Let's Paint!

[Thorondor]

Want more from home recovery than just scraping by? For the quality treatment give Zombie a try!

 

Yeah, don't skimp on the caulk. One almost always underestimates just how much of it ends up getting spent for proper coverage.

 

Things are moving along nicely, even with some of your time being taken elsewhere.

 

I guess we'll further see how it all comes together when that West side story comes into play.

[Zombie]

Went to the paint store today and picked up 3 tubes of caulk (was going to get 4-5 but I figured I'll be going back soon anyway). plus a big container of water putty (I'll be discussing this product when I get to the West side) a tub of premixed joint compound and some fiberglass mesh tape. So one of the projects I wanted to address is the three big holes in the drywall inside the garage. Started by taping the holes with the fiberglass mesh tape.

 

 

Then I applied the joint compound to the tape making sure to push some into the hole. When I had it applied I took my broad knife and smoothed out the compound making sure to feather the edges a little.

 

 

It was warm but humid today so the compound was taking forever to dry. This is what it looked like when I left:

 

 

Yeah, that's going to take a while, but it should be good to go on Monday for sure. Need to sand the compound when it's dry and put on another thin coat of compound. Then another sanding, dusting, priming and repaint job.

 

Well I had the caulk so I used up nearly one full tube on the East side. Got part of the South side caulked too but ran out. I didn't want to open up another one yet so I left the rest of the South side go. Pulled out the base coat paint and brushed on a coat over the primer+caulked areas on the East side. I only did half, but it looks so much better now.

 

 

I didn't put too much paint on the caulk between the wall and capstone as it was a tad soft yet. I'm going to let that dry over the weekend and then paint it.

 

- Zombie

[Thorondor]

That's some top notch band-aiding right there, Zombie.

 

The edges of the addressed spots already look suitably smooth. And your planned follow-up should literally seal the deal.

 

Now if there's a prime example of a "before and after" is the last pic with half the wall coated. It's almost as if the individual wooden boards represent the steps in a progress bar, filling up from the far side and towards you.

 

There's something very satisfying about it. Your work is making a real difference and that is plain for all to see. Keep it up!

[Zombie]

Thanks!

 

I went to check on the East wall on Saturday afternoon (it was dry by then) and there was a little bit of peek through from the caulk and primer. I probably could have used gray caulk instead of almond but when you boil it down, the wall will require a second heavy coat anyway. I also checked on the joint compound inside the garage. The holes on the left were perfectly dry but the lower one on the right wasn't quite dry yet (it felt cold and maybe soft under the crust (didn't want to risk it and push too hard to find out for sure). My feathering job was actually spot on - just a small ridge in the middle which will go away with sanding. The second coat shouldn't take much to dry as it'll be a thin layer.

 

- Zombie

[Space Voyager]

This looks like a ton of work, man... Who's minding the flowers? I hope you're not working two shifts.

[Zombie]

This looks like a ton of work, man... Who's minding the flowers? I hope you're not working two shifts.

 

My normal work responsibilities come first as always. I paint only when I get caught up and my schedule is clear. So like today we got in fair quantity of flowers in so I processed them, put them away, cleaned the cooler etc. By then it was getting pretty late to start any painting so I stayed back at the shop to hopefully get a head start on tomorrow's work which would give me the necessary time to go to the house. My hands are sometimes tied on days we get flowers in - it just depends how much we get in, how busy we are, and if I get caught up sufficiently. It's a real balancing act sometimes.

 

- Zombie

[Zombie]

Today it rained most of the morning so I didn't really want to risk going to the house to paint just in case it was going to rain more. Suppose I could have went to work on the inside of the garage, but I had stuff to do at the shop anyway.

 

This past winter the door handle to the small garage broke. We couldn't find a handle which would fit the hole exactly so we ended up getting something close and then modifying the door to get the handle to fit. This created a gap along the handle which I covered up with gorilla duct tape as a temporary fix.

