Author Topic: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.  (Read 12050 times)

GertieMcFuzz

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I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« on: March 26, 2014, 11:30:50 AM »
We have... a lot... of work that needs to be done to our house. I'm not sure why exactly we fell in love with this 1930's fixer; but, well, we are in it now...

The roof alone is a $15-$20,000 job (I throw up a bit every time I see that number). The benefit has been to make me beyond willing to attempt DIY.

One of the more pressing issues is the exterior paint. How horrible is it to paint a house? Mostly I'm terrified of the second and third story sections and how to reach them (scaffolding?). The most pressing issue is the wooden windows - they are sound and almost all fully functioning - it's the exterior paint peeling off in big chunks that has me concerned that time is running out on getting them painted again.

The bids we have been getting are in the $10k and up range; so, I really hope that we can figure out how to do this ourselves. My husband isn't a DIY'er, it makes him SUPER nervous; but, heck, if I have to pay for someone to paint a chimney it HAS to be less than the whole house, right?

I don't know if it will help; but, I will attempt to post pictures so you know what I'm working with:




Exflyboy

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #1 on: March 26, 2014, 11:53:59 AM »
Your exterior appears to be brick?.. In which case in theory you don't actually NEED to paint it its just cosmetic.

What am I missing here?

What is wrong with the roof?.. (it appears to be slate) and if you are replacing like for like that is why it is hideously expensive. You could do a DIY replacement with architectural shingles for much less money unless you are forced by some historical ordinance to replace like for like?

Personally I'd be tempted to replace the windows with modern (and therefore zero maintenance) vynil clad equivilents (DIY of course) using the money you saved from doing the DIY roof replacement.

None of this is hard but with a steep pitched roof you will need to rent roof jacks and personally I would be wearing my climbing harness and nail a tie off point to the top of the roof to clip a lanyard into.

All of this is withing the scope of DIY.

Frank

GertieMcFuzz

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #2 on: March 26, 2014, 12:07:38 PM »
The brick portion, for the most part, doesn't need paint. There are sections where, when we pulled off ivy overgrowth, succeeded in pulling chunks of paint, too. I could ignore it or try and match the white paint - I'm a bit bitter that someone would bother to paint brick in the first place... the real problem areas are the wood windows, eaves and other wood trim pieces.

I rather like our old windows... with having 22ish of them (not including the basement) I would imagine it would be pretty darn expensive to replace.

The roof is asbestos "slate" tiles... The ridges have cracked straight through to the wood. In the second picture you can see where we added metal stripping as temporary stops to further damage. We were unable to do the upper most section of the roof capped due to not wanting to have someone walk the roof - there was a good chance it would cause further damage to the tiles.

ETA: that $20k bill was for an architectural shingle that mimics the wider width of the shingles. We aren't under any historic district rules; but, are looking at historic tax credit to help offset some of the expense. I want to see what rules they have before committing.
« Last Edit: March 26, 2014, 12:10:13 PM by GertieMcFuzz »

GoldenStache

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #3 on: March 26, 2014, 12:10:42 PM »
Really cool house.

Painting is not that bad, I have painted a few houses over the years.  The worst part will be doing some sanding around the windows to get them ready for paint.  For me it takes more time to set up the scaffolding and get it level than it is worth.  Just use a ladder and take your time, a long roller handle will make the chimney alot easier.  Make sure you do a good power wash ahead of time to make a clean surface for the paint.  And paint before you get your new roof, you will probably spill/drip some on the chimney.   

Don't try to do it all in one day or one weekend for that matter.  You will be tired, your arms will hurt and you won't take your time towards the end.  I would try to get it done in a month of sundays.   

I like Sherwin Williams paint, and you can always find a 30% coupon.  If you have the option of getting low VOC paint, don't get it.  I have never found a low or no VOC paint that sticks as well as normal paint.

I would not do the roof myself.

Cwadda

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #4 on: March 26, 2014, 12:17:00 PM »
I've never painted a brick house, but I've painted plenty of houses with siting or shakes. It's definitely DIY'able. Highly recommended - it will save you thousands.

