NewlyWoodwards

an unconventional home

The next renovation project

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Please let the fall weather be mild
Don’t snow until December
We have so much to finish

There are a variety of outdoor projects Ryan and I are hoping to wrap up in the new house before winter. The main one – painting the house. That’s like a 15-minute project, right? 😉

We have aluminum siding on the house and it’s in ridiculously good shape. We couldn’t justify ripping it all out and installing vinyl, so we’re going to try our hand at painting it. After lots of reading and surfing the Net, along with a stop at Sherwin Williams to chat with my favorite paint consultant, I think we’re ready.

We started by cleaning the siding. It was dirty, covered in spider webs and had a chalky residue that often happens to the factory finish of aluminum siding after years in the elements. I used a bucket of bleach-soap-water and a sponge. This is old-school folks. I wiped down all the siding with a sponge and then rinsed it off completely with the hose. We could have tried to power wash the house, but I’ve read that it doesn’t always remove the chalky residue, which is imperative for a good bonding between the paint and aluminum siding.

The process worked pretty well and it took around 5 hours to do half the house. (I did most areas twice and also cleaned off the porch, which desperately needed it.)

Before

Ready to paint

Before

Ready to paint
(I have to finish the upstairs portions (above the lower roof). I couldn’t handle the big ladder on my own. So I need to finish that before the weekend.)
The main test that you are ready to paint is that you can touch the siding and it won’t cover your hand in chalk. The sponging did the trick and it’s clean as a whistle.
Now, the plan is to paint half of the house this weekend, clean the remainder of the house and finish the other half the next weekend. Big.project. We are going to spray the house, which should make the process quicker. We’ll use the recommended Sherwin Williams exterior latex with a bonding agent added in.
Obviously, we’ll have some touch up to do, but I’m feeling optimistic that this can be done. Keep us in your thoughts. And send some positive mojo to Mother Nature to keep us dry.
We’d also like to try to complete the following outdoor projects before it snows in the Midwest (which could be next week, for all we know):
– Trimming out the windows
– Repainting the porch
– Painting the unpainted doors (back and garage)
– Clearing out the garage
– Running electrical to the garage (making it usable for the winter)
Wish us luck. Or send us some strong people to help. Either way.

Comments

  2. WOw! I didn’t even know you could paint siding yourself. I hope John doesn’t see this…. I would never hand wash it. Washing the walls of the room before painting frustrates me enough. I can’t wait to see you! Lots of good thoughts coming at you.

  3. You’ve got quite a job ahead of you 🙂 I know you guys will get it done quick and easy! My fingers are crossed for dry weather for you!

  5. You crack me up! And, as always, I’m totally inspired by how quickly you guys get to projects and do them so well.

    We’ve lived in our house for 18 months, and have painted 3 rooms. You win! =)

  6. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! This project is going to be SO GREAT!! 🙂 I can’t wait! And I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that the weather cooperates!

  7. Oh man- 2 weekends? Y’all are ambitious- but I actually believe you’ll get it done, at the rate you finish projects! Fingers and toes crossed for excellent weather, and I am eagerly anticipating after photos!! 🙂

  8. I’ve got my fingers crossed for good weather for you! We’re currently adding a porch to our house and have been pretty lucky so far; new roof goes on starting Monday!

    I was wondering – your red tulip chairs on the porch, did you paint those? I found a pair of metal chairs on craigslist that are covered in rust. Any tips on if they’d be easy to clean? My hubby said they’d probably need to be sandblasted and that would be expensive.
    Thanks!

  14. Good luck guys! That’s a huge project but think how happy you’ll be knowing it’s done when the weather gets bad. I can’t wait to see pictures!!!

  15. Good luck the finished product will be amazing. It is so hard dealing with the weather. We have been trying to seal our driveway for weeks and it has either been too cold or rain.

  19. Whoa a whole house in two weekends that’s quite the task my friend. But I’m sure like all things you’ll do it in less time than you think and I’ll be smitten :o)