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John Sez:
By John Harris, Belcaro Paint, Paint Chemist
Over the years, water and micro-organism can do a lot of damage to the building material we use to build our structures. This damage may be merely unsightly in some areas but, in other areas, the actual stability of our buildings may be at risk.
Over time we may determine that a board that looked good at the time of construction, has warped or split, allowing more water to enter the building materials. These boards need to be replaced with good boards.
Water remaining in a board for prolonged periods will cause rot. If the rot is extensive, board replacement may be necessary. Small areas of rot may be dug out and filled with a hard, strong wood filler such as Bondo, Abatron or Minwax wood replacement filler. A wood consolidator is recommended before using these wood fillers to help strengthen surrounding wood areas near the removed rotten areas.
Exterior spackling paste may be used to fill minor cracks in an otherwise good piece of wood. Spackling should be applied after priming and should be re-primed after sanding but before painting. Caulking is applied to fill the space where two building materials come together, and should be applied to wood only after priming.
Evidence of rusting indicates extra effort is needed. Painting over rust will never stop corrosion under the paint. Rust must be removed before applying a rust inhibitive primer and painting.
It is our strong recommendation that someone inspect the exterior of all structures on an annual basis, looking for evidence of coating failure. If small preventative maintenance steps are taken annually, the very expensive complete repainting can be avoided for many years.
Let us know if you need specific advice on how you can get more out of your painting efforts.
Belcaro Paint & Decorating Center, Inc.
5475 Leetsdale Dr., Denver, CO 80246 303-757-5435
or
209 W. Littleton Blvd., Littleton CO 80120 303-703-4487
email us
Belcaro website
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