Exterior eaves paint flaking

[Jacksdad]

Hi,
We had our eaves and pearlings painted in summer 2012 by a local decorator. We would normally do this ourselves but the 10 meter high eaves really give me the jitters!
The job looked great initially but I have just noticed that the paint has cracked extensively and actually started flaking off in places. It seems to be confined to one eave on the south side of the house.
Basically I just want to know if I am overreacting? I personally think 21 months is a pretty small amount of time for a paint job to last, but am I being unreasonable?? I know they didn't use Weathershield but I would of thought even wilkos cheapest gloss would have lasted longer.

Thanks, Nick

 

[paulb33]

Sadly, my take is that this is normal.

I'm going through the massive hassle of stripping our eaves and using linseed oil. I don't want to pay 5 grand on scaffolding again in 2017. Even if they used Weathershield, there's no telling what the base coat of paint was and how they'll interact. I've watched neighbouring Victorian villas being carefully painted. The black faux-Tudor timbers need repainting (resealing) every 3-4 years.

In 1900, labour was cheap and materials costly. Nowadays, the reverse is true. That's why fast drying plastic paints are slapped on (IMO).

Paul

 

[88v8]

Oh dear.
Paint on the south has a shorter life, the sun is a great destroyer.
I would never use dark colours on the south side.
Preparation is crucial. If it wasn't properly rubbed down &/or burnt off, primed and rubbed down, undercoated and rubbed down, then two top coats rubbing down between coats... it's not going to last.
Given the cost of labour, using anything but the best paint is a waste of money.
For me, Sikkens AZ
http://sikkens.trade-decorating.co.uk/products/sikkens_rubbol_az_plus.jsp
Reassuringly expensive.
Twenty-one months sounds like an appalling bodge. What state was the woodwork in before it was done? How long did it take them to do the job? What was the weather? Was the wood dry?
Another problem with working on the south is the short window in each day if the weather is fine. Can't paint in full sun, have to wait for it to go round and then paint in the late afternoon/evening, this doesn't sit well with commercial painters who want to go home at 1600h.

I'm OK with working off a ladder 30ft high, the problem I have is getting the ladder up and down , especially the weight of the wooden rope-op I used to have. That got abandoned in my parents' garage the last time I painted their house.

Ivor

 

[Lime]

Paint peeling within a couple of years is nothing unusual with modern paints upon old substrates.
Good preparation before painting is important but I do not think modern paints are upto the job of protecting wood, they are just a coloured covering with no great life expectancy.
Their longevity has considerably reduced over the last few years since the less environmentally friendly chemicals have been removed.
Linseed oil paint painted directly on to bare wood (treated with linseed oil beforehand) is the best way forward.

 

[plasticpigeon]

I have to admit that the paint on my wooden windows that was meticulously painted be me has not been a total success. The green on the sash box is still looking great. the dirty white on the sashes is also still as good as when it was applied, but the stuff doesn't stick to the putty so well, and where I have painted slightly onto the glass at the interface between putty and glass it has invariably not stuck at all. I used dulux trade primer (green runny stuff), dulux trade weathershield oil undercoat, and little green topcoat. Why won't it stick properly to putty or glass????? I have a hunch that the paint/putty combo is the problem. I imagine that some evaporation of the oil in the putty occurs and the impermeable paint doesn't let this pass through so it pops off. If this is the case leaving the putty longer or repainting just the putty parts after a couple of years might solve the problem, a right ballache though. I like the sound of linseed paint, but not the idea of keeping my windows and doors open for a month before it dries!!!!

 

[88v8]

Fresh putty, I reckon about a month before it's really ready for painting.

Yes, as Lime said, paint is not as good as it was. Lead was the best. A further deterioration in quality occurred in 2010 when solvent quantities were reduced.

Ivor

 

[CliffordPope]

Old paint lasted almost indefinitely. It never cracked, simply faded and went chalky. Hence all that arm-aching blowlamping to get it off.

You can still buy leaded primer and top coats, but it is very expensive, and supposedly for use only on listed buildings and classic wooden boats.

I have had better luck with Sadolin classic stain, I think it is called. The black and white I had done two years ago still looks like new. Amazingly, it seems to work just as well even applied on top of old paint, as long it wasn't flaky.

 

[michael]

Following a recommendation from a fellow beach hut owner, I used a plain white ‘Bedec Barn paint’ on my wooden beach hut. Just a good rub down with abrasive paper followed by two coats of barn paint. No primers or undercoats required and it dries quickly saving a lot of time. Two years on and it’s still in perfect condition surviving some real poundings from gale force weather where high tides have come within a few feet of the front door. I would totally recommend this paint as it has totally out performed all the three/four coat paint systems that I’ve used before.

 

[paulb33]

For all my banging on about linseed oil, we used Solignum Architectural on our gate and fence. Despite being black, its still showing no signs of peel or splitting, six years on. Expensive, but really good stuff.

 

[Jacksdad]

Thanks for all your input.

The original painter came round yesterday to have a look. It does seem the pealing/cracking is confined to the two south facing gables.

He has offered to scrape off the pealing paint and "seal" it with an "aluminium based primer" then top coat. I offered to provide him with a more expensive (superior?)alternative if he thought it was worthwhile but he didn't- I guess because of the added time involved in application?

Thanks again, Nick