I have a number of wood windows that never seem to hold paint on their exterior sills. I have scraped them down to bare wood, ensured they were dry (not much of a problem in Colorado), and repainted them with oil-base primer and then top coated with latex. Then the next couple of hailstorms arrive and I have to start all over again. I was wondering if anyone could suggest a good product that could both fill and consolidate the very open grain of these windows so they might really hold paint. I thought about using auto bondo as a desperation move, but given the rigidity of Bondo and the seasonal movement of wood, I figured this would be a bad idea.
I have attached a picture of the worst example, however that one is so bad I expect I will have to replace it. But some of my windows are in better condition and if possible, I would like to keep them.
Thanks
Replies
berg
I'm no painter.
But from the looks of it, there's NO paint left on them where they've peeled. The primer and everything else is geting pushed off, more than likely from moisture escaping from within the wood. I know you say you 've painted them when dry, but it seems there's moisture behind that wood that's compromising the adhesion.
Can you take more shots both near and far? Something's at work here that's not readily apparent.
thanks.
thats a LOT of water running down the inside of the window.
Deteriorating windows
The water you see is on the outside of the glass. The sprinkler was mis-aimed and got the window wet just before I took a picture.
How often does the sprinkler get miss aimed.
If the window is getting wetted on a fairly frequent basis, that could be your whole problem.
Jigs
almost every window repair I have the displeasure of doing seems to be sprinkler related (or at least aided)
Unclad peachtree, caradco (carap-co) and craftline (crapline) lead the way in sucking up every drop, expanding and contracting till the (piffin) lignins are done.
On more than one occasion my timing and that of the sprinkler system, have crossed paths.
The picture of that sill and sash show some longtime degradation. That look doesn't happen overnight..
What quality products are you using? Using "hardware store paint" or the cheap stuff that the BBs sell won't hack it, and generic "oil-basee primer" is usually too heavy-bodied to really do a proper job of priming wood. I've always used Moorewhite alkyd primer for exterior wood, followed by a Bennie Moore's exterior acrylic latex, and it's held up well on our wood trim. We don't get much in the way of hail storms, but probably worse weather than yours otherwise.
Note that you must scape down to bare wood -- the factory "primer" that was used on wood exterior windows back when was carp, and it all has to come off.
Deteriorating wood windows
Dan,
Thanks for your suggestions.
Not sure what I used last time, but It was probably whatever oil-base exterior primer that HD sold at the time. I just recently bought a can of Zinsser "Cover Stain" Oil-Base Interior & Exterior Primer (Stain Blocker-Bond Coat) which is what I was thinking I would use this time (to be follwed by a Behr exterior latex).
But I agree, the primers always seem too thick to actually soak into the wood at all. I even used a white-tinted oil-base stain in one spot and it held up pretty well for a while, but I wasn't sure that I could put latex over it.
I'm certainly willing to try the Moore alkyd primer and paint if you think that would be a significantly better product than the Zinsser.
I've never tried that particular Zinsser product -- they have a rep for generally producing good stuff, though. However, I'm not sure that a "cover stain" product is what you want, since it would have more solids than an optimal primer ought.
Deteriorating wood windows
I have found out the local Ace Hardware sells the Benjamin Moore products, so I am heading over there now.
Thank you all contributors for your help.
I haven't read anything in this thread to indicate that you are doing normal prep work before painting.
You have wood that is aged, meaning that the cell structure on the surface of the exposed wood is damaged and powdery. It will never hold any paint that way. You have to sand it to expoise new wood, and then apply primer within a day or two. I try to prime the wood I sand by end of same day, before UV starts to destroy the lignins again.
At this point, I'd use Smith's CPES on all the exposed wood that you can manage to remove the paint from. CPES will not penetrate painted wood. When you get the painted stripped/sanded off, apply the CPES until the wood surface remains wet. Wait 24-36 hours, prime with a good oil based primer, then use your topcoat.
If there are really bad checks in the sills,before/ after applying the CPES, and before the painting, use Famowood ( solvent based formula, not the latex) and fill those.
Note, although the CPES is reffered to as an epoxy, it's not that kind of epoxy. It's a wood resin based part A & B penetrating sealer that binds the wood fibers back together, and provides a very superior surface to apply finish paints to. Without the CPES, the dried out wood will simply suck all the solvents out of the first coat of paint, and it will not adhere for long. Also, CPES will NOT keep water out ( or in ). It just stabilizes the wood, and renews the surface for finishing.
Dave