 

 

When the HVAC guys were here last I asked if I could have a couple small pieces of galvanized sheet metal. Today I cut out a few ovals, used the bench grinder to soften the sharp bits and sanded the edges, then sprayed on a coat of primer and two coats of white paint.

 

 

So these ovals are going to go between the door and the handle to cover the gap. Not sure how I'm going to weatherize this fabrication, but I'm thinking some silicone caulk might work. I have to drill a couple of holes in it to fit but I'm going to wait on that till the paint is completely hard and dry.

 

Oh, and I have a couple old plywood boards which I lay on the concrete in the small garage so things don't get wet. I had lifted these boards up a few weeks ago and noticed that the bottom was raw plywood and was covered in black mold. I bleached off the mold, rinsed off the boards and applied a coat of white primer. The top of the boards is gray so I wanted the bottom to match a little so I went over the white with a gray primer (after caulking any big gaps in the grain of the wood.

 

 

Looks kinda white in the picture but I assure you it's gray. So I might go over the whole shebang with the gray polyurethane sometime to protect the wood from further damage.

 

Anyhow, that's what I did for painting at the store. It's a start, right?

 

- Zombie

[Thorondor]

Rain or shine - Zombie's Customs - a fabrication sensation!

 

Those ovals should do just fine. It does look like the door handle itself could use some love as it seems caked with something?

 

As for the plywood boards, sure, I'll take your word for it.

 

*Foghorn Leghorn voice* Gray he says... Must've taken a tumble when he was little. Shook that ol' noggin' loose around the hinges. Poor kid.

 

[Zombie]

Those ovals should do just fine. It does look like the door handle itself could use some love as it seems caked with something?

 

Just some residue from the Gorilla duct tape I removed. It'll come off easily enough with lacquer thinner.

 

Went over to the house today. First thing I did was caulk the remainder of the South side and then also caulked the cracks between the boards. Then, while that was drying I sanded the 3 spots in the garage, brushed it off and then applied another coat of joint compound. This is what that looked like at the end of the day:

 

 

Nearly dry, so I could probably hit that with primer this week. Going to require another light sanding yet, but not too much as my technique was pretty good.

 

By this time I figured the caulk had probably skinned over sufficiently to paint so I got out the stain and brush and polished off the East side:

 

 

Looks a lot better now. Then it was on to the South side. and holy smokes, the caulk was nearly hard already so I had no trouble paining over anything.

 

 

Much, much better. With the first coat on I can finally address the boards under the overhang. It looks like there's some mold on there so it'll have to be bleached. And I'm not sure how it will look after the bleaching so I'm planning on rolling the boards with a fresh coat of stain.

 

You are probably wondering why I caulked the spaces between the boards on the South but not on the East. Well, technically those spaces shouldn't be caulked at all as it allows moisture to drain out and the boards to "breathe". On the South side though, someone had caulked a section by the front door. Not a big issue there as the overhang there is huge, but it made the boards around it look unfinished. So that's why I caulked the boards by the two windows.

 

On the West side it's a real crap storm as almost all the paint is peeling so something desperately needs to be done. I might just have to bite the bullet and get 10 tubes of caulk to fill in all those joints. A royal pain in the butt to caulk that much but I think I'll protect that side from the harsh sun, snow, rain and temperature swings. We shall see, haven't got to that section yet as it's too hot to work on that side in the afternoon. Mornings it will be.

 

- Zombie

[Space Voyager]

Much, much better.

This. THIS! Sums up the whole thread!

[Thorondor]

Things are looking up indeed, Zombie.

 

I like how everything is coming together on the East side so far.

 

Not bad on the South side either. Of course, as you've pointed out, that overhang is in need of your attention.

 

I notice, though, above the boards, the roof's edge/rim appears to have some minor dents here and there. Don't know if you're going to be minding those.

 

And I suppose it will have to wait anyway, given the clear precedence of the West side's demands. All stations at the ready for the Caulkocalypse!

[Zombie]

I notice, though, above the boards, the roof's edge/rim appears to have some minor dents here and there. Don't know if you're going to be minding those.

