Window sills need to be wiped off?

[Higgs Boson]

Just had good nabe painter redo my West-facing (strong sun) wooden window sills, only 2-3 years after he did all those windows w/Benjamin Moore acrylic (over primer). They had cracked and split and looked like something that rhymes with split.

He says I have to get out there every morning and wipe off the condensation from those window sills. (Near beach; evenings dewy). ??!!!

Said he told me that when he first did the job. Guess I forgot.

Said I need to install gutters all around the house. $$$$ Also, we have limited rainy season. Anyway, what has that to do with wiping off condensation?

I asked if there was some kind of sealant that could be put over the paint to keep this from happening again,but he said no.

Hope this is semi-clear. Your input valued.

HB

[dadiOH]

Wipe dew off the window sills everyday? I've heard sillier things but not recently. Ditto the gutters.

I don't know what a "nabe" painter is but am guessing "navy" due to the proximity of the "b" and "v" keys. If that is correct and if he is IN the navy as opposed to working FOR the navy then he is your problem...navy painters are totally unfamiliar with the phrase "surface preparation".

[DerbyDad03]

re: "I don't know what a "nabe" painter is..."

Painting must be a "second job" for this guy. ;-)

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

I think Higgs mis-spelt 'neighb'- the approved abbreviation for neighborhood--- probably one *from* the neighborhood, not someone who paints entire neighborhoods.

Jim

[DerbyDad03]

Who approved that abbreviation? I don't recall being asked my opinion.

I don't like it.

[DerbyDad03]

...and Seattle isn't even # 1

Stolen without permission from:

According to the Western Regional Climate Center, the top 5 cities where it rains or snows over 130 days a year includes:

#5) Portland, Oregon

#4) Seattle, Washington

#3) Cleveland, Ohio

#2) Rochester, New York

#1) Buffalo, New York

[Ed Pawlowski]

My wife goes out every morning at 7 AM, puts up the extension ladder and wipes the sills. I thought everyone did it that way.

I bet it would make the paint last longer, but I doubt more than two people in the world would do such a thing.

[DerbyDad03]

-- --

"I bet it would make the paint last longer, but I doubt more than two people in the world would do such a thing."

Well, if your wife is one of the two...I wonder who the other one is.

They could start a club, have meetings, hold bake sales to raise funds for new rags, etc.

To paraphrase Arlo Guthrie:

"And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day, I said fifty people a day walking in, wiping down their sills, and walking out. And friends, they may think it's a movement."

[Larry W]

I must take exception to that. IMHO the "approved," accepted, and commonly used abbreviation for "neighborhood" is 'hood.

Of course, then the OP's statement would read "good hood painter" and that doesn't sound right either. :)

[Higgs Boson]

Correct. Meant "neighborhood". For years he's been painting apts. all over town owned by the same guy, so he must be doing SOMETHING right!

[Higgs Boson]

OK, fellas, enuff of this misplaced yumer.

My question, way back, was whether there existed a "sealant", to use a catch-all term, that would obviate the expressed need for this matutinal sill wipedown.

HB

[Hell Toupee]

Not surprised he said that. He had to come up with something to make the paint's failure your fault, not his. Odds are he didn't properly prep before painting.

[DerbyDad03]

.

re: "...whether there existed a "sealant"...

Yeah...it's called "good exterior paint over a properly prepared surface"

[norminn]

Too much sun. Wiping condensation might help, but it would dry quickly in a very sunny window. You might do better with either marble window sills, or putting in light blocking window shades. Window shades are kind of out of style, but they are inexpensive and good for blocking strong sun light.

[aemeijers]

Ya think?