Here's an article I found. http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/4040365/list/What-You-Need-to-Know-Before-Painting-Brick

TrMama

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #5 on: March 26, 2014, 12:28:57 PM »
Cool house.

Painting isn't difficult, just time consuming. I should know, I helped restain my childhood home twice as a child/teen. If a 12yo can do it, so can you.

Considering you have an old house that's going to need lots of maintenance, I'd look into buying some scaffolding from Craigslist. We always borrowed my grandpa's scaffolding and it made painting go way faster.  I'm also terrified of heights and scaffolding is less scary to me than ladders.

nawhite

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #6 on: March 26, 2014, 12:46:18 PM »
If you just need to paint the windows, why not just take the panes out and paint them while standing inside? Sit on the sill and paint around the edges. You could tie yourself off to something inside that didn't let you fall out.

For the roof, a metal roof would look pretty sweet on that house in my opinion.

GetSmart

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #7 on: March 26, 2014, 12:49:05 PM »
It's hard to tell, but it looks like you have the old style storms/ screens that are hinged at the top.  Is that correct?  If that's the case- take those down and clean, sand, repair any rot and repaint. Do it 'on the ground', on sawhorses as opposed to on the ladder.  If the actual sash needs to be painted - it may be possible to remove these from inside the house depending on the window style - casements will have to be done in place, but double hungs may be able to be removed - although it may be more work than just painting in place.  Obviously, the eaves and trim would have to be done from a ladder, but you can do it.  Just take your time and make sure it's cleaned well first, scraped, sanded and speckled.

I would not repaint the brick.  Letting it naturally fade away can be 'a look' that I've actually tried to achieve before and can look good on this style house.  I would not paint the chimney either, but make sure you have a mason check to see if it needs repointing. That is critical. And make sure the flashing and chimney cricket is viable at both chimneys.

A slate roof should last 100 years or more so you should keep it - you have at least 15 years left on it :) And it's worth hiring someone to do that work.  Get several estimates, references and check work that they've done before and make sure they have insurance.  Most of a roofer's price is due to high insurance rates.  Also if there are a lot of slate/ brick houses in the area there should be reputable roofers that often work with masons so the chimney can be inspected / worked on at the same time as the roof repairs. Get everything in writing.

Nice house - the joy$ of living in an old house, eh?

GertieMcFuzz

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #8 on: March 26, 2014, 02:05:20 PM »
Thank you all so much!

TrMama – I tarred a roof around that age; our parents must have been kindred spirits (or drank the same spirits…). I’ve looked, online, at some scaffolding and was wondering if it was worth the investment. We have the original wooden ladder that came with the house if I REALLY wanted to go frugal, lol. Time to start lurking CL.

Nawhite – I’m not sure I understand what you mean by taking the panes out. They are six over sixes so it would take forever to remove the individual pieces of glass. If I was to open the window and hang out, the window would be up and I couldn’t get to the upper section. The bottoms are attached with weighted rope I don’t think there is a way to remove them without cutting the ropes which would be a sin, no? Of course I could be totally misunderstanding what you are trying to say!

We have considered a metal roof, the price is pretty close to the shingle; however, the sloped section of the porch roof is rolled copper. My (extremely limited and entirely internet based) knowledge of metallurgy suggests that the material in a metal roof touching the copper could cause one or both surfaces to oxidize/corrode/do bad things. In addition I’m not 100% sold that the two materials would look right together. We are trying to keep the historical elements that we can, it’s not visible from the picture; but, all the valleys are copper and we have the original copper snowbirds/snow-stops that we will have re-attached...can you tell I’ve fallen in love with a house?

Modify – Sort of, they aren’t hinged, more like… clipped and hung. We don’t have the storms (if it ever had storms) and the screens are hit or miss as to if they are still on. We had planned, when we painted, to just take the screens down, get rid of them and, overtime, install triple track storms/screens. The thought was to get some extra efficiency without all the cost of replacement windows.  Hmm… if I can paint I house I could measure and install those storms, right?

