Painting the House

[JohnDB]

I took a sharp putty knife to every square inch ... if I couldn't get the old paint off, I left it ... the only repairs were to the cornice where it butted up to the lower roof eaves ... so in that I got lucky ...

The Historical Commission shot down my 28 color scheme ... I wanted to simulate the Mid-Elizabethian Era common in the Panhandle neighbor of San Francisco (aka Height/Ashbury) ... but they said that wasn't representative of the local polices nor was it painted that way originally ... closed minded is what I say ... c'mon, man, psychedelia is as Victorian as apple pie, Chevrolet and drinking rye whiskey ...

The main difference is I'm done ... and you're not ... although I'm still repairing the antique windows ... and I brushed everything on ... oil primer, good quality chalking and latex enamel top-coat ... my philosophy is if I'm not constantly going back cleaning up runs, I'm thinning the paint out too much ...

Inside is a completely different story ... there was a fire you see ...

They used to make cornices out of cedar....just like shutters and shingles, So they will never rot. They do splinter and split after 50 years or so when exposed to the elements.

Just saying.

I don't have any historical board to answer to. And if I have any say I never will.

But there have been additions done in a rather "bubba" fashion. I'm going to fix that. Eventually.

 

[ReinyDays]

They used to make cornices out of cedar....just like shutters and shingles, So they will never rot. They do splinter and split after 50 years or so when exposed to the elements.

Just saying.

I don't have any historical board to answer to. And if I have any say I never will.

But there have been additions done in a rather "bubba" fashion. I'm going to fix that. Eventually.

Cedar rots ... it takes longer but it still rots ... my guess on the cornice was Bubba pushed it down to the roof, and thus the end was always wet and rotted off from there ... all. the rest of the trimwork was intact and in good repair ...

Structurally sound even where the fire was ... my main Bubba feature is he used scrap drywall pieces, didn't bed the tape, amateur finishing, and no, the rough texture job didn't cover up all the mistakes ...

 

[JohnDB]

So..
Just as an update.
I finally mostly finished an elevation to test out the colors. I didn't put up the shudders....or finish painting them but they can wait. Everything looked great and my wife is doing a few touch ups.

I have functioning shudders. Kinda odd but not really considering the age of the house. Some are broken. I found extras in the shed.
I pulled out a few to replace the broken ones on the house. One looked great but then....it used to have bugs. It's hollow except for the layers of paint. Careful handling kept my fingers from going right through it.

So I've bought about $180 worth of epoxy to try and fix it.

First to go today was system 3 rotfix. I poured and injected this in various places. It's very low viscosity and absorbs well. I used about a third of a 24oz kit (mixed in 2 batches) as I even poured it into areas.

Tomorrow I'll try the SOP Liquidwood....after the rotfix finishes curing. (It has mostly already)

Looks like my plan is working perfectly.
My plan is to use the liquidWood tomorrow and eventually some deep pour epoxy.

So far it's really strengthened everything. I'm hoping for more tomorrow.

 

[Paladen Danse]

So to remind those not following the ongoing saga of a broken down retired man....
I bought a 130 year old Queen Ann Victorian house. It's had more than its share of "Bubbas" and DIYers over the years.

It's held together though because of them.

But I got the roof repairs mostly finished. However the heat of the summer is stopping me from finishing. (Add 20-30⁰ to the outside temp and it becomes impossible to work up there)

So I've switched to the paint prep.
And it's going to be extremely extensive. Rotten moldings and various lap sidings. (How many lap sidings are there? I have 4 obvious different ones on one side alone....yes, going to make the new look like the original)

So....pressure washer shows up sometime next week. (I got a beast....4400 psi)

I got grinder and sanders and paint scrapers ready to go. (Yes, vacuum systems, respirators, and tarps for the lead paint)

Now shopping for sprayers....
Looks like a Graco Pro X19 is gonna be the nut. (Plus 100 ft of hose) and about 3 to 5 guns with tips....9 different colors not including primer)

Going to be working in small sections at a time. (I'm old, got bad legs, and arthritic hands....and my body keeps telling me that it can't cash those checks my mind keeps writing) But not to fear....those small sections are really easy to create with a Victorian this old. 3500 Sq ft.

