Thick Exterior Paint Issue

19 years ago

I've been in this home for 17 years(!). a few years ago the exterior paint started flaking in places. The house is a single story stucco unit built in 1940.

I first noticed the paint cracking along what must have been repair lines in the stucco. The PO apparently did crack repairs, leaving each repaired crack looking a bit like a scar on the wall ( sticking out from the wall a bit, like they hadn't scrapped the repair material flush with the extant walls ). As things have progressed I find small sheets of the paint curling up/out/around then falling off. What shows underneath appears to be either original white paint or primer and looks very old/faded.

I thought to go at the problem with my power washer ( 2500 psi ), and where the paint is peeling already that works well. However where the paint is Not peeling it takes about 15 min to blast a square foot clean.

The peeling paint is really thick. More than 1/16th inch as far as I can tell. My guess is that since this house used to be adjacent to a major freeway ( they have since erected a 3-4 story sound wall blocking most of the vibration and perhaps direct pollution ) the PO intentionally made the paint extra thick and perhaps flexible. The house had been up for sale two or three times in prior years according to my agent.

At this point blasting the entire house at 1 square foot every 15 min seems a bit much. Instead I am thinking of blasting all loose/peeling paint then priming it all then painting.

1: Does this sound reasonable to you?

2: In the few areas I have tried not blasting it all clear to stucco it is easy to tell where the old paint is and where clear stucco is. Does anyone make a primer that is thick enough to blur these edges and make the bare stucco appear less porous?

Paul

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Comments (13)

bulldinkie
19 years ago
I saw men painting a historic house in Gettysburg.They were using those orbitol sanders to get it down to bare wood.
Carol_from_ny
19 years ago
I don't know anything about stucco buildings. You might want to talk to your local paint store and see what they suggest or your local rennovation specialist and see what advice they can give you.
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bluewhale
Original Author
19 years ago
Hi Carol. I've tried the local Kelly Moore store, which my brother in law uses whenever he has to paint something as he gets a good discount there. In two visits I found I had to walk out before being helped: waited 15-20 min both times and got to enjoy what I expect is the owners son singing loudly and dancing around the store, terrifying older folks he was actually 'helping', etc. Hard to believe they stay in business. Perhaps he is only in once in a while?
Beyond that individual help at paint stores is similar to hardware stores: very hit or miss. But that's my plan if nothing comes back on line.
Bull: My thought is the orbital sander would cause too much damage to the stucco. The house is ~ 65 years old, and getting the 'I want to stay' paint off takes so much effort I believe(?) it's better to leave it there and try to make the entire wall look like it's one coat of paint, thus the need for a thicker primer. again, I think.

Paul
bulldinkie
19 years ago
sorry I missed the stucco part...
bullheimer
19 years ago
sand blast
bluewhale
Original Author
19 years ago
Hey Bullheimer:

I've had a couple other people suggest sand blasting. . . I wonder about environmental regulations regarding it here in California. but beyond that: do you have any idea how long sand blasting takes? I've wondered it if takes as long as water blasting with my 2500 PSI device? If its similar at all then I would probably stay with water as it's 'free'. And also keeps you cooler while working :]
brickeyee
19 years ago
Heavy duty sand blasting equipment will be faster than a pressure washer. Nozzle sizes are over 1 inch. If you are deciding between smaller equipment and a pressure washer, they will probably take about the same time.
bluewhale
Original Author
19 years ago
Thanks all for the ideas. I found another Kelly Moore store and went by today with photos of my walls. They recommended an 'elastomeric' paint once primed... knock peeling and loose paint off beforehand.. so baring rain I'll be giving it a try this week. If it doesn't help blur the line between old paint and stucco I guess I'll have to look for a sand blasting rental rig.

Thanks again.

Paul
dayleann
19 years ago
One thing you need to be careful about is that old paint on a house of that age will have lead in it. You should be wearing a mask and protective clothing, and have a way of capturing the flaking paint for disposal as you remove it.

You should be able to get a packet of info from your local health or building dept about how to do that. My daughter and son-in-law went through this a couple of years ago when they repainted their house. It's not difficult, and it is important, both for your health, and the health of your neighbors. Especially children. Keep that lead out of the soil and out of water!

Dayle Ann
bluewhale
Original Author
19 years ago
Good thought Dayle Ann: Kelly Moore has pamphlets all over the store saying the same thing. I don't believe that will be a problem here as the house looks to have been brought down to stucco then painted in about 1987. And google tells me lead based paints were banned nationwide in '78. Thanks for the thought tho.

Paul
golddust
19 years ago
We're scheduled for a paint job on our house (c.1912). We're having all the layers of paint stripped off our wood siding... wonder if that could be an option for stucco...
bluewhale
Original Author
19 years ago
Hey GoldDust

Are they using a chemical stripper? I have a brand ( Jack Goddard ) I fell in love with doing antiques in Texas years ago which would probably do very well here. Two problems come to mind

1: Where would the washed off/run off go? This stuff can pull up week old polyurethane so I would hesitate to have my dogs eating weeds which might grow up down the road..

2: What effect might any chemical designed to break down bonds have on the stucco?

Was going with stripper for your exterior walls a better deal than blasting? For furniture I always prefer a chemical stripping vs sanding it down to wood: just a nicer look for old wood. I wonder if exterior siding would react the same way? Are you painting back over it or staining it in some way?

Just curious: I can dream about having wood siding again one day, but that's a ways off. :]
golddust
19 years ago
Worth making sure, to be true, but our painter contractors assured us it was biodigradable. (We told him we have dogs, a well and a public spring below us to boot!) He assured us it would be safe... But! Good thought.

We thought we were being careful, but now I'll do a through questioning & true investigation before we give the OK... Thanks! (What would we do without these forums? I'm not even blonde!)