I do like the idea of letting the paint go on the brick… it’s an “English cottage” after all… some rustic elements would be fine. Plus, WAY cheaper! I might actually be able to afford some window boxes ;)

I had to google chimney cricket and I’m pretty sure we don’t have one... the chimneys both go straight up – our contractor did talk to us about replacing/installing flashing where he felt we were missing some; I believe around the chimney was one of those areas. We do need a few bricks, right at the top, replaced. That is a secondary project as a usable fireplace isn’t on the priority list – it is on the list and was planned to be done at the same time a chimney cap is installed. Have you ever had a squirrel die in your chimney? The smell is awful and it makes the cats crazy.

And remember, it’s not real slate… asbestos “slate” and it’s about at its life expectancy. It was a serious PITA to find anyone that would even touch it, no one would repair it, I found two contractors that were licensed to mitigate and one that would do it on the hush hush… yeah… I think this is something that pays to be above board with. Part of the cost is a $2k asbestos license/permit and the double bagging of the roof that has to happen to get rid of the stuff (and the pallet of tiles we have left from original construction).

GetSmart

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #9 on: March 26, 2014, 03:02:05 PM »
Quote
And remember, it’s not real slate… asbestos “slate” and it’s about at its life expectancy. It was a serious PITA to find anyone that would even touch it, no one would repair it, I found two contractors that were licensed to mitigate and one that would do it on the hush hush… yeah… I think this is something that pays to be above board with. Part of the cost is a $2k asbestos license/permit and the double bagging of the roof that has to happen to get rid of the stuff (and the pallet of tiles we have left from original construction).

Right- you got me to google asbestos slate! Never worked with it before, but now I see the issues. 2k actually doesn't seem like much for asbestos mitigation from what I've seen before - are you in the northeast ?  Depending on how your permitting works - you're better off going legit on that aspect.  The bldg dept may require you to have a legal sign-off on the asbestos disposal- my state loves to create paperwork on this!

Sorry I didn't explain the cricket. But you probably have one behind the big chimney on the front.  It's a small roof perpendicular to the main roof.  Otherwise water and all tree gunk would sit against the chimney and wreak havoc.

Unless you have broken ropes on the window weights I wouldn't take them out.  It is possible, but a LOT of work.  If the ropes are broken they can be replaced with copper chains - long lasting, but if not broken don't fix it....

I'm curious if GoldenStache is right about the VOC paint not sticking.  Since they've done away with oil based paints it's been a real dilemma to get paint to stick on my house.  But you should look carefully into the type of paint to use.  If there's a local paint store as opposed to HD - go and get their advice - usually some knowledgable paint contractors running or hanging around those places.  You also might be able to open an account and get a discount.

The window storms may be worth having installed.  Also look into tax rebates for improving energy efficiency.


Gray Matter

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #10 on: March 26, 2014, 03:47:58 PM »
I'm of no help when it come to painting houses--my DH painted our 2.5 story house and fell off the ladder.  Luckily, he wasn't badly hurt--the BBQ grill broke his fall--but I swore we'd never paint another house ourselves.  Of course, I could have sworn to simply take better safety precautions, but I wasn't Mustachian back then.

But what I really wanted to say is that I can totally see why you have fallen in love with this house--GORGEOUS!

GertieMcFuzz

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #11 on: March 26, 2014, 05:42:07 PM »
Aw, thank you! It'll be a labor of love - heavy on the labor ;) Glad your husband was ok! I'm very nervous about being hurt. If we keep it to the windows and trim; it won't be quite as bad... if I totally wuss out I can ask the roofer if he wouldn't mind getting a few of the higher spots.

I have had issues with the Sherwin Williams VOC - it doesn't adhere right... it seems like it sits on the surface instead of binding. If it get's nicked or pulled at all it peels off like not-quiet-dry nail polish, if that makes any sense, not impressed. Overall SW was a disappointment, the trim paint they suggested was just as bad and probably full of VOC's as it stunk horribly and seemed much too thin. It was also pretty streaky.
 
Next paint expedition I went with Valspar's Ultra Kitchen & Bath which is zero VOC, MUCH better. It is not one coat coverage... it took three on the interior window and it could probably use a fourth; but, windows are a bit more difficult over all and I had used a bunch of wood to fill in gaps, cracks and holes in the trim work.
 