 

I must be blind as I don't see any dents... we're talking the South side correct? The brown gutter has some moss/lichen growing on if that can be construed as a dent. There's some debris on top of the gutter maybe that's what you are seeing? The roof is relatively new so there shouldn't be any dents.

 

Couldn't really get to the house today as I had other duties at the store and a short day anyway (left an hour early for a wedding anniversary party). I was able to work on the boards in the garage a little. Decided if I was going to do the bottom I might as well do the top as well. Caulked the cracks and put on a coat of gray latex primer, then blasted the boards with hot air from two fans on high. Talk about super fast dry times! No pics of this as it looked like the other side.

 

If it's not raining too much tomorrow I could probably pop over to the house. The spots of new plaster inside the garage need to be sanded and primed yet, and I do have nearly a full gallon of paint so I could do a couple walls or so. Plus there's always scraping on the West side. Ha!

 

- Zombie

[Thorondor]

Not the first time I don't know what I'm looking at.

 

South side indeed, Zombie. Here's a crop with a spot marked (click to enlarge):

 

 

Peanuts compared to the Wild West, so never you mind.

 

Hope you're staying cautious - party settings aren't exactly working out very well for a good deal of people that have dared it, at least over here.

[Zombie]

Not the first time I don't know what I'm looking at.

 

South side indeed, Zombie. Here's a crop with a spot marked (click to enlarge):

 

 

Thanks. Yes indeed, that is gray lichen living on the brown gutter so no dent. I'll see about getting a better pic of it sometime.

 

Hope you're staying cautious - party settings aren't exactly working out very well for a good deal of people that have dared it, at least over here.

 

It was a very small "party" - just some immediate family and a couple close friends at a restaurant in a private room. I was able to snag the farthest seat at the end of the long table so that was good. Wore a mask when I wasn't eating or drinking too just in case.

 

- Zombie

[Zombie]

More darn rain today. So I decided to put some of that gray polyurethane on those boards in the small garage. Turned off the flash on the camera because it was actually making the pictures darker.

 

 

I'm going to put one coat on the back and then call it "good enough". While I had a brush wet it's probably a good idea to put another coat on our flower cutter table:

 

 

Forgot to do the galvanized metal tub, but that's ok - I'll do that another time. Looked at the long table in the back room and it could probably stand to get another coat eventually. Same with the two rolling tables by the back cooler. Can't forget about that table where I replaced the top a couple years ago (the top could use another coat and I never got around to painting the frame of it). Need to get a couple more gallons of that polyurethane!

 

Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I got done painting at the store the rain stopped and the sun came out. Quick went over to the house to maybe get a couple hours in. Scraped the two stickers off that window on the South side:

 

 

Right above the window is the lichen on the gutter:

 

 

Probably going to bleach that section of gutter as there's all sorts of mold and lichen growing on it. Yuck!

 

Checked the spots I patched in the garage and they were perfectly dry so I sanded them and brushed them off. I had the same primer I used the last time I painted inside the garage so I decided to use that. While picking up the can I became aware that the lid was bulged out quite a bit. I figured someone maybe dropped the can at one time. Took a paint key and lightly tried to pry the lid off. KABOOM! The damn top to the can exploded off scaring the crap out of me. Apparently the paint started to "work" in the can (not sure whether the organisms in the can went through aerobic or anaerobic respiration but it caused pressure to build). Needless to say, if you ever run across a bulging can of paint, be very careful opening it. I'd duct tape the lid down and maybe tie a string around the can before breaking the seal. And don a power suit! Ahem. Anyhow, the primer still smelled fine so I used it for the spots:

 

 

There is a window on the wall opposite from the spots and it was in tough shape with a lot of peeling. Ended up taking off the bottom molding entirely to get at the frame which was caked in paint. Sanded the molding down with 50 grit sandpaper to get rid of the paint and old putty and did the same with the frame.

 

 

There is actually a crack in the glass in the lower left corner so it's possible we'll be replacing the glass. This is on the inside, on the outside is the infamous West wall. Took a couple pics of that before I get carried away.

