Pag* 4 Spring Horn* Living A step-by-step guide to house painting By Scott Brown For some of us the onset of good weather may bring a quilty conscience. If it is time to do something about the ex terior appearance of your home, but the project seems overwhelming, you are probably asking yourself if you should hire a professional painter or do the job yourself. If you are able to afford a professional you are ahead of the game in many respects. The professional will guarantee his work, take less time and probably do a better job. But let's assume you decide to do the job yourself. To take you through the project step by step, with advice along the way, we've obtained the help of Bill Stegmaier, a professional painting contractor from Union, IL. "The homeowner with enough ambition to see this job through has much to go through before he even picks up a brush," said Stegmaier. "Preparing the house for painting usually takes longer than the ac tual painting, and is the most critical stage of the project." To cut down on preparation time and eliminate most of the tedious job of scrap ing away old paint, Stegmaier recom- , mends the use of a "water-blaster." "The water-blaster can be rented from most paint stores," said Stegmaier, "and eliminates the need of risking your neck on top of a ladder trying to scrape paint from your eaves. If you have a two-story home, and don't like heights, this is a real bonus. It shoots a high-pressure stream of water that peels away old paint and leaves the surface clean. A clean surface is essential if you want your new paint to adhere properly." A water-blaster can be rented for about $65 per day. Since you cannot paint over a wet sur face, you will have to allow about 24 hours for the wood to dry. This is as good a time as any to inspect all your windows. "In most homes especially older ones," said Stegmaier, "the glazing around the win dows will be cracked, or gone altogether. If you want the overall job to be right, you should buy some glazing compound, a glazing tool, and re-glaze your windows. This is time consuming, but nothing a professional would not do under normal circumstances." The glafetg tool is nothing more than a v-shaped knife that allows you to scrape out the old glazing in one strip. This eliminates the worry of cracking the window, as can happen when you use a putty knife. Now that your house Is dry, you must go over it thoroughly, making sure all loose paint has been removed. You will pro bably have to do a little hand scraping at this point. All areas that have been taken down to bare wood must be primed. Some information about paint is now in order. "You've got to know what kind of paint you'll be painting over," advised Stegmaier. "If you will be covering a sur face previously painted with an oil-based paint, you can stick with oil or go to a latex paint. If the surface was painted with a latex paint, it's best to stick with latex." Stegmaier said that all major depart ment stores sell good paint, but you have to know what to look for. He advised, "Don't make the mistake of buying cheap paint. Stick with name brands like O'Brien, Benjamin Moore, Valspar, etc. If you go to Sears or Wards and ask for their 'best', you'll also be getting ^ood paint. It can cost anywhere from $14-$20 per gallon." All paint companies supply a certain amount of information on the back of the can. They will tell you how many square feet a gallon of their paint will cover. You must estimate your square footage. A typical 3-bedroom ranch home will have about 2,000 spuare feet. In most cases, 5 gallons of paint will be enough for one coat. "If you are painting in the spring or fall," Stegmaier advised, "you would probably be better off using a latex paint. You just cannot put an oil based paint over a surface that is the least bit damp. If you want to use an oil paint you'd be best off waiting until summer." "Oil paint will go farther than latex," he added. "They both last about the same amount of time, but if you need 5 gallons of latex, you might only need four of oil." Once you've decided upon your paint, you can buy primer of the appropriate tint. Make sure all bare wood incomplete ly covered with primer. If your old paint is gloss or semi-gloss finish, it will have to be "roughed up". "Just take some sand paper and go over those areas that still have paint on them," said Stegmaier. "That will take the sheen off the surface, allowing the new paint to stick better. Once you've got all the bare wood covered, all the old paint 'roughed up' and all the windows done, you're ready to apply the finish coat." Stegmaier also advises against trying to save money on a brush. "It's just like the paint," he said. "You get what you pay for. A decent 4" brush will cost about $12 or $13, but could cost as much as $20. Yqu'U also need a smaller brush for trim work." Other essential items on your list will be; a 40' extension ladder (if you have a two-story home), a cotiple of different siz ed step-ladders, plenty of drop-cloth (if you plan to paint over concrete) and some paint thinner for cleaning up. "Most people don't realize the magnitude of the job they're taking on," Stegmaier said. "What starts out as an 8- day job can easily turn into a summer project." There are some definite advantages to hiring the professional, beyond the ob vious ones. "Of course, a pro will get the job done a lot sooner than you will, and he'll probably be more thorough," said Stegmaier. "On top of that, let's say that after two years the paint starts peeling off. If you go into the store where you bought your paint and tell them their paint failed, you probably won't meet with a sympathetic ear. Not being a pro fessional, they will question your preparation. When confronted by a pro, they will not tend to question the prep, and will also consider the fact that he does a lot of business with them. They want to keep him coming back, so he is more apt to have the paint replaced. Even if he can't get the paint replaced free, the cost will not be passed on to you, as the customer, because professionals personally guarantee their work." Stegmaier added that if you do any damage while painting your house, such as breaking a window, you'll have to pay a deductible even if your insurance com pany will cover it. The professional painter is personally liable for such damage, and it would cost you nothing. 3L6 FREE* tmCub QadmtT MOWING DECK when you buy a C GubCxulejE* TRACTOR Now's the time to save! Super trade-ins, money-saving "roll back" prices. 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