Repainting the windowsills on an old house. Can someone tell me the absolute best kind of outdoor paint to use (latex or oil-based)? Also, the sills have deep cracks. What would you recommend to fill them?
Much appreciated!
"Best paint" is hard to say. I use SW brand because I get a contractors discount on a charge account. After properly preparing and fixing the wood, I would prime with an oil based primer personally, before top coating with latex (unless you also top coat with oil).
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I can tell, for sure, to fill and repair wood rot, the best thing that you can get is Abatron wood repair. Bondo, wood putty, regular epoxy, and any other stuff just won't hold up. This stuff is amazing! (No, I don't sell it, I'm just interested in historical preservation.) People who restore historic log cabins like it also. Not cheap, but well worth it.
Abatron LiquidWood and WoodEpox:
I would use a top quality latex paint. I would not personally bother with a primer, just put on 2 or more coats of the latex. Sherwin Williams would be my brand choice.
If the wood is not in too bad of shape I would use Durhams Rock Hard. This stuff has been around for ever and is pretty inexpensive. 1lb. is $3.20 on Amazon.
On a sound surface, I have used Benjamin Moore with great success...However this was over 30 years ago (formula may have since changed), and was holding up well up until I re-sided the house capped all my trim 3 years ago. Surface prep is the key...
Yep. FWIW, my local independent paint dealer (Clark Paint Factory, Springfield, MA), which has chemists on staff and formulates their own coatings for some special purposes, sells Benjamin Moore products. They're also where I go for M.L. Campbell.
So far they haven't steered me wrong.
You can do your own paint: flour pait or swedish paint. It is really lasting and very cheap. See recipes in
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Thanks everyone! We will definitely check out all these options!
Mike
I agree except for the primer. A good primer properly applied to a properly prepared surface is a must if there is any bare wood showing. Best, most long lasting paint I used on a problem window area was latex recommended by a guy that knew his stuff at SW store. I wanted oil base, he talked me into latex and he was right.
I also had a section of garage door that rotted out on the bottom about a foot long. I cut out the rotted section, cut a board to fit and glued/screwed it in and smoothed it out with Durhams and it's been fine for at least 10 years now with no signs of failure.
Oil based exterior primer, latex exterior top coat.
I buy all my paint at an independent paint store. Mostly Benjamin Moore, but not exclusively. General Finishes stains, etc. Lots of contractors as customers. Great advice on both paint and equipment. They've never steered me wrong.
You made me curious about Durham's viability for general "exterior" use. Below is a comment I obtained from Amazon Reviews of the product. Perhaps it will be helpful to someone?
"Note: Water Putty is NOT weatherproof, and will deteriorate in freeze-thaw areas. In that case, it is best to brush Water Seal on the exposed area after it cures."
The comment was posted by Valntino (sic).
-Bill
I have used Durham's and found that comment strange, I have never had a problem with it in the outdoor situation. Repair is outside and has lasted over twenty years.
It is intended to be painted so that is why I find it strange. Did he read the instructions?
Temps vary from 100F to -5F.
Durham addresses expansion in it's FAQ, but only in one specific situation. They do not mention freeze-thaw cycles.
This is an excerpt from the section entitled: CAN I USE DURHAM'S FOR REPAIRS OUTDOORS?
"Durham?s is intended to be applied in actual voids or cavities and should not be applied in a layer over the face of a board, since it can come loose with the slight expansion of the underlying surface."
Full FAQ:
There appears to be a modicum of truth in the comment.
These are 2 excerpts from the Durham FAQ section entitled: CAN I USE DURHAM'S FOR REPAIRS OUTDOORS?
"Durham?s can be used outdoors and will withstand outdoor weather, but it must be kept painted. Water putty is not waterproof and will absorb any moisture it is exposed to and the paint will peel. So if you see peeling, you must find the source of the moisture and stop it from getting into the putty."
"If you cannot discover how a patch is getting damp, and paint continues to peel from it, sometimes the patch can be sealed using a thin coating of ?Gorilla Glue,? shellac, or an exterior polyurethane, and then painting over that."
Full FAQ:
From the manufacturer's web site: "Durham?s is not waterproof".
Also "Can I use Durhams' for repairs outdoors" which specifies its limitations in such use.
To put this into perspective, Durham's not being water proof, NEITHER is WOOD.
I have never had an issue using it outside as long as both it and the wood remained painted.
From above post, ""If you cannot discover how a patch is getting damp, and paint continues to peel from it, sometimes the patch can be sealed using a thin coating of ?Gorilla Glue,? shellac, or an exterior polyurethane, and then painting over that.""
Just how do you thin Gorilla Glue?
Assuming the urethane Gorilla Glue and not the Wood Glue Gorilla Glue, let it cure and sand it to the shape you need.
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