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Exterior Paint and Stain

Skill #1: Wisely Choose Exterior Wood Finishes

Let’s say you apply a paint or stain to a client’s project, and it peels and fails in short order. Who will take the hit, both financially and in reputation? You probably will, and this applies whether the failure happened because of a mistake you made or just because you applied a product without proper surface prep or conditions that are not acceptable for painting or staining. A number of exterior wood finishes don’t last long enough if not applied properly. Prep work is very important as 90% of all stain or paint failures are due to this!

Below are some different exterior wood finishes and their characteristics that you can present to your client:

Clear penetrating sealers and toners:

Keeps wood looking new.
Typical life span of 2 to 5 years. Depending on porosity of wood, climate, and sun exposure.

Semi-Transparent stain:

This is one of the most beautiful options but can only be applied to new wood or stripping back to the bare wood.
Penetrates the wood and allows the natural grain and characteristic of the wood to show through.
Typical life span of up to 2 years on horizontal surfaces and up to 6 to 10 years on vertical surfaces.

Solid (Opaque) paints and stains:

Paint hides wood grain and texture.
Stain penetrates the surface and highlights the texture of wood.
Typical life span of up to 2 years on horizon surfaces. Up to 6 to 10 years on vertical surfaces.

Skill #2: Prepare Your Surface

Before you paint or stain there are two simple secrets to a long-lasting ﬁnish – quality product and prep work. Together they create a beautiful long lasting ﬁnish. Without prep the odds are high you will be redoing your project again next year.

Lack of surface preparation can hinder stain penetration and long-term performance. It is important to restore the surface to a like new condition to get the best performance when applying the product.

Check moisture content in the wood. Moisture should be < 15% to 25% (depending on product used). Use a moisture meter to check.
New wood could have a sheen on it called mill glaze. This will prevent the stain from penetrating. Sanding this will ensure a proper application.

Below are the steps to take to properly prepare your surface:

Step#1 - Pressure wash with clear water

The idea here is two-fold. First, pressure washing removes dirt, but it also breaks up most of the burnished surface fibres that cause mill glaze and poor adhesion.
Mildew may not be visible, therefore it’s best to always clean. Mildew will cause paint and stain to peel.

Step#2 - Sand with an 80-grit abrasive or use a wood restorer.

You need to sand all greyed wood areas back to a bright state. Failure to do so is the most common error when painting and staining.
Old, weathered wood that’s grey and looks quite absorbent is a poor candidate for a long-lasting finish, especially finishes that form a surface film over the wood.
While surface fibres may be thirsty, they’re not connected firmly to the underlying wood. Staining overtop of the grey changes the colour, however if surface fibres break away they’ll take your new paint or stain with it.
Peeling paint or stain - if your existing coat of paint or stain has more than 25% of the area peeling, it is recommended to remove the coating and start fresh.
Removes all the loose surface fibres and raised grain left behind by pressure washing.
A 6” random orbit sander is the ideal tool for this sanding.

Selling an Outdoor Finish

How much should you charge for exterior finishing? The work of applying exterior paint and stain is open to interpretation, and this will probably be one of your main communication challenges when speaking with clients. You need to explain to homeowners that it’s one thing to apply paint or stain, but there’s more to success than just sloshing something on with a brush. Show homeowners on paper how long it will take you to prepare the surface, how long it will take to apply product, and how much that product will cost. Don’t worry about anyone stealing your trade secrets because homeowners aren’t usually interested in doing work like this themselves.

The main role in selling an outdoor finishing work is not just to win the job but also to set reasonable expectations with homeowners. This is vital when it comes to exterior finishes because the results you achieve will always be temporary due to the weather extremes of our Canadian climate.

Wood expands and contracts with humidity and temperature. Imagine taking a wide elastic band and holding it loosely, without stretching it, between two fingers of either hand. Now stretch the elastic about an inch to simulate the wood expanding in humid wet spring weather. Feel the strain on the elastic between your fingers? Your deck stain feels the same strain.

Horizontal exterior surfaces are exposed to more UV light and ponded water. This water may be present under layers of snow and can seep deep into the wood where it can undergo numerous freeze-thaw cycles every year. Water expands when it freezes, and waterlogged wood can cause finish-destroying expansion.

By discussing these things with your customer ahead of time, you will ensure that they understand what is needed to do a quality job and avoid any issues in the long run.

Skill #3: Applying Outdoor Wood Finishes

More Coats are Not Better!

A major source of problems for outdoor ﬁnishes is the over-application of the product. Many incorrectly believe “more is better.” For a stain to be effective, it must be able to penetrate the wood’s surface. Over-application leads to a buildup of material, forming a ﬁlm on the wood which can ultimately peel or crack when exposed to excessive moisture. Too much product can interfere with the ability to dry properly.

Most stains require 2 thin, uniform coats applied by a good quality stain brush or stain pad. If applying by roller or sprayer, you must go over again with a brush or pad to prevent drips on vertical surfaces and product “pooling” on horizontal surfaces.

The same goes for paint. Make sure you use good quality tools for the job and an Exterior 100% Acrylic Paint. Exterior paints contain mildewcide and help prevent the future growth of mildew.

The Wood

Manufacturers of pressure treated lumber suggests that deck lumber should be coated before assembly of the deck to avoid water absorption from unsealed ends or other areas which can lead to grain cracking and splitting. These can develop over time due to expansion and contraction from repeated water absorption and evaporation. Additional defects are checking, cupping, splitting and cross-grain cracking if the surface is not preserved or protected shortly after installation.

Therefore, assuming the moisture content of the wood is correct, surface treatment of wood should take place as soon as possible after installation as the exposure of bare wood to sunlight for even one to two weeks can lead to premature failure of the initial coating system.

Is Today a Good Day for Painting or Staining?

Optimum weather conditions checklist:

No rain in forecast for 24 hours
Day and night with surface temperature between 10 and 27°C
Air movement (a light breeze) present
Start after dew has dried
Follow the sun or work in the shade

As a contractor, you’re more than just a person who makes things happen in the building world. You’re also something of an educational guru, or at least you should be. When people hire you to finish or refinish outdoor wood, most are also looking to you to make a product recommendation. Deliver on these things and you won’t want for work.

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