As to the roof - we're in rural southern VA, I could probably build a rocket launcher on the roof without a permit; but, I'd still like to not kill anything with our hazmat of a roof. The regulations are a bit of an overkill; but, there are some regs that I do think are important (I have a four year old who I'd prefer to not have play in asbestos roof flakes).
 
I'll have to check on the cricket; I just don't know, I probably never looked...
 
I'm an accountant and have been sitting behind a computer for weeks now during tax season, I'm almost looking forward to being out there painting and stripping instead of clicking and clacking.
 
Almost, I'm not full on crazy... not yet.

OldDogNewTrick

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #12 on: March 27, 2014, 08:00:11 AM »
What a beautiful home. I'd try pressure washing before deciding to paint the walls. Plus, I wouldn't replace the original windows! Half the charm of your house. The stripping, sanding, scraping will be a labor of love and may take MONTHS but it is a chore best done by the homeowner anyway. These windows are forever windows, while the life expectancy of vinyl clad is 15 to 20 years. Doing research on replacement windows myself and underwhelmed by the energy savings.

We've painted our stucco Florida ranch twice now in 15 years. The first time because of budget constraints, the second because we realized it was so easy and we do a better quality job. We have four kids, (older), and assigned a side to each one.... hubby did all the trim and detail work. Our neighbors were amused. Number one lesson learned from that experience....the quality of the job is all about prep. Actual painting is but a small slice of the project.

The roof maybe should be your primary focus before painting? If it is damaged it is unseen destroying the underlayment and opening you up to insect infestation and rot. Like dental work, it doesn't get better over time only progressively worse. Our tile roof looked just fine but when the tiles were removed we were shocked to see holes the size of large tires rotted out of the plywood underneath. Our 8k roof then morphed into a 12k roof because of the extensive repair needed.

GertieMcFuzz

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #13 on: March 27, 2014, 09:48:05 AM »
The roof is our primary focus, absolutely.

Last spring we had new gutters installed when I discovered a rather large hole in the fascia. In the corner where the front porch meets the main house, despite cleaning the gutters as soon as we moved in, years of leaves and crud blocking the drainage had done its damage and a large section of wood had to be replaced. The remaining gutters were in varying stages of disrepair and we made the decision to replace them all – while the contractor was pulling the second downspout out I realized they were almost all copper. I don’t know what twit paints copper; but, I’ll try and give them the benefit of the doubt that they did it when they had to replace sections and couldn't afford to do them in copper, too. I had the contractor put it all in the basement and my husband hauled it to the scrape dealer. It paid about half the costs of the gutter replacement… not too bad.

While they were installing the gutters they found the first of the hip cracks in the shingles and we had the metal caps installed. Two weeks after the new gutters went in we woke to a five foot and expanding puddle in our kitchen… an attic hunt narrowed it down to the main ridge line that runs front to back. We caulked and kiddie pooled the attic (we classy like dat) and thus began our roof replacement project.

We are lucky that old houses are not made of particle board; our under-layment is 1 x 12 oak or pine planks, our contractor commented that our roof could leak for 100 years and “this stuff is so well cured it’d never rot.” We aren't going to test that limit; but, it does give us a bit of breathing space to undertake the funding of the roof project. $20k isn't something we have lying around (we have been doing Ramsey for 18ish months and have made HUGE progress; but, there is still work to be done - probably fodder for a different thread...).

The painting comes into play because when they replace the roof they will take the gutters down, too. That’s going to be the time to get that layer of trim work done. Yes, I have issues, it would bother me to no end to paint around the gutters or if paint got on the new gutters. They did that when the exterior was originally painted and when the down spouts came down there was the beautiful, unpainted, brick… mocking me in its maintenance free glory.

Anyway... I'm thinking the plan should be to give painting ourselves a go over the spring/summer, as it nears fall and roof replacement time we will know whether or not we will be able/willing to do the higher sections or if we need to have more money saved so that we can hire it out. I'm hoping as we see progress (and the savings) it will motivate us to continue the DIY assault.

MayDay

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #14 on: March 27, 2014, 10:29:23 AM »
I will chime in on the windows and say don't replace them with cheap ugly vinyl! Yes wood windows require some maintenance, but holy baloney, those windows will last you hundreds of years and you can do it yourself. Vinyl windows will end up in a landfill in ten or twenty years.


