Touching up external paintwork
With winter on the wane the weather should be ideal for tackling outdoor painting projects, such as transforming scruffy window frames on a conservatory. Helaine Clare shows how in her step-by-step guide
As the days get longer and less cold and the garden springs into life, it’s time to emerge from the cosy confines of the kitchen to see how the house has stood up to the rigours of winter. Check that fence panels and trellises are well secured and that seasonal gales haven’t ripped them away from their fixing posts. Wait for a really good downpour and grab your wellies and binoculars and go out and examine the roof. Are any gutters or downpipes blocked?
Turn your attention to doors and windows as cold damp periods can play havoc with external paintwork. Spring is a good time to tackle joinery maintenance jobs – leave it too late and a sizzling hot summer can send temperatures above paint manufacturers’ recommended working temperatures. There is also the inconvenience of flying insects spoiling newly painted surfaces.
Putting jobs off until the autumn can have its drawbacks too. Once you embark on the preparation and find a scraper slides straight through decayed wood, a straightforward paint job suddenly involves some major carpentry first.
Small areas of decay can be saturated with wood preservative and, when dry, treated with wood hardener. Allow the wood to cure, then apply wood filler and smooth with abrasive paper. Larger patches of decay can be patch repaired. Conserve as much original wood as possible.
I used eco-friendly Beckers’ products on the window frames, available via mail order from Paint & Paper Ltd (01603 400777; paintpaper.co.uk). Wooden windows can usually be repaired at less cost than the expense of having new ones installed. It’s worth remembering too that each time we replace old with new we lose a quality that makes a period house so unique.
You will need:
- Heavy-duty rubber gloves
- Sugar soap
- Scraper
- Wet and dry abrasive paper
- Putty
- Beckers’ Perfekt Grundolja oil sealer, Perfekt Tragrund primer and Oljefärg V paint
- Nail set
- Paintbrushes
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1. Wash down joinery: Dissolve some sugar soap in hot water and, wearing gloves, wash down the windows using a cloth or plastic scouring pad. Rinse well with plenty of fresh clean water. If there is mildew or algae affecting the paintwork apply sterilising solution. Leave for 24 hours and wash off thoroughly. |
2. Removing old and peeling paint: Scrape away all loose and flaking paint to create a good sound substrate for the new paint. Ideally, old thick and cracked paint layers are best removed. If using a chemical paint stripper ensure you thoroughly neutralise it afterwards or it can have a detrimental effect on the new paint. |
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3. Create a 'key' for new paint: Existing paint can be painted over provided it is sound. Shiny paint must be dulled to provide a good key for the new paint. Rub over with coarse abrasive paper. Use wet and dry paper with water to prevent dusty conditions especially if the paint was applied before the mid- 1960s when lead was often used. |
4. Take out crumbling putty: The glass has been set in a bed of linseed putty. Decayed putty must be raked out and replaced. Failure to do this may well result in wood rot as condensation collecting on the inside runs down and soaks into the frame. Use the corner of a scraper to remove the crumbling putty. Press fresh putty firmly into the gap. |
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5. Replace rotten beading: The beading at the bottom is rotten beyond repair. Carefully prise it up with a chisel and use it as a template to cut a replacement. This is the most vulnerable part of the window so give it some extra protection from the elements with an application of Beckers’ Perfekt Grundolja impregnation oil sealer. |
6. Replace and apply wood filler: Tack the new beading in place. Knock nail heads just below the surface with a nail set. Overfill with wood filler and, when completely dry, smooth flush with glasspaper. To avoid scratching and damaging the wood, always rub the glasspaper with, as opposed to across, the grain. |
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7. Apply first coat of paint: Unpainted wood ends and joints should first be primed with Beckers’ Perfekt Grundolja. Then prime the whole surface area with Beckers’ Perfekt Tragrund. On a warm, dry, wind-free day apply the initial coat of Beckers’ Oljefärg V paint. The surface should be touch-dry in about two hours. |
8. Apply final coats of paint: Allow four to six hours before applying the next coat of Beckers’ Oljefärg V paint; if necessary apply a third coat afterwards. I chose the Beckers’ range of paints because they are highly durable and provide maximum protection in an exposed location. The paints are water-based and eco-friendly too. |
Find out how to restore iron garden railings...
FEATURE HELAINE CLARE PHOTOGRAPHS COLIN LEFTLEY. PLANTS DISS GARDEN CENTRE (01379 642873; dissgardencentre.co.uk)
Featured in the May 2010 issue of Period Living
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