6. Prime the entire house.
7. Putty/spackle, and caulk all holes and cracks, including all the
siding gaps.
8. Hand sand.
9. Prime again.
10. Hand sand.
11. Two finish coats, oil or latex, your pick.

Not a bad list and if your comment "some of the following steps may or
may not be applicable" is taken seriously it is a very good list.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

First, I'd like to thank you all for your comments. I was hoping to
get a consensus and seemed to get partial agreement in some areas,
disagreement in others.

Some questions posed I'll answer:
1. [QUOTES] Yes, the $8600 quote included the 7 year warantee and
suggested 15-20 years and would brush/roll the paint. The middle
estimate only had the 2 year warantee and claimed it was because they
handle houses across the country in less favorable climates (snow,
etc)

2. [NEW SIDING] No, I haven't considered new siding (vinyl?) because I
assumed it would be much more costly. I will investigate.

3. [PESTS] I don't believe I have any serious infestation problem with
the ants, I've had Terminix come out and spray as well as an
inspection. They concluded that it was fairly normal for the seaon and
area I live in.

4. [ROLL vs SPRAY] The other estimates who suggested spraying usually
mentioned rolling afterwards to get into the cracks. It sounds like
there's not a huge difference as long as the painters are careful in
taping things up well. Generally people never said brush/roll was
worse but maybe not necessary.

5. [CAULKING] I heard quite the debate on whether to caulk between
boards or not. I agree that no amount of caulking would keep out the
pests. The writer who mentioned that they sell a specific device to go
in between the boards sounded the most believable.

6. [TIME] When I suggested the 3 days vs. 2 weeks quote, that included
the entire paint job (prep, paint, etc..). It sounded like anything
under 6 days would be a poor job. The number of people quoted was
usually 3-4.

7. [PRIMING] I heard mixed opinions about spot priming vs. priming
everything. My house has been painted previously so I would think that
any time the paint is scraped off to expose the bare wood priming is
necessary. Priming on top of existing paint is perhaps not necessary.

8. [CLIMATE] I live in Northern California and get a decent amount of
sun. The moisture we get is usually in the winter or fog this time of
year.

9. [OIL vs. LATEX] I hadn't anticipated starting a debate between the
two and it hadn't occurred to me to even ask. I guess I've been using
LATEX inside and assumed OIL was the old way, too messy, and not
necessary with the advances in the LATEX.

10. [COLORS] I had planned to use 3 colors, one for base, one for
trim, and one for the doors. The house is currently a lighter color
than the new will be. I don't believe the existing paint is lead
based, it's not too old but was never done well it seems.


I'm leaning towards the middle quote (~$6500) which would take 6-7
days, spray and roll, 2 yr warantee that he will up to 3 yr. 3/4
quotes said it was wrong to ever caulk between the boards.

5. [CAULKING] I heard quite the debate on whether to caulk between
boards or not. I agree that no amount of caulking would keep out the
pests. The writer who mentioned that they sell a specific device to go
in between the boards sounded the most believable.

sounds to me like its for some very specific use. ive never heard of such
things for plain old siding. doesnt sound like anyone else has either.
doesnt mean they dont exist... ask someone who sells them.

randy

Check out my story about how long a paint job lasts and why, at the Historic
HomeWorks library:

http://www.historichomeworks.com/hhw/qa/qa07.htm

You'll also find a series of paint and coatings articles that might be
helpful:

http://www.historichomeworks.com/hhw...ry/library.htm

John
by hammer and hand great works do stand
www.HistoricHomeWorks.com

"xrongor" wrote in message ...
5. [CAULKING] I heard quite the debate on whether to caulk between
boards or not. I agree that no amount of caulking would keep out the
pests. The writer who mentioned that they sell a specific device to go
in between the boards sounded the most believable.

sounds to me like its for some very specific use. ive never heard of such
things for plain old siding. doesnt sound like anyone else has either.
doesnt mean they dont exist... ask someone who sells them.

randy

City of Charleston SC recommends them for older houses.
TB

"xrongor" wrote in message
...
5. [CAULKING] I heard quite the debate on whether to caulk between
boards or not. I agree that no amount of caulking would keep out the
pests. The writer who mentioned that they sell a specific device to go
in between the boards sounded the most believable.

sounds to me like its for some very specific use. ive never heard of such
things for plain old siding. doesnt sound like anyone else has either.
doesnt mean they dont exist... ask someone who sells them.

randy

Just for clarification, the caulking is not between clapboards (the
horizontal line). It is placed where the clapboard meets a vertically
oriented board, i.e. a corner board, window or door trim, hence it is a
vertical line of caulk.

-al

"Alan Sung" wrote in message news:Qd5Qc.203409$a24.141184@attbi_s03...
"xrongor" wrote in message
...
5. [CAULKING] I heard quite the debate on whether to caulk between
boards or not. I agree that no amount of caulking would keep out the
pests. The writer who mentioned that they sell a specific device to go
in between the boards sounded the most believable.

sounds to me like its for some very specific use. ive never heard of such
things for plain old siding. doesnt sound like anyone else has either.
doesnt mean they dont exist... ask someone who sells them.

randy

Just for clarification, the caulking is not between clapboards (the
horizontal line). It is placed where the clapboard meets a vertically
oriented board, i.e. a corner board, window or door trim, hence it is a
vertical line of caulk.

