What fails: the green film that paint cannot grip
Mildew, algae and ground-in dirt collect on the shaded sides of a house, under porch roofs, along the bottom of siding where rain splashes back, and on walks and steps. They make surfaces slick and make a house look older than it is.
They also ruin paint adhesion. Fresh paint over a dirty or chalky surface bonds to the dirt, not the wall, and the new coat lets go early. That is why so many exterior jobs in Lancaster County fail at the same spots: the north side, the porch rail, the lower courses of siding.
How the crew works: the right pressure for each surface
One setting does not fit a whole property. A concrete walk can take real pressure. Wood siding, clapboard and porch trim cannot, and the wrong tip or too close a nozzle gouges the grain and drives water behind the boards. On siding the crew uses a soft rinse and works with the lap of the boards, not against it.
When the washing is the first step of an exterior repaint, it comes before any scraping, sanding or priming, so loose paint and the film underneath come off together. Every porch and exterior repaint depends on that clean start, including the one Sue Hartman-pick hired the crew for, to “restore our front porch and exterior to its former glory.”
Dan Messimer decides the approach at the free in-person estimate, after seeing what the surface is made of and what is growing on it.
Aftercare: dry time, weather and a yearly wash
Wet wood cannot be painted. After a wash, the surface has to dry through, and a humid Pennsylvania stretch can stretch that past a day. Painting too soon traps moisture under the coat and shows up later as blisters and peeling. Weather is part of the schedule, as Lethea Myers noted when the crew finished her project “despite horrible heat and so much rain”.
A yearly wash is the cheapest way to stretch a paint job. Taking mildew and dirt off before they settle in keeps the finish coat from breaking down early. If a wash leaves behind stains that will not lift, or siding that looks chalky or bare, that is a sign it is time to talk about painting. Call (717) 740-1000 for a free estimate.