 

 

It looks pretty good from afar, but once you get close you can see how badly the paint is peeling. In the closeup pic you can see there are a couple patches in the wood right above the capstone. This is where that tub of water putty I purchased will come into play - all those patches are loose so it will have to get removed and filled. Plus the Caukpocalypse 2020™ for the cracks.

 

- Zombie

[Thorondor]

Ok, the boards in the small garage now do look gray to me this time around, Zombie.

 

As for the flower cutter table, it strikes me as having endured plenty of punishment over the years and proudly wears those marks. It apparently has the build to sustain even more, so I feel it deserves whatever extra love you can spare it.

 

I further grant thee a stamp of approval for the sticker removal work.

 

Lichen and mold now well spotted and all told - check!

 

And what's this I hear - a "rigged" can of primer? Man, that could have ended far more unpleasantly for you than just a scare. Some have even ended up in the hospital. So, yeah, power suit recommended!

 

And finally a view of the West wall in its full peeling "glory". You weren't kidding when you said it was in rough shape.

 

You talk the talk, man, now it's time to do the caulk!

[Zombie]

Mondays are usually tough for me to get any painting done, especially away from the store. However, I was able to apply a coat of polyurethane on the back of the two boards.

 

 

They were pretty wet at the time the picture was taken so that's why they look so glossy. Oh, and I also remembered to do the inside of the metal tub.

 

 

This tub has been through a lot over the years, used for various purposes (sometimes unintended) and still keeps on ticking.

 

Probably going over to the house today. There's a bunch of things I want to get done, so we shall see what I can cross off the list.

 

- Zombie

[Space Voyager]

Ha, the perpetrator finally reveals himself, at least as a reflection in the window. It will have to do for now.

 

It seems as though you've come across some serious extremophile, living in a can of paint?! Powersuit really is in order... A chemical reaction of a sort seems more likely though, I can't imagine any living creature thriving in any of the regular paint solvents - unless the colour is water based, naturally.

 

So... belt sander yet? This west wall's paint is really falling apart. Is at least the wood in good enough condition? Otherwise, if I've learned anything from this thread, a coat of polyurethane makes any wood look shiny!

[Zombie]

It seems as though you've come across some serious extremophile, living in a can of paint?! Powersuit really is in order... A chemical reaction of a sort seems more likely though, I can't imagine any living creature thriving in any of the regular paint solvents - unless the colour is water based, naturally.

 

Yup, it's a latex primer so there's water involved. Dunno what caused the can to bulge like that. I doubt it was a yeast otherwise I would have smelled alcohol fumes. Possibly something which can do anerobic respiration. One thing is for sure: I open cans up nice and slow from now on.

 

So... belt sander yet? This west wall's paint is really falling apart. Is at least the wood in good enough condition? Otherwise, if I've learned anything from this thread, a coat of polyurethane makes any wood look shiny!

 

The wood itself is ok near the top and kinda crappy the lower you get. It should really be replaced like I said, but it's beyond the scope of the fixup so I have to soldier on and do the best I can. The paint isn't all bad though, there are plenty of spots which are sticking good yet. I'd need probably three coats of polyurethane plus the requisite coat of latex primer underneath, but the trouble with polyurethane is it's way too shiny for house paint. It would probably hold up under the severe conditions of the West side but you may have to touch it up every other year.

 

Got an earlier start on the West side today because it can get quite warm in the sun when it comes around in the afternoon. I think 2:30pm is about the latest you could work on the side while still in some shade unless it's cloudy of course. I absolutely did not want to try to rake up all the paint chips from the grass, so I plopped down a canvas to make cleanup a little bit easier. Then it was on to scraping. Got smart this time and wore gloves so I didn't skin all my knuckles bloody raw.