Weedy Acres

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #15 on: March 27, 2014, 07:50:36 PM »
Another vote for keeping the windows and slowly cleaning and repairing them.  The good folks in the gardenweb old house forum are great at hand holding through projects like this.  http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/oldhouse/

Tip number two is rent a JLG for a weekend.  It's way faster than moving scaffolding around and beats balancing on a ladder.  You'll get the work done a lot faster and more safely and you'll probably find a bunch more high-elevation projects to knock out at the same time.  We'll worth the few hundred dollars it'll cost you.

TomTX

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #16 on: March 27, 2014, 08:58:50 PM »
Hold on here, flag on the play!

1930's house, white paint. Almost certainly CHOCK FULL of LEAD. I'm talking 30% or more lead in the original paint layers, particularly painted wood like window frames. Like most heavy metals - lead causes a whole host of physical problems including brain damage.

You do NOT want to be sanding this. You don't want yourself (or especially any kids) exposed to the chips or ESPECIALLY dust, or the soil where dust or paint chips have been dropped. You seriously need to learn about lead safe work practices - whether you end up DIY or hiring it out.

As an aside - most of the home lead test kits that turn pink for lead are not reliable. High rates of incorrect readings. EPA only approved a couple after seriously reducing their quality threshold due to industry pressure. Sending samples to a proper certified lab or someone coming out to use a portable XRF are the really reliable options, IMNSHO.

http://www.epa.gov/reg3wcmd/lp-safework.htm



GertieMcFuzz

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #17 on: March 27, 2014, 09:36:40 PM »
...well... aren't you a happy ray of sunshine...

So we bought one big pile of hazard, huh? Fantastic.

Argyle

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #18 on: March 27, 2014, 10:13:43 PM »
I second this on the lead in the paint.  Don't mess with it.  It is not a big deal if you keep it painted.  But get someone else to paint it.  To paint it yourself, you'll need scaffolding, you'll need harnesses, you'll need to study up on lead remediation ... save money elsewhere.  Get a painter certified in lead remediation to deal with it.  It's not a big hassle for someone who knows what they're doing.  One warning: if you sand it yourself, not only are you breathing in lead, which can lower IQ and make you infertile (no joke), but your neighbors can sue you.  This happened in my town.  So don't mess with it.

Yes, you bought an old house with some issues.  The up side is that the materials they built with were much more solid, and the windows will last hundreds more years.  I also recommend the old-house-renovation site Wavyglass.org for lots of information and encouragement.  And once you get those windows painted, just keep them up to date and you won't have any issues with lead.  Congratulations on a great house.

GertieMcFuzz

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #19 on: March 28, 2014, 07:12:56 AM »
Are we sure I can't just invest in one of these bad boys?



That would be an infrared paint stripper... just for the wood sections. The brick could be encapsulated and repainted. I don't get the cost savings of not having to paint the whole house; but, I do get to not have lead poisoning.

GertieMcFuzz

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #20 on: March 28, 2014, 07:16:19 AM »
To those that were suggesting to leave it to the pros... that's not a cheap prospect. The exterior was a $10,000 job before; I start talking lead abatement and it will probably add another $5,000 at least... and we'd still have the whole damn interior.


OldDogNewTrick

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #21 on: March 28, 2014, 07:59:57 AM »
OMG... forgot about the lead. My bad, my house was built in 1983. I HAVE seen lead paint testers in Lowes. Maybe you had lead paint remediation done after 1979...might want to test it first before thinking the worst. I'd def test myself and not leave that to someone who is looking for your job.

szmaine

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #22 on: March 28, 2014, 03:03:21 PM »
Are we sure I can't just invest in one of these bad boys?



