Hi folks,
I’m wondering if there is a painter (as in a house painter, not necessarily a Salvador Dali) who can advise me. I’m about to paint some shutters what haven’t been painted in at least 15 years. The exposed ones have degraded down to bare wood. They are solid oak.
I’m going to use Luxens extreme conditions exterior wood paint as a top coat. I had intended to sand off as much of the existing paint then undercoat and top coat - but I have been advised by a friend to use a blowtorch to remove all the paint, then undercoat with satin yacht varnish (to soak into the wood to protect it) then lightly sand and then top coat. Does this yacht varnish undercoat make sense?
Many thanks.
Edit: paint colours have been approved by Mairie.
Blowtorch - be careful not to scorch the wood. On oak I think I’d go the paint stripper/scraper > sander route. I did this on my shutters that were in a similar state to yours.
As a preliminary waterproofing coat I’d try to find the FR equivalent of Hydrosol, a water based resin that soaks into the wood, displacing water molecules with resin molecules.
I used to use this at my boatyard. Just one coat would see a ply panel waterproofed forever. The yard workboat had ply lids on the lockers and on the seats. It lived out of the river 24/7, rain/storms [Devon coast-ish]/seawater/sun …no deterioration for as long as I owned the place - 7 years. Amazing stuff.
If you use the yacht varnish, let it down with 1/4 .. 1/3 white spirit. It’ll penetrate better.
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Yes, indeed it does. The problem with oak is that it is very close grained which makes it difficult to obtain good penetrative adherence with the more common types of paint. There are special primers available but they are very expensive, so thinned yacht varnish is a good alternative. Make sure it is water based (so thin with water) so that it matches in format with the water based Luxens.
From what you say about there being bare wood visible it’s clear that the old paint is losing adhesion to the substrate, and so you should try to remove as much of it as possible. It will be a ‘labour of love’, but there is no point in applying a new coating over a peeling or perishing old one. Please wear a mask when sanding as old paint often contains lead, and don’t use a blowtorch unless there is adequate ventilation to take the fumes away. A strategically placed electric fan will help to stop you breathing it all in.
I also have oak framed windows and have found that the traditional oil based primer/undercoat / top coat system doesn’t hold up very long, especially in full sun. What I have found works remarkably well is the water based paint made by the German firm Baufix that is basically undercoat and top coat in the same tin. Interestingly, the Lidl’s supermarket ‘Parkside’ brand, water based paint, is made by Baufix if one reads the small print. It seems to work just as well and is quite a bit cheaper as and when it is available in the store. It can also be applied to damp wood without any problem and in reasonable weather will dry quickly enough to allow two coats in the same day. Previously I had always been a staunch proponent of the traditional oil based paints, but I have to admit that the new generation water based paints are much better in a number of respects especially if one uses a good quality brush specifically made for water based paint. The only slight drawback is that you can’t get the really deep lustrous shine that a high gloss oil based paint can achieve.
Regarding weather, do not paint if the surface temperature of the item is more than 22 deg or less than 10 deg, and never ever paint in full sun as it will dry too quickly and not adhere properly. Outside painting is a Spring and Autumn job for best results.
Perhaps I should say that I’ve never been a professional house painter, but I have been painting houses for over 50 years if that counts for anything.
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Thanks @captainendeavour and @Robert_Hodge for your very informative and helpful replies 