 

 

Better. Little by little I'll get the scraping done. The biggest problem so far is that the wood near the capstone was patched but cracked which allowed water to get behind and soak the wood. I pulled out all the old putty from the boards I scraped to allow the wood to dry out. Hopefully I can get over there tomorrow and do the same all along the capstone because the sooner it dries out, the sooner I can plug the holes and prime. Got a nice big pile of paint chips to show for it at least.

 

 

Anyhow, it got way too hot on the West side to continue there, so I went to the South side in the afternoon.Scraping first.

 

 

And then priming.

 

 

Have more to do on the roof but at least the stuff which is easier to reach is protected now.

 

- Zombie

[Thorondor]

Hugging the walls is a term getting to have a whole new slant for you again, Zombie.

 

It's going to get tough before it really gets going in the West. And speaking of the capstone area, there seems to be a noticeable gap between a couple of the stones right underneath the window. Don't know if it would be worth filling that in but I guess it depends what will end up standing out more - the gap or filling.

 

As for the South side, that "little roof" overhang is looking quite weathered to me. I can't be sure but it seems something is growing on it even. Possibly more Lichen Fun & Co. for you to de-gunk.

[Zombie]

It's going to get tough before it really gets going in the West. And speaking of the capstone area, there seems to be a noticeable gap between a couple of the stones right underneath the window. Don't know if it would be worth filling that in but I guess it depends what will end up standing out more - the gap or filling.

 

Yeah, the mortar fell out of the joint at some point. I think I still have some mortar mix back at the shop for tuck pointing and such so I can fix that up.

 

As for the South side, that "little roof" overhang is looking quite weathered to me. I can't be sure but it seems something is growing on it even. Possibly more Lichen Fun & Co. for you to de-gunk.

 

A little mold and lichen, as usual. There's some crud like twigs and dead leaves sitting on top of the gutter guard which will have to be cleaned off too. Oh, the work never ends!

 

Well, no work at the homestead today as I was too busy back at the shop. Figured I better get something done for you guys though, so I decided to quickly knock out the back cooler floor (again). Seems like every year I'm repainting that, but it gets a ton of use and water sits on it for lengths of time so it's no wonder it starts to peel in spots - especially the big spot I found.

 

 

And a pic of the pile of paint scrapings:

 

 

Just brushed on a single coat on the scraped areas. I was debating whether to upload the next pic as it turned out kinda fuzzy, but it does show that big spot covered over.

 

 

Maybe I can roll on the final coat tomorrow or Saturday (it'll probably be Saturday because if the weather is nice I'll be at the house on Fri, but you never know when there's a chance of rain).

 

- Zombie

[Thorondor]

You do have a global audience, Zombie, so it's nice of you to so consider your devout following - going the extra mile to deliver!

 

Man, how is it even possible to savage the back cooler floor like that? Those scrapes went like several layers deep. It's just as if only yesterday you had piled coat upon coat on it, making sure it was evenly and lavishly covered.

 

Oh, well, it's all par for the course I guess. It's touched up for now but this, good Sir, with use so foul, further needs protective layering from thou.

[Zombie]

Man, how is it even possible to savage the back cooler floor like that? Those scrapes went like several layers deep. It's just as if only yesterday you had piled coat upon coat on it, making sure it was evenly and lavishly covered.

 

I think the thing that really messes up the floor quickest is the boxes of greens we sometimes have in there and those are put together with staples so if you drag one of those boxes the staples can scratch the paint and accelerate the process of chipping. We also frequently have standing sprays in there (basically arrangements on a thick wire easel). The wire bottom of those easels can be sharp sometimes so that may be another cause. Whatever it is though, it's still nice to plop a new coat of paint on it to make it look good.

 

Today I started on the West side of the house before it got too hot there. Got a little more scraping done, but I also sanded all the raw wood spots so there wasn't any deep spots or loose fibers. That can sometimes loosen up the paint in areas so I had to do a little more scraping and sanding afterwards.

 

 

Hopefully I can get to priming that side soon. While near the window I noticed it too was in rough shape so I did a little scraping on it.