That would be an infrared paint stripper... just for the wood sections. The brick could be encapsulated and repainted. I don't get the cost savings of not having to paint the whole house; but, I do get to not have lead poisoning.
I have one of those...it's not worth it for windows due to the irregular and narrow surface. I cracked a pane of glass with one due to thermal stress. Anyway I had the sash on a sawhorse, that thing is to tiring to hold continuously. Great for large expanses with the hands free holder. You'd be better off with a heat gun that is like a blow dryer...easier to hold while you scrape. But that will be tricky on a ladder.

szmaine

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #23 on: March 28, 2014, 03:25:36 PM »
I think you should purchase a good quality aluminum ladder that extends to the highest point yo need to reach. They can be separated to make two unextendable ladders - so very versatile. For doing windows a stand-off is really worthwhile...it stabilizes the ladder making it more secure and is great for doing windows. See picture..if you didn't have you'd have to have the ladder on one side of the window and switch to the other, or have it below the window to reach the top which is back breaking and unsafe.

http://www.familyhandyman.com/tools/ladder-stabilizers/view-all

http://www.lowes.com/pd_95493-287-AC78_0__?productId=3047885

Whatever else you get you Need a 5 in one scraper..you will use this for all sorts of things around the house, but great for windows.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_350004-995-3490189C_?PL=1&productId=3364384

Lead paint: you will not be poisoned with a little bit of scraping, sanding is a no- no (though I've done it with the appropriate hepa mask). Just wear a good particle mask, scrape off loose paint and use a good OIL primer thinned with a bit of penetrol. Top coat with good latex paint. Happy answer questions...I have many years of painting experience both as employment and for myself on 1840 house coated with eons of lead.

Ps. Check if really is oil based paint first...take a piece and bend it if it cracks it's probably oil if it bends then it's latex. You'll also need to wash any paint that doesn't come off before painting, then you can still spot prime the bare spots with oil if it's latex. If it oil you should prime the whole window for better adhesion of the top coat.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2014, 03:44:39 PM by szmaine »

TomTX

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #24 on: March 28, 2014, 09:09:44 PM »
I hope you're collecting and properly disposing of the paint you are scraping off.

And yes, scraping is a lot safer than sanding. Not safe, but safer.

GertieMcFuzz

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #25 on: March 29, 2014, 07:06:36 AM »
I hope you're collecting and properly disposing of the paint you are scraping off.

And yes, scraping is a lot safer than sanding. Not safe, but safer.

Nah, I figured I'd salt the earth with lead. Kidding!!

There is no way I'm going to be knocking out the house in a weekend; so, no sense try to cut corners to get it done faster. I'll start in the front of the house, as at it has the least height, and work myself around all the "easy" portions.  I'll double tarp the perimeter of the goal section and at the end of the work day double bag the top layer of plastic. Repeat until I'm insane or the house is done.

szmaine - what about a commercial steamer for paint removal? I have seen those online and they seem, perhaps, more manageable than the infrared. I've used chemical strippers before and that was AWFUL; I just don't see a good way to get a clean finish on the windows without using some kind of full on paint assault. There are chunks of paint (and caulk?) coming off the windows... without getting through all those layers it's not going to look very professional... it'll just look like it does now with another layer on top ;)

Thank you for your insight - I'll try getting to a chunk of paint and bend test it later today. First... taxes, lots and lots of taxes to be done.

szmaine

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #26 on: March 29, 2014, 07:54:29 AM »
I haven't used a steamer...post a picture of one you are looking at and I tell you what I think. The thing is can you hold it up there and scape of the heated stuff before it starts to cool off again. If the unit is very heavy the fatigue in you arms will make this miserable....steam in your face, water running all over you etc wet paint chips sticking all over the side of the house and you..

I think the heat gun will be more manageable, but you still have to stay away from pointing it at the glass. Bear in mind not all paint will strip off all creamy dreamy like shown in product videos...old paint can get so dry and hard that there can still be islands left over that will scrape like a dry powder no matter what you do...so you still may be left with islands that won't come off.

Also, hot steamer water (and power washing) will raise the grain of the wood, leaving it " hairy" not smooth...not good if you can't sand. Of course, heaters and scraping can cause some amount of damage too. Wipe all down with a damp thinner rag before oil priming. If you prime with oil then you can do a very light hand sanding after sufficient drying to knock back burrs and what not...because then the lead is mostly gone or encapsulated. Still wear a mask for this. Then wipe everything cleaner with a damp thinner rag for oil  paint ( damp with water for latex top coat).

