New to forums/old house paint problem

11 years ago

Hello all!
Delighted to find this forum - have a 1908 ?Victorian that is an incredible challenge. My husband is fond of saying that you need 'time and money... at the same time' which rarely happens for us. Suffice it to say, through some misinformation and misfortune we are having great difficulty keeping this house in any sort of shape.
Here's one of the irritating problems. I've worked in the paint business and have done my research and know how to paint the exterior of a house. This mid section of the bay on the front (south) of the house is killing me. We have scraped, sanded, primed and painted and the paint peels away in less than a year. I'm wondering if this is more of a moisture problem - other areas do just fine, even the adjoining SW section of the bay. I'm just seeing a bit of peeling there and it's been years for that section. The western wall behind that is performing beautifully as well. I can tell you that there is no insulation in these walls. We also had to take down a small tree that was in front of that SW section of the bay, so maybe it will react worse now that it has more exposure.
The clapboards are, I believe, original and are heart pine. Amazing condition for the most part though some need replacing; down here (Georgia) it's getting extremely hard to find clapboards at all. Of any type.
Would love to hear your ideas and thank you,
Ging

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Comments (14)

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Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
11 years ago
First off what are you priming and painting with?
Second, I would look into these wedge vents. It has cured this problem for me a couple times.

Here is a link that might be useful: wedge vents
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User
11 years ago
Also check the wall and roof above that part of the bay to make sure it's not letting water run down the inside of the siding.
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Virginia White
Original Author
11 years ago
Christophern, using Zinsser int/ext latex primer and Behr semigloss exterior. I'm interested in your opinion of the wedge vents - with all the available gaps for air movement those really make a difference?
Lazygardens, I will have to check on possible water there; I'm embarassed to admit I haven't.
There's a close-up photo of some of the peeling added.
Thank you very much,
Ging
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azzalea
11 years ago
Of course, you need to look into the possibility of a moisture issue.

But I'm wondering. We had a problem with windows that we could NOT keep from peeling. We knew why. DH had used one of those strippers on them where you paint the goo on, then apply some paper, let it sit a bit then peel off the paper (and old paint). He followed the instructions to the T (he's very anal about stuff like that), but ever after that, paint would NOT last on those windows. After a short time, it would start peeling off. DH painted and repainted those windows for several years. Do you think anyone might have tried stripping that section with one of those products at some time? If so, you may have to do some research to find out what the remedy might be. Good luck.
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Virginia White
Original Author
11 years ago
Hi azzalea,
I know what I'm staying away from now! :) Truthfully, I doubt that's what is going on here. There was still some alligatored old paint on the bay when we scraped. Really appreciate the thought, though and thanks.
Ging
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PRO
Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
11 years ago
I will have to say it certainly is some moisture problem. Also the primer should be a slow dry oil. That is standard for the industry. I will make no comment about the dreaded Behr. The wedge vents are only needed if someone chalked up under the siding
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Virginia White
Original Author
11 years ago
Husband and I went out to look at that bay again and look at what we forgot about! This is a shot of the replacement laps we put in and painted at the same time we did the rest. (This explains why in the back of my mind I was so sure it had something to do with prep/old wood, etc.) I'm wondering if we need to do something we did with the west wall that is performing so well. We pressure washed and got rid of all of that 'dead' gray wood to the point it looked yellow again and sanded after that (obviously) then went at it with the primer and paint after it was totally dry. Do you all think that might be a solution?
Thanks,
Ging
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southerncanuck
11 years ago
You wrote
pressure washed and got rid of all of that 'dead' gray wood to the point it looked yellow again and sanded after that (obviously) then went at it with the primer and paint after it was totally dry.

I have found that after pressure washing wood, which is highly frowned on by most painters, what looks to be dry is no where near dry. I learned a trick that works great or invest a few bucks for a moisture gauge.

After the siding, deck etc. Has set for a day and looks dry tape a piece of 8mil plastic over a small section sealed very well with a good quality duct tape. Moisture will start to bead on the inside of the poly, when there is no longer beading of water it's ready to paint. For your problem go ahead and invest a few bucks in a electronic moisture gauge. Zinnser is the best primer available however it should be the oil based version of their product line not acrylic latex.

Good Luck
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southerncanuck
11 years ago
Forgot to add. To check the inside of the clapboard for moisture without making a hole in an interior wall, simply drill out a circle of siding from the exterior with 2" hole saw. Then glue the perfect circle back into place sand prime paint, will never tell you did some CSI.
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Virginia White
Original Author
11 years ago
Hi SouthernCanuck,
That's a neat trick with the plastic and one that I'll pass on. We are aware of the opinion of pressure washing and the necessity of the wood actually being dry and it was definitely dry as I stated.
In all honesty, I didn't want to say anything about what products we used because I did some searching of the forums before I posted this and really didn't want to get involved in the debate (sometimes heated) about oil vs acrylic latex and paint brand vs brand.
Do sincerely appreciate your thoughts and opinion,
Ging
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KJ W
11 years ago
Hey Ging - have nothing to add but do you know the name of your color?
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Virginia White
Original Author
11 years ago
Hi Sparks72,
I'm sorry to say that the color is a custom mix.
Ging
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KJ W
11 years ago
Darn. Our old house is green but too minty. Need a color with more gray I think.
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Virginia White
Original Author
11 years ago
Sparks,
Maybe you could print out a photo and try to match it? If it comes out true, that is... . I honestly don't usually go for this type of color, but it's turned out to be terrific for wearability and versatility. Thought about going yellow with a dark green trim, etc, but I've seen too many oxidized yellows and I'm leery of that happening.
If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know and good luck,
Ging
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