No matter where you live or what type of house you have the most important factor before painting is the preparation. For most of us our home is our biggest asset and should be treated as so. Without proper cleaning and surface preparation not even the best of paints will adhere properly. Simply power washing and spraying paint on a house may look good initially but it’s the longevity of the paint job that we all strive for and expect. Ever since I started painting back in the 60’s I was taught by the old school that pride in preparation is the key that separated the good painters from the bad ones. We at Mike Orloff Painting take great pride in our preparation of wood, log, metal or stucco surfaces. We go to great lengths to grind, sand, caulk, patch and prime in order to achieve the optimum substrate for the final finishes.

Step 1:

     Power-washing. Most people think that simply washing down a house with high pressure is a quick and easy process. Using too much pressure to blast off old paint or the wrong type of tips can do great damage to your wooden siding. I have found over the years that the dirtiest areas of a house are the most likely places missed when power-washing. Up under the eves, behind the fascia boards and the under sides of decking tend to be the areas that most painters seem to fly over because it’s messy and they want to avoid getting dirty and soaked. What’s the point of power-washing if you don’t wash down everything?  There’s nothing worse than climbing a ladder with spray gun or bucket and brush in hand only to find a bunch of cob webs and dirt up in a far corner and have to stop everything to clean something that should have been cleaned right the first time. Painting over a dirty surface because somebody was too lazy to get a little wet is a sure path to paint failure.

     Mildew and mold is another great concern when washing down a house. All paints have some type of mildewcides formulated into the paint but they only prevent future growth and don’t kill existing mildew when painted over. Most paint companies still call for the use of a solution of household chlorine bleach and water to kill mold and mildew. Even though this solution works it slowly destroys the linin, a chemical bonder that naturally bonds the wood fibers together. We now use products containing oxygenated bleach such as Timber Wash or Wood Renew that are extremely effective. You can learn more information on these products by visiting Saver Systems or Perma-Chink Systems, Inc. All these products are environmentally safe, don’t harm plants or vegetation and are very effective in killing mold, mildew, water stains and prepares the surfaces for proper paint adhesion.

Step 2:

     We remove all necessary lighting fixtures, decorative ornaments and move any other obstacles to prevent getting over sprayed. We mask all windows, doors, electrical outlets, water spigots and any other necessary item that doesn’t get painted. 

Step 3:

     After masking windows and doors and covering everything with drop cloths, the real work begins. We break out the electric sanders and grinders and remove all peeling paint, open cracks up and feather the edges of the remaining paint. By feathering the edges of the remaining paint this eliminates the alligator look (the outline of the remaining paint chips that are still adhered to the wood). We re-nail or replace loose nails with screws and will replace or repair broken boards if necessary.

Step 4:

     Priming. Over the years I have used both oil base and water base primers but there is a new kid on the block called Peel Bond made by XIM. Visit Peel Bond for more information on this incredible product. In basic terms, it’s like putting a coat of Elmer’s glue over the house. I have been using this product on every painted house project for the last 3 years and have had nothing but incredible results. It is a high build thick bonding primer that not only fills in all types of cracks and knots but works as an adhesive to repair damaged or delaminating wood. It is so superior over regular acrylic primers that it will add years to the life of the paint and leaves a smooth feeling to any type of siding. We generally spray on a heavy coat followed immediately by back rolling and back brushing the Peel Bond into the wood. This fills every nook and crack and if need be we will brush every groove in the T111 siding to fill up the exposed end grain in each groove. This will keep out the moisture and leave a very clean and solid look.

Step 5:

     Caulking and patching follows priming. Due to the extreme weather conditions we live in ordinary latex caulking and patching compounds simply don’t hold up. We use elastomeric type caulking compounds instead. Visit PaintSource.net for more information on types of caulking. For patching holes and large cracks we use all Crawford products. For more information visit Crawford's.

Step 6:

     The painting begins. After all the hard work of preparation the easiest part is applying the finish coats. We first start with the body of the house. We spray, back roll and back brush everything to assure proper penetration and uniformity with the first coat and simply spray the second coat and back roll only as needed. Generally the trim is all hand brushed with the exception of the door which will like to have a spray finish rather than a brushed finish.           

Step 7:

     I inspect everything to assure nothing was missed or overlooked. We touch-up where necessary and clean off any overspray if needed, de-mask windows and non-removable fixtures and decking, replace lighting fixtures and all other items removed prior to painting, clean the entire surroundings and haul away all garbage.

Step 8:

     I do a final walk through with the customer, answer any questions and clearly mark touch up paint to be left on the job site.