Paint your house; borrow our tools

This is a great time of year to paint your house – or at least give it a good scrub!

We’d like to help you with a few tips on ways to make it easier. In addition, you may recall that we have tools you can borrow if you need them.

Remember, in our climate most houses need to be painted about every five to nine years. Also, remember that simply washing your house can make a huge difference not only in how it looks now, but also in extending the life of your current paint job.

What to do after you’ve prepped

After you’ve carefully scraped, washed, primed and caulked, it’s time to open up that can of paint!

Just like it’s not ideal to paint in a downpour, it’s also not recommended to paint any surface in the direct sun. Doing so can cause the new paint to “skin-over,” resulting in poor attachment to the siding, even blistering.

Painting in the direct rain or when moisture in the form of fog is expected can also cause problems. You can put a nice coat of paint on during a drizzling day, but it may not be there the next day. So, if you need to paint in the rain, try attaching tarps to the gutters and pinned to the ground to make a fly tent to work under.

If you have the luxury of choosing the weather, we recommend starting early on a dry, warm morning with either the south or the west wall. As the sun goes overhead, do the north wall, then the east wall, etc., staying out of the direct sun and avoiding any hot wall surfaces until they cool. It really is a tried-and-true system!

Don’t paint too late in the day

If you decide to apply your paint with a sprayer, we suggest using it to load the wall area in front of you, then immediately back-brush or roll the sprayed surfaces, catching the drips, evening-out the thick and thin spots and maximizing the bond of the paint to the siding. This way you’ll never have to dip your paint brush in a can again and you’ll get the job done fast.

Spraying out too far past your ability to back-brush can cause the paint to sag, drip, glop and surface-dry. In other words it won’t be the best job.

Another caution: Don’t paint too late in the day. In late summer and early fall, we often have fog in the afternoon. Painting late in the day, can result in trapped moisture behind the paint. The next sunny day, the heated moisture can turn your hard work into a paint-blistering nightmare.

Trim is more than good looks

What about the window sills and trims? The bottom of the window, called the "sill,” is where all the rain running down your windows ends up. Notice it is well sloped for water run-off and usually projects beyond the siding so the water will drip straight to the ground.

The condition of these window sills is critical. When left unpainted, the sun and rain will make them crack and absorb water rather than shed it away.

Gradually, the absorbed water will create perfect conditions for this wood sill to decay, eventually, all the way into the house framing, sheathing and interior wall surfaces. The bugs will feast and the seeping molds and powdery mildews will take over the wall.

Major damage and major expenses usually follow this lack of concern for timely caulking and painting.

Doors require extra care

Doors require the same initial scrutiny and timely care as windows. We often find dry-rot where the metal threshold meets the wood jambs. If minor deterioration has occurred, you can scrape out the rot and treat with bleach to kill any remaining fungus. (Dry rot is a fungus.)

After everything is dry, fill any holes or large cracks with wood putty, sand smooth, prime and double coat with good paint.

At the same time, check out the general operation of each door. A door will operate quietly with a drop of oil at each hinge pin. If the insulation strips are in good shape, there will be no gaps for air to enter around or under it. And, the locks will work smoothly when the door is properly aligned and the locks get a shot of silicone.

Painting your front door in an eye-catching-color lets everyone know where your entry is and will enhance your new paint job, too.

Make your address visible

When you’re painting your house is a good time to determine if your house numbers are prominently displayed. Not only will this aid delivery trucks and out-of-the-area friends to find your house, it is also a safety measure so that emergency responders can quickly find you.

It doesn’t hurt to even have two sets of numbers, one near your front door and one on the fence near a driveway or in another helpful location. Whatever color or style you decide on, make sure it is easy to see and read from the street.

We’ve got equipment to loan

We believe that having well painted, well protected houses, helps our community in several ways.

Thanks to a generous donation by COSMO Manufacturing in Cosmopolis, we have plenty of equipment we loan out for free. (Sorry, but no ladders, paint sprayers or power washers!)

However, we do have long-handled brushes, rollers and roller racks, caulk guns, putty knives, scrapers, wire brushes, drop clothes, buckets and ladder stand-off attachments for safety.

Due to Covid-19, you have to leave a message here at NeighborWorks of Grays Harbor at (360) 533-7828 extension #105 to reserve the equipment. You will need to leave your name, address, phone number and when you want the equipment. We will call you to arrange for a time to meet outside our office.