Renovation 4th Edition

by Michael Litchfield

  order a lead-testing kit from an accredited

  heavy cardboard, and cover that with sheet plas-

  testing lab, take additional samples, and have

  tic taped to baseboards to keep it in place. When

  the lab validate the results you got from the

  cleanup is complete, you will roll up and discard

  inexpensive kit. To locate a qualified lab or ask

  the plastic.

  Painting

  515

  Containing lead-contaminated materials outdoors is

  challenging. A containment area extending 10 ft. from

  contaminated surfaces should be covered with 6-mil

  black plastic. All debris must be bagged or wrapped in

  plastic before leaving the area. The black plastic also must

  be thoroughly cleaned with a HEPA-filtered vacuum

  system before it is folded in on itself and safely discarded.

  steP Four: MiniMize dust

  An essential part of confining lead contamination

  is minimizing dust. Consequently, any sanding,

  grinding, or scraping tools must be attached to a

  HEPA-filtered vacuum system. Noxious fumes

  are equally taboo, so avoid using heat guns,

  which generate temperatures exceeding 1,100°F.

  Before beginning lead abatement

  Setting dry, old wood ablaze is another hazard to

  indoors, use painter’s tape and sheet

  exterior containment. It’s impossible to predict avoid. So if strip you must, chemical strippers

  plastic to seal off heating registers

  the movement of air or neighbors, so containing

  are safer, especially environmentally friendly

  and doors. Also cover interior walls

  the mess of an exterior renovation is complicated.

  and floors out from work areas

  ones (see p. 526).

  Start by taping sheet plastic over doors and win-

  approximately 6 ft. to capture dust

  Before scraping, stripping, or removing any

  dows to keep dust out of the house. Next, use

  and debris. Vacuum and wipe

  lead-painted materials, mist the surfaces to sup-

  everything when you’re finished.

  6-mil black plastic to cover the ground to a radius press dust. During cleanup phases, mist plastic

  of 10 ft. from any lead-bearing surfaces that will

  wall and floor coverings too to keep down dust.

  be disturbed. To keep dust, paint chips, and

  A gardener’s pump sprayer is a good tool for

  debris inside this 10-ft. containment area, con-

  this operation.

  struct a box around it—rather like the sides of a

  sandbox—using lumber set on edge. Staple the

  steP Five: deConstruCt,

  plastic to the box. Lastly, create a cordon of rope

  don’t deMolish

  or plastic warning tape in a 20-ft. radius from

  lead-bearing surfaces to keep people out of the

  Carefully dismantling materials will release less

  work area. If strong winds are an issue, a plastic

  dust than demolishing them. Scoring along the

  envelope supported by scaffolding may be

  edges of painted trim, siding, and other building

  required, as noted in the sidebar on p. 514.

  materials will reduce debris when removing

  516 Chapter 18

  them. When you pry such materials, do so gradu-

  ally along their length to minimize breakage. If

  it’s necessary to cut tainted materials to a more

  manageable size, use a power saw attached to a

  HEPA-filtered vacuum system. Remember, every

  piece of contaminated building material must be

  bagged in extrastrength plastic disposal bags—or

  wrapped in plastic and vacuumed—before

  removing it from the containment area.

  steP six: Clean thoroughlY

  Outside. After bagging or wrapping everything

  sizable, use a HEPA-filtered vacuum to capture

  dust and small debris. Mist the plastic to keep

  dust down, detach the plastic anywhere you

  stapled or nailed it to the house exterior or the

  containment frame, then fold the plastic in on

  itself to capture any remaining residue and bag

  the plastic. While still in the containment area,

  vacuum your coveralls and booties, then remove

  and discard them.

  Highlight all blemishes for filling later by circling them with a pencil or attaching scraps of

  inside. Once you’ve bagged, wrapped, or

  painter’s tape near them, as shown.

  removed any interior debris, wipe down the plas-

  tic covering the walls. (Wet- and dry-cleaning

  Remove drapes, wall hangings, and mounting

  cloths can be purchased at most home centers.)

  hardware, and fill holes. Turn off electric power

  Then wipe plastic floor tarps. Roll each plastic

  to the room—use a voltage tester to be sure it’s

  sheet in on itself to trap remaining debris, then

  off—and remove the cover plates of electrical

  bag it. Vacuum coveralls and booties and discard outlets and switches. Light fixtures or hardware

  them. Finish up by wiping down all surfaces with left in place should be masked off or wrapped in

  a wet-cleaning cloth; each cloth is good for clean-

  plastic. Finally, cover the floor with canvas drop

  ing about 40 sq. ft.

  cloths—plastic is too slippery to work on.

