Clean Wood Siding Before Paiting

Here are tips for battling mildew stains and ridding your home of the chalky dust.

Clean wood siding before paiting.

Make sure to brush the wood clean working from the top down. There are ways to safely clean your house before painting using a pressure washer including using lower psi pressure washers widening the spray and standing at least two feet back. Clean the entire surface with soap and water or a pressure washer to remove any dirt and grime that s built up over time. The highest pressure settings from 2000 to 2500 psi are best for stucco.

If you plan to paint or use a solid color stain set any nails that the carpenters missed below the surface and fill the nail holes with caulk. Before painting apply primer to the old wood surface whether it is indoors or out. If your siding is wood or vinyl set the pressure between 1000 and 2000 psi and when cleaning brick it should be even lower. Although paint manufacturers might lead you to believe that the world will end if you don t clean the siding before painting the reality is not quite that dire.

Preparing exterior wood for painting isn t difficult but it does require some prep work to ensure that your new paint has a smooth stable surface to adhere to. The paint will go on just fine but by painting dirty siding you seriously shorten your paint s lifespan. Caulk after you stain or prime. Stain bonds well to unpainted weathered wood.

Most of the time cleaning is straightforward but some circumstances like mold and mildew and chalky residue might require some special treatment. A brown gray or black stain on siding or. Before weathered wood can be painted it will require extensive prep work to ensure that the paint stays on for more than just a couple of years. Work a paint scraper from every direction keeping the blade flat against the wood so you don t create gouge marks.

Give it an occasional cleaning to brighten up its appearance get rid of mildew and prevent discoloration. If you plan to paint. Potential of siding damage water injected under siding or dirt remaining on house. Before sanding scrape loose and flaking paint from the siding.

Preparing your home s exterior before you paint is essential. You want the absolute best adhesion surface for your paint. Primer helps paint stick and improves the coverage so you can dramatically change the color of the old wood if. Prepare the surface with old buildings such as my 130 year old barn water blasting the loose paint is not a recommended practice.