 

 

The lower right side of the windowsill is, well, crappy. I had replaced this section quite a few years ago because it was rotten, but it looks like the weather took it's toll again. No bid deal, I'll find a chunk to use at the store and patch it in again. I also got the green light to replace the glass window because it's cracked in the lower right too (might be able to make that out in the pic). With that, I had to dump the canvas out inside the garage due to the wind trying to blow the paint chips on to the lawn (plus it was getting a little too warm in the sun). The pile of chips is growing. Time to work on the South side as it was still kinda in the shade. Caulking mostly.

 

 

Used up the last partial tube of gray caulk, then opened up my final tube of almond caulk I picked up at the paint store. I figure I'll need about two more for for the South side areas and probably 6-8 tubes for the West.

 

I want to start painting the red trim soon so I did a little work on the gutters above the two windows on the South side. They were pretty bad obviously with mold and lichen and dirt caked on. Used straight bleach first and lightly brushed that on all the areas. After I got to the end I started over from the beginning with a spray bottle of multipurpose soap cleaner and a scrub brush. When I got to the end, I started from the beginning again but this time with window cleaner. And finally hosed it all off.

 

 

100% better, but there are still some discolored areas on the gutter so I'll go over it again with bleach and soap. I might use commercial bucket cleaner for the soap step this time as that seems to work pretty good on organic stains (stains caused by organic materials like mold). I'll try to get a closeup pic of the gutter sections I didn't treat yet so you can get an idea how bad it really is.

 

- Zombie

[Thorondor]

The decay is real on that windowsill, Zombie, and still you seem pretty unphased by it.

 

I suppose having seen to that once before you know how to take care of it. But the degradation doesn't seem confined to the lower right - further inward on the top side there's some indication of more weathering you may want to probe.

 

Those multiple passes you've committed to on the South side gutters sure made a difference already.

 

On a sidenote, I don't know if it's just the perspective of the pics and all, but those surrounding trees seem to be pretty close and high as they are I expect there's no avoiding leaves (and whatever else is carried in the wind) coming to rest on the roof, which is my roundabout way of saying there's no preventing organic material layering with time, which in turn favours concentrating moisture.

 

Something for the next owner of the house to worry about mostly.

 

Coming up: we find out how deep you like your reds to be featured in real estate agency advert snaps.

[Zombie]

The decay is real on that windowsill, Zombie, and still you seem pretty unphased by it.

 

I suppose having seen to that once before you know how to take care of it. But the degradation doesn't seem confined to the lower right - further inward on the top side there's some indication of more weathering you may want to probe.

 

Decay is decay Mr T. It's just another thing you have to deal with when painting. True, I did fix it before but I have long since forgotten the particulars so it's basically a fresh new problem. With that said. I do see how I fixed it and what I can do to make the repair last longer this time around (short of replacing the entire windowsill of course). Just so happens I had a cursory glance through my "wood stockpile" at the store today and found a piece the exact thickness I need and it's cedar so it'll probably be a lot more robust to weathering than the fir I used the last time.

 

As for the other degradation you mention, I didn't really get that far up yet but it's on the radar. I believe it's just chipping paint and not rotten wood so that's a plus.

 

On a sidenote, I don't know if it's just the perspective of the pics and all, but those surrounding trees seem to be pretty close and high as they are I expect there's no avoiding leaves (and whatever else is carried in the wind) coming to rest on the roof, which is my roundabout way of saying there's no preventing organic material layering with time, which in turn favours concentrating moisture.

 

Something for the next owner of the house to worry about mostly.

 

Surprisingly, the trees on the North side are kinda far back so they don't play any role in messing up the roof. The big maple tree on the East side is pretty close to the house though but with the prevailing winds coming from the West and South most of the leaves actually end up falling away from the house. Plus the gutters have a mesh screen over the openings which prevent the leaves from getting in there and clogging things up. It's not a perfect system, but seems to work ok considering it's a cheap system. Stuff can still collect on top of the screens and decay and ultimately end up falling into the gutter, but I try to get up there and blast the stuff to the downspouts with a hose once a year.

 

- Zombie