The back deck....that's a whole nudder thing. It was jacklegged into existence.
It should have been a Romanesque style deck complete with a flat roof and planters and benches for "railings". Lots of Columns and a barbeque/kitchen area with a chimney....maybe even a pizza oven. (We'll see) Definitely need a ramp for old folks (like me) that have issues walking and for deliveries.
But in the meantime I'll have to rip out that tin roof so I can add 4 feet to the exterior walls and less (dunno really untill i demo) to the inside walls to support the new roof over the infamous former back porch.

But in the meantime....
Paint sprayer shopping.....(looking like close to $1k for the thing....ugggghhhh).

Oh, hire a pro you say?
Pro painters (all are alcoholics) are expensive...and won't touch Victorians because of the multitude of colors required, lead paints, and the many intricate moldings and trim. If they do....don't expect more than 3 colors and they won't do carpentry while charging 3x the customary price for painting.

Just saying....

Not to be a butt in sky, but im jelous of your vacuum sanders. You could probably safe a few bucks just buying one gun. For the titan you are looking at, there shout be 2 screens your gum will need to keep from clogging up. Also, a bag of paint strainers, and an extra 2 or 3 5 gallon buckets will help a bunch too.

 

[Paladen Danse]

So to remind those not following the ongoing saga of a broken down retired man....
I bought a 130 year old Queen Ann Victorian house. It's had more than its share of "Bubbas" and DIYers over the years.

It's held together though because of them.

But I got the roof repairs mostly finished. However the heat of the summer is stopping me from finishing. (Add 20-30⁰ to the outside temp and it becomes impossible to work up there)

So I've switched to the paint prep.
And it's going to be extremely extensive. Rotten moldings and various lap sidings. (How many lap sidings are there? I have 4 obvious different ones on one side alone....yes, going to make the new look like the original)

So....pressure washer shows up sometime next week. (I got a beast....4400 psi)

I got grinder and sanders and paint scrapers ready to go. (Yes, vacuum systems, respirators, and tarps for the lead paint)

Now shopping for sprayers....
Looks like a Graco Pro X19 is gonna be the nut. (Plus 100 ft of hose) and about 3 to 5 guns with tips....9 different colors not including primer)

Going to be working in small sections at a time. (I'm old, got bad legs, and arthritic hands....and my body keeps telling me that it can't cash those checks my mind keeps writing) But not to fear....those small sections are really easy to create with a Victorian this old. 3500 Sq ft.

The back deck....that's a whole nudder thing. It was jacklegged into existence.
It should have been a Romanesque style deck complete with a flat roof and planters and benches for "railings". Lots of Columns and a barbeque/kitchen area with a chimney....maybe even a pizza oven. (We'll see) Definitely need a ramp for old folks (like me) that have issues walking and for deliveries.
But in the meantime I'll have to rip out that tin roof so I can add 4 feet to the exterior walls and less (dunno really untill i demo) to the inside walls to support the new roof over the infamous former back porch.

But in the meantime....
Paint sprayer shopping.....(looking like close to $1k for the thing....ugggghhhh).

Oh, hire a pro you say?
Pro painters (all are alcoholics) are expensive...and won't touch Victorians because of the multitude of colors required, lead paints, and the many intricate moldings and trim. If they do....don't expect more than 3 colors and they won't do carpentry while charging 3x the customary price for painting.

Just saying....

I forgot, a cheap ryobi heat gun will help to. One thatcheats up to 1000 degrees. Make sure its breezy if you are working with led paint.

 

[JohnDB]

I forgot, a cheap ryobi heat gun will help to. One thatcheats up to 1000 degrees. Make sure its breezy if you are working with led paint.

Oh....wife got pissy and I got a Bosch vacuum system that gets all the dust....plus a respirator.

Heat gun? Dunno....this paint is very thick in spots.
I got cleaning to do tomorrow....

If I can get to the point of using the pressure washer tomorrow.....(It's a beast).

By the time all is said and done....it will look like Barbie's doll house. 9 colors used....uggghhhhh

 

[JohnDB]

I forgot...
My Sherwin Williams has paint on sale for 40% off. Supplies 30% off.
It comes out Cheaper than the big boxes on paint and supplies.

 

[JohnDB]

I've been working on restoring a shudder....

So far so good. Used the liquidwood yesterday. Poured about 8 oz of it into the shudder. Today its much much firmer than it was....still have more to pour.

A new shudder is like $1400/ea....so I'm gonna make this one whole.

Slow and steady...
I was gonna work on all of this but my Birthday present showed up today (custom hand forged 10" chef's knife and a matching paring knife....absolutely georgous) so I had to play with my new toys plus the blacksmith had lunch with my wife and I.