Painting prep...

[Ryninger]

We are going to be painting our shed and trim around the house soon. The paint is flaking and starting to peel off in places on the shed especially. What is the best way to prep the surfaces prior to applying new paint?

 

[Scutter01]

I just did my garage door. I power-washed as much of the flaking paint off as I could, then went over the whole thing with a light sanding (nothing major, just to catch any flaking I missed). TSP-washed it, rinsed, and then painted with Behr two-in-one (primer and top coat in one can).

You have to remove any loose paint. Otherwise the new paint will flake off along with the old paint.


By the way, I recommend the Behr. It's almost twice as expensive, but if you consider that you have to buy a can of primer and a can of top-coat, it's actually cheaper since you're only buying half as much paint. Plus, it's one less coat of paint to apply.

 

[pjcalla]

If you power wash, make sure the area is completely dry before you start painting. This can take a few days up to a week or so, depending on how heavily you spray the areas. Remember, wood soaks up water. ***I know you probably know this, but I just wanted make sure, since you are asking for advice.***

I usually just use a scraper (drywall spatula) and get off all the old/chipping paint. If you have wood trim, caulk all the gaps that won't fill in by paint alone. I then prime the bare wood with Zinnser Primer. Then topcoat of your choice.

*I have never used the 2 in 1 type of paints, so I cannot recommend/dissuade you from them.

 

[Scutter01]

*I have never used the 2 in 1 type of paints, so I cannot recommend/dissuade you from them.

This was my first time using the Behr and I was impressed by its performance and the final look. Only time will prove whether it holds up as well as a traditional paint job. The only downside was that it tended to separate in the can, so I had to re-stir it frequently.

Also, +1 on waiting for it to thoroughly dry. My garage door is steel, so I didn't have to wait long.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

By whatever means you need/want/can, CLEAN the surface to be painted.

Wire brush...pressure washer...light sanding...combination of several methods... Doesn't matter.

As far as paint goes, Lowe's Valspar paint is rated VERY very well in consumer reports.

-J-

 

[Bunnykid68]

Killz brand from Walmart is made by Behr paint. My cousins work for Behr and told me the Killz actually tested better than the Behr brand according to Consumer Reports.

 

[sepe]

Kilz is made by Masterchem, no clue if they have anything to do with Behr (don't really think they do...not that it matters). Depending on how much feel like spending determines what paint you buy. If you've got any staining on wood that you want covered, Kilz would be the best way to go. Even the bottom line Valspar is a pretty decent quality paint. Personally, I wouldn't use Behr (not because it isn't a decent paint but because I can't stand Home Depot).

As already mentioned, best way to prep is just to make sure ALL the chipping paint is removed. Power washing it wouldn't hurt but most likely won't get all of the chipped paint off.

 

[Scutter01]

Personally, I wouldn't use Behr (not because it isn't a decent paint but because I can't stand Home Depot).

That's funny, I'm the exact opposite. I used to like Lowe's, but for the last year or so I've never been able to find what I want there. For example, if you want a hand tool made by anyone other than Kobalt, don't bother with Lowe's. Same with paint. If you don't want Valspar, go elsewhere.

 

[sepe]

I'd never pay full price for hand tools. Auctions and garage sales are perfectly fine for me. Craftsman and Snap On get sold cheap sometimes. I've only been in 2 Home Depots and both were a pain trying to find someone that could actually help. Menard's is worse than the Home Depots I've been in. I do prefer small hardware stores for most hardware (seems like even though the big home improvement stores carry a crap ton of sizes of nuts and bolts, they rarely have the sizes I've needed or they've only got them in grade 2).