PREPPING EXTERIOR WOOD CLAPBOARDS
SteveInCleveland
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
I am in the process of prepping my home for an exterior paint job. The previous owner had scraped, primed, and painted a number of years ago. They scraped some areas to bare wood, with adjacent areas still having a number of coats of paint (no feathering). Is there a product made specifically for the exterior that I could use to help feather the high and low spots?
I used a heat gun to remove all of the paint from the rear of my home, but that is slow going, and good weather is starting to get iffy here in the midwest. Someone I spoke with suggested using pre-mixed interior drywall joint compound. I thought better of that however.
Thanks for any input or suggestions.
Replies
Absolutely - I've been using it the past couple of days on some 8' columns in the front of my home that I'm just trying to get to look decent. Its the circular nylon(?) "brush" made by 3M (about $7) which has a 1/4" shank for use in your drill. It feathers beautifully but as you have a lots of area to feather, it could get old after a coupla hours.
Most stores sell the single brush but a double is available and different "grits" are available from 3M.
Eric S.
Random orbital sander
Smile. It could be worse. You could be me working for you.
A belt sander can make quick work of high spots on flat surfaces (used with great care).
There are a number of mechanical paint scrapers available as well, though they tend to be somewhat expensive. Some places rent them.
Obviously, look out for lead dust. Sanding is among the 'best' ways to induce lead poisoning. Even if you wear a respirator- dust can get into your house, blown around the neighborhood, and even into the soil (for your mower to kick up).
Drywall mud will disolve in water so definitely you were wise to ignore that advice.
Sandpaper in one of its many forms is the product you need
Excellence is its own reward!