intern.arch

We have a two story 1896 victorian, with what I think is shiplap redwood with a V groove at the joints. I just started scraping at the joints and any loose paint pealing around the windows. For the lead I am usign a resperator and a large tarp to catch all the pieces. After I am done scraping I am planning to lightly presure wash to remove the dust. I am not planning to sand the scraped paint ridges down. I really just want to get the wood protected before the winter.

My questions: What should I use to patch the joints between boards in the same horizontal rows? Silicone caulk? Some gaps are 1/8th inch or maybe even 1/4 inch.

What type of primer should I use?

Thanks in advance,
nathan

glennjanie

Hello Nathan:
Patch the joints with window glazer's putty, prime with Kilz II.
However, if the house has lead based paint on it, about five years is all you will get out of a paint job. Painting every five years is a real pain in the neck, even though you do have the best type of wood siding. I painted my redwood several times with great care and preperation but the lead paint underneath turns loose, blisters and peels every time.
It is time to cover it with vinyl siding for a maintenance free home.
Glenn

Nestor_Kelebay

In my experience, exterior oil based primers and paints simply last longer on wood outdoors than latex primers and paints.

If it were my house, I would scrape off any paint that isn't putting up a respectable fight to stay on, sand the edges of the paint that wants to stay on so that those edges don't show through your new paint job, sand down the paint that is staying on just to roughen it to promote good adhesion, prime any bare wood with an exterior alkyd primer and then paint with a FLAT exterior alkyd paint.

Using a flat paint allows you to apply a future coat of paint without sanding cuz the flat gloss of the existing paint will already be rough enough that another coat of flat paint will stick well to it without sanding.