  Previously painted surfaces don’t need much

  Painting the Interior

  preparation if the surface is intact: Sand lightly

  If you see water stains, widespread peeling, mold, with 150-grit sandpaper or a sanding block. If

  or large cracks that suggest structural movement, paint is flaking or loose, remove it with a paint

  attend to the underlying causes first.

  scraper or spackling knife. Then sand rough paint

  edges with 120-grit to 150-grit sandpaper. Use

  getting readY to Paint

  spackling compound to fill holes, and sand it

  when dry. Apply a bead of paintable caulk (acrylic

  When painting interiors, it’s best to move the

  latex) to fill gaps where the trim meets walls,

  furniture out. If that’s not possible, group it in the

  Use a sanding block or fine sandpaper

  smoothing it with a moist finger. Caulking makes

  center of the room and cover it with a plastic tarp.

  to lightly sand all fills and patches

  the finished paint look much better.

  before priming.

  After sanding, dry-mop or vacuum surfaces to

  remove dust. Then sponge-wash them with a

  mild detergent solution and rinse with clear water.

  skin Care If the walls are especially greasy (kitchen walls,

  to minimize paint contact with your skin,

  for example), use a more aggressive cleaner like

  (1) wear goggles, especially when using chemi-

  trisodium phosphate (TSP). After rinsing, allow

  cal strippers; (2) use an extension pole so you

  walls to dry thoroughly before painting. A good

  don’t need to stand immediately beneath a

  test of dryness is to check whether a piece of

  transparent tape will stick or not.

  roller; (3) don’t overload brushes and rollers; (4)

  brush or roll away from your face, especially on

  unpainted drywall a
nd plaster must always be

  the first few strokes after loading up with paint.

  primed. You can prime drywall as soon as the

  Painting

  517

  Painting Ceilings and Walls

  on Priming Painted surfaces

  Before painting, read the earlier sections of this

  chapter on equipment (especially respirator

  Primers bond to substrates and provide a stable base for finish coats. it’s wise to

  and masks), safety concerns, and painting basics.

  prime previously painted surfaces in the following situations:

  All offer tips that can save you hours and keep

   You’re switching paint types—say, applying latex over oil based.

  you safe.

   the old paint is flaking, chalking, stained, or otherwise in poor condition.

  As you paint, be methodical so you won’t need

   the old paint is glossy and thus would prevent the new paint from

  to touch up missed areas. Paint top to bottom:

  adhering well.

  Do ceilings, walls, trim, and baseboards before

  before applying primer, scrape, fill, sand, wash, and rinse the surface, and allow

  doing doors and windows. Paint back to front.

  it to dry thoroughly.

  Many painters go to the deepest recess of a

  in general, like bonds best to like. that is, latex paint bonds best to latex primer,

  room—often, a closet—and work methodically

  oil based to oil based. but a quality acrylic latex primer is a good all-purpose choice

  toward a door. Paint inside to out. If you start

  painting in the backs of built-ins and cabinets,

  because it bonds well and suppresses water stains, crayon marks, smoke, rust, and

  your final brushstrokes on the outermost edges

  creosote. however, if you get severe bleed-through, switch to an oil-based sealer-

  will be clean and crisp.

  primer instead.

  Once you’ve prepped the surfaces, masked

  off baseboards, and spread drop cloths, it’s time

  stickability test

  to paint.

  here’s how to test old paint before selecting a new paint to ensure that the new

  paint will stick:

  Painting the ceiling begins by using a brush to

   bend a paint chip that’s coming off. if it cracks, it’s oil based; if it flexes,

  cut in a 2-in. to 3-in. border where the ceiling

  meets the walls and near all moldings. This cut-

  it’s latex.

  

  in border reaches where a roller can’t and thus

  duct-tape a wet sponge to the wall and wait 15 minutes. if there’s paint on

  allows you to roll out the rest of the ceiling with-

  the sponge or you can rub any off the wall, it’s latex.

  out getting paint on the walls. Later, as you roll

   Put a few drops of latex solvent such as goof off® on a painted windowsill; if

  within 1⁄2 in. to 1 in. of the ceiling–wall intersec-

  the paint bubbles, it’s latex.

  tion, you’ll cover the brushmarks, so the paint

  texture will look uniform. This operation goes

  much faster if one painter on a step bench cuts

  in, while the second painter rolls on paint, using

  an extension pole to reach the ceiling.

  final topcoat of joint compound has dried and has

  P R O T I P

  To avoid obvious lap marks, paint the ceiling

  been sanded. Some pros still prefer an oil-based

  in one session, working across the narrowest

  primer for drywall, but today’s acrylic latexes seal dimension of the room. Roll out paint in 3-ft. by

  amateurs mistakenly paint

  as well and are far easier to clean up.

  from a 1-gal. paint can instead of

  3-ft. sections—about one roller-load of paint.

