Despite having repainted the front porch only a year ago, we need to do it again, and that means a new approach is required. As usual, you can click through the photos here to see other related ones for other angles and more detail.
( Front Porch Paint Peeling )We scrubbed the porch with wire brushes trying to knock off loose paint, as the issue here may be that we've previously applied paint over flaky paint, so it's not sticking well. Lisa concluded that we needed better tools, so a trip to Lowe's was in order.
( Belt Up )I had cleared everything off the front porch earlier today, so late this afternoon, Lisa tackled sanding off old paint.
( Right Tool for the Job )As daylight faded, Lisa and I cleaned up. She used the leaf blower to blow away as much debris as possible (and the blow the sander clean), and we inspected the results.
( Much Less Chalky )The new sander and supplies cost a bit over $200, but it was worth it, as it made a week-long job take only one afternoon. Lisa may go back and do some more spots before she starts painting, but this was the worst of it. Just as the expensive impact drill made drilling anchor holes in concrete and masonry simple, this belt sander works just fine for sanding larger areas.
Lisa tells me that the next step will be to apply sanding sealer, which should act as a primer coat. Earlier this year we bought four gallons of Sherwin-Williams Fireweed Red to use for this repainting job. We hope this lasts longer than the last job, as we'd rather not have to repaint every year, but we also want to project and preserver the front porch. Indeed, the last few weeks have been one of the two times each year when the weather is nice enough that we can spend time in the last afternoon/early evening sitting outside and watching the birds and bunnies and generally enjoying our house without being broiled or frozen.
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