Repainting wooden frame windows

[gee-dub]

Hi, with spring hitting it's time to touch up the outside of my wooden frame windows. They are a bit of a mess right now with some paint gone and perhaps the first signs of the wood starting to rot. So if I strip the paint off, is it OK to just prime and paint ... will the wood rot stop - there is perhaps just a few small signs of rot - it's not too bad. And, what is the best way to strip the old paint off? Scraper? Paint stripper? Someone even once mentioned that a pressure washer would strip paint pretty well. Any advice is gratefully received.

Thx.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 6/1/2008 11:26 AM gee-dub spake thus:

Stay away from the pressure washer. Not the right tool, and you really don't want to force water into all the fissures in the wood.

Mechanically removing the paint (scraping, etc.) is the way to go. And you're going to want to patch the areas where wood has been lost to rot.

The method an acquaintance of mine uses is good, I think: before patching, he primes the wood. Then the patch goes over primer, which is much more likely to stick well. Be sure to force the primer into all the nooks & crannies.

And be sure to scrape out all the soft, spongy wood first.

[gee-dub]

Thanks, that sounds like good advise. What is the best stuff to using for 'patching' up rotted out/removed wood? Is a silicon caulking good for that?

Cheers.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 6/1/2008 12:11 PM gee-dub spake thus:

I just patched a rotted spot on a window frame with some stuff called "P. C. Woody". It's a 2-part epoxy wood filler. Works well, but since it sets up pretty hard, you need to be careful putting it on, since it's hard to sand afterwards.

For smaller patches, just use ordinary painter's putty (like Crawford's).

[tbasc]

Be very careful to remove all rotted, or soft wood. If mold or mildew spores remain below the paint film, they will eventually cause more deterioration. Pressure washing is used in my area to remove spores of mold and mildew before painting. The wood must be allowed to dry, since moisture trapped behind the paint film will expand when heated and cause blistering. Two part epoxies require careful adherence to mixing instructions to work and when mixed and applied as directed are much the best fix for deteriorated wood. These comments are based on my direct experience. T