-al

Yes, my house currently has caulking in the horizontal gap between the
clapboards. Most painters said it would be too much work to try and
remove so they would just leave the old there. It would be easier to
just replace the siding itself I guess.

"John Leeke"
JohnLeeke*remove*this*spam*blocker*@HistoricHomeW orks.
com
wrote in :

Check out my story about how long a paint job lasts
and why, at the
Historic HomeWorks library:

http://www.historichomeworks.com/hhw/qa/qa07.htm

You'll also find a series of paint and coatings
articles that might be
helpful:

http://www.historichomeworks.com/hhw/library/library.
htm

John
by hammer and hand great works do stand
www.HistoricHomeWorks.com



ok here goes and in case your wondering 15 years of
experience talking
here.

1. caulk yes between board and along windows and trim
boards but not not
along the bottoms (this allows water to escape)

2. how long it last depends on quality of paint and
application,
location, local weather ect... if you want to be sure
that the warranty
they are telling you is accurate get a warranty in
writing which will
include a visit from the paint supply who will verify
the paint was
applied correctly.

3.spraying will get into all the little cracks and
crevices on the
siding but back rolling will tend to even out the
texture as well as
adding texture to the finished surface which helps hide
defects

4.time estimates...hmmm again depends on area and local
weather. heat
and humidity affect curing time. number of colors
roughness of surface
aslo affect time. But in my experience a 2 color house
(1 for base 1 for
trim) shouldn't take more than 5 days unless there is
an extreme amount
of prep work (caulking scraping ect)

5. No putty it'll dry out and crack or fall out
completely, simply have
them caulk the nail heads. This seals the nail hole as
well as
preventing rust from bleeding through.

7. 2 coats are better than one. seals better and better
chance of even
color with less bleeding.

8. Yes old surface imperfections will show through,
ways around
this....flat paint will hide imperfections and the
lighter the paint
the less they'll show.

estimates...you get what you pay for but some people
will try to rob
you, look at the mid-low bids talk to some of the
slightly higher biders
and you'll be supprised when they're willing to drop a
couple hundred
dollars to get the job. also check the yellow pages,
people who take out
the nicer adds are your first choice. Questionable
painters seldom have
the extra cash to spend several hundred dollars on an
add, This is a
100% way of telling but its a good start.

--
If it stands still I can paint it.
If it's moving I'll just have
to charge you more!

Sargent67 wrote in
9.11:

"John Leeke"
JohnLeeke*remove*this*spam*blocker*@HistoricHomeW ork
s.
com
wrote in news:bpWPc.18744$Qp.5013
@twister.nyroc.rr.com:

Check out my story about how long a paint job lasts
and why, at the
Historic HomeWorks library:

http://www.historichomeworks.com/hhw/qa/qa07.htm

You'll also find a series of paint and coatings
articles that might be
helpful:


http://www.historichomeworks.com/hhw/library/library.
htm

John
by hammer and hand great works do stand
www.HistoricHomeWorks.com



ok here goes and in case your wondering 15 years of
experience talking
here.

1. caulk yes between board and along windows and trim
boards but not not
along the bottoms (this allows water to escape)

2. how long it last depends on quality of paint and
application,
location, local weather ect... if you want to be sure
that the warranty
they are telling you is accurate get a warranty in
writing which will
include a visit from the paint supply who will verify
the paint was
applied correctly.

3.spraying will get into all the little cracks and
crevices on the
siding but back rolling will tend to even out the
texture as well as
adding texture to the finished surface which helps
hide
defects

4.time estimates...hmmm again depends on area and
local
weather. heat
and humidity affect curing time. number of colors
roughness of surface
aslo affect time. But in my experience a 2 color
house
(1 for base 1 for
trim) shouldn't take more than 5 days unless there is
an extreme amount
of prep work (caulking scraping ect)

5. No putty it'll dry out and crack or fall out
completely, simply have
them caulk the nail heads. This seals the nail hole
as
well as
preventing rust from bleeding through.

7. 2 coats are better than one. seals better and
better
chance of even
color with less bleeding.

8. Yes old surface imperfections will show through,
ways around
this....flat paint will hide imperfections and the
lighter the paint
the less they'll show.

estimates...you get what you pay for but some people
will try to rob
you, look at the mid-low bids talk to some of the
slightly higher biders
and you'll be supprised when they're willing to drop
a
couple hundred
dollars to get the job. also check the yellow pages,
people who take out
the nicer adds are your first choice. Questionable
painters seldom have
the extra cash to spend several hundred dollars on an
add, This is a
100% way of telling but its a good start.



uh i meant this ISN'T 100% way of telling but it's a
good start
--
If it stands still I can paint it.
If it's moving I'll just have
to charge you more!