You know, those pink turning lead test are not bad the gave me correct results...I work in a lab so I test my chips directly for Pb. I tested the strips on known latex and they were correct about that too. Might be worth a few bucks to give it a try in the off chance this is not leaded paint...make sure you test on the bottom most layer of paint.

szmaine

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #27 on: March 29, 2014, 08:27:11 AM »
Ps. Also if you use a steam stripper you'll have to wait until the wood is dry enough to paint..if the wood is too wet your paint will not bond properly and could peel off again pretty quick.

oceanbreeze

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #28 on: March 29, 2014, 03:26:56 PM »
We have an 1890s house in the boston area. We rehabbed our windows after taking a cheap workshop at Boston Building Resources. Never ever replace those windows with replacement windows. You would never be satisfied with the junk-the new windows will never be superior to the old, rehabbed windows.
http://www.bostonbuildingresources.com/index.php/take_a_workshop/ask_don/restoring_window_sashes

TomTX

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #29 on: March 29, 2014, 06:23:44 PM »
I hope you're collecting and properly disposing of the paint you are scraping off.

And yes, scraping is a lot safer than sanding. Not safe, but safer.

Nah, I figured I'd salt the earth with lead. Kidding!!

Unfortunately, I've seen it. More than once - and this was not 20 years ago or something.

fixer-upper

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #30 on: April 02, 2014, 04:50:46 PM »
A pressure washer will knock off most of the paint, and is MUCH easier than trying to scrape.  Anything that won't take off should be good enough to paint over.  An electric one should be fine for what you want to do, and will come in handy for other jobs.

Citri-strip is a good non-toxic stripper if you want to go that route.  It works great on some types of paint, but fails miserably on others.

Good luck!

GertieMcFuzz

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #31 on: April 03, 2014, 08:13:22 PM »
A pressure washer will knock off most of the paint, and is MUCH easier than trying to scrape.  Anything that won't take off should be good enough to paint over.  An electric one should be fine for what you want to do, and will come in handy for other jobs.

Citri-strip is a good non-toxic stripper if you want to go that route.  It works great on some types of paint, but fails miserably on others.

Good luck!

I don't think aiming a pressure washer at 80 year old windows would be a good idea... and even if it didn't shatter the glass it still needs to be stripped to get to a reasonably smooth finish. For the brick, yes, that would be fine... if I was painting the brick... I still haven't decided yet.

12 more days until tax season 2014 is over and then I'll have the time to really work this through! Thank you.

GertieMcFuzz

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #32 on: April 03, 2014, 08:14:18 PM »
Oh, I did look - chimney cricket is there and is lookin' good ;)

fixer-upper

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #33 on: April 03, 2014, 09:50:18 PM »
I don't think aiming a pressure washer at 80 year old windows would be a good idea... and even if it didn't shatter the glass it still needs to be stripped to get to a reasonably smooth finish.

I've done it on century-old windows.  They're fine as long as you don't aim straight at the glass, and in many ways pressure washing is safer than subjecting the window to the thermal stresses of a heat gun.

The best advice is just do what works for you.  I like the pressure washer as a starting step because it's a huge time saver. 

szmaine

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #34 on: April 04, 2014, 06:35:54 PM »
Whatever method you choose...I read a really wise idea recently:
Keep your eyes peeled for some paint encrusted piece of furniture ie yard sales, junk store etc..that you can test your chosen method on...the paint won't necessarily behave the same as on the windows, but it would give you an taste for the process that might prevents your from gouging chunks of the corners with your chosen scrapers or a sense of what paint looks like when you should start scraping vs going too long with a heat gun and charring the wood,  etc...

ChrisLansing

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Re: I can't believe I'm considering this... painting my house.
« Reply #35 on: April 19, 2014, 06:46:06 PM »
Just because your house is old doesn't necessarily mean the exterior was painted with lead paint.     It was most likely unpainted brick for many years and may have been painted after lead was banned from paint.    It will be worthwhile to test the paint.      Lead was banned from 1978 or 1979 though stuff already on the paint store shelves could have been used after this.   

Without doubt your interior walls have lead paint so that's something to be aware of when doing any interior paint removal/wall repair work.