  Plaster surfaces must be cured thoroughly

  a painter’s pail. Consequently,

  before painting. Although latex primers can be

  they dip into too much paint,

  which they then scrape off on the

  applied as soon as the plaster is dry to the touch,

  can lip. it’s better to dip into less

  it’s better to wait three to four weeks. Latex paint

  Lingering PainT smel s

  paint and with two flicks of the

  allows some migration of moisture, so plaster

  wrist, dip-tap-tap the brush on

  can continue to “breathe off” water vapor.

  As paint dries, it outgases (gives off gases),

  both sides of a pail. this removes

  Restorers familiar with plaster recommend dilut-

  releasing water vapor or mineral spirits and

  excess paint that might drip but

  ing latex primer 15% with water so the coating is

  additives into the air. the warmer the room and

  leaves most of the paint on the

  thinner and even more permeable.

  brush, letting you paint farther.

  the better the ventilation, the sooner the smells

  Oil-based paints are another story. Because

  will dissipate. labels on paint cans indicate

  the alkali in plaster can remain “hot’ for up to

  drying times. typically, in a room that is 60ºF

  three months, wait that long before using oil-

  or warmer, acrylic latexes will be dry enough to

  based paints. Otherwise, free alkali in the plaster

  will attack the paint. Alkaline-resistant primers

  recoat in two to four hours. Oil-based paints

  formulated for new plaster may shorten your

  can be recoated in 24 hours. however, odors may

  wait somewhat, but they must be special-

  linger because the paints need longer to cure:

  ordered. Before ordering, make sure that the

  8 to 10 days for latex, 28 to 30 days for oil-

  primer will be compatible with the paint.

  based paints.

  518 Chapter 18

  First, roll the paint in a zigzag pattern, which dis-

  Use a brush to cut in a 2-in. to 3-in.

  tributes most of the paint in three or four strokes,

  border, then follow up with a roller.

  then go back and roll the paint evenly. When the

  You can quickly paint the vast

  roller is almost unloaded, slightly overlap adja-

  expanse of wall—and cover

  brushmarks—without getting wall

  cent areas already painted. Keep roller passes

  paint on the crown molding.

  light, and don’t overwork an area. Once the paint

  is spread evenly and starting to dry, leave it alone

  so its nap marks can level out.

  For a smooth finish, use a standard 9-in. roller

  cover with 3⁄8-in. to 1⁄2-in. nap. Thanks to the

  extension pole, you can reach the ceiling easily,

  without needing to stand directly under the roller

  and its fine paint rain. To minimize mist and

  Primers and Paints*

  SUrFACe

  Primer And PAint

  COmmentS

  drywall

  Unpainted

   acrylic latex primer and paint

  don’t sand between coats.

  Painted with oil-based  oil-based (alkyd) or latex

  to switch to latex: sand oil-based paint,

  semigloss or gloss

  vacuum, prime with acrylic latex primer.

  P R O T I P

  Painted with latex

   acryl
ic latex

  sand lightly before first new coat;

  if there are two painters, divide

  not needed thereafter.

  the job: the first painter leads

  Plaster

  the way with a brush to “edge”

  the corners, trim, and other

  Unpainted

   acrylic latex primer and paint

  Plaster must be cured before painting;

  hard-to-roll areas. the second

  dilute primer coat.

  painter follows, rolling over the

  Painted with oil-based  oil-based or latex

  to switch to latex: sand oil-based paint,

  edging to hide brushmarks,

  semigloss or gloss

  vacuum, prime with acrylic latex primer.

  thereby giving the wall a uniform

  texture. the first painter should

  Painted with latex

   acrylic latex

  lightly sand before painting.

  edge out 2 in. to 3 in. from the

  interior trim

  trim and corners, and the second

  painter rolls to within 1⁄2 in.

  doors, unpainted

   oil-based primer and paint;

  oil-based paint soaks into wood, dries

  semigloss finish

  harder, resists abrasion; sand between coats.

  Unpainted

   Clear finishes, such as

  always seal bare wood or it will become

  polyurethane and varnish

  grimy and dull.

  Painted with oil-based  oil-based paint

  sand between coats.

  semigloss or gloss

  Painted with latex

   acrylic latex

  not as durable as oil-based paint.

  exterior

  Siding and trim,

   acrylic latex primer and paint

  latex stays flexible, allows some

  unpainted

  moisture migration.

  Painted with oil-based  oil-based paint

  unless you strip siding, stick with

  semigloss or gloss

  oil-based paint.

  Painted with latex

   acrylic latex

  * oil-based here is synonymous with alkyd, now mentioned on most containers of paint and stain.

  Alkyds are synthetic resins that have largely replaced the traditional petroleum-oil base.

  Painting

  519

  Use a hot-dog roller to fill those tight spaces over doors, around windows,

  inside cabinets, and the like.

  drips, run the roller up and down the bucket

  ramp several times when loading. But don’t fret

  about small, stray spots on walls because you’ll

  cover them later when you roll the walls.