Help With Paint on Porch Steps

rancar · Feb 25, 2003

"...What I don't understand is why the paint won't hold and last..."

My thinking is because paints are no longer made with lead base. The lead based paints.....banned I believe since the 1970s.....were much more durable and resistent to temp extremes and moisture.....lasting a good ten years and more on south facing sides of homes, barns, etc. Now, the best I could hope for is 3-4 years before I see some peeling beginning. And....everything needs a new paint job usually in 7-8 years.

I just painted (by brush) my barn with Sherwin Williams oil based barn paint. I gave the south facing sides 2-3 coats and I'm hoping for 10 years before repainting. I don't know if I'll make it. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

"...what used to be Lucent Technologies headquarters (anyone need 800,000+ sq/ft of prime office space?)..."

What???????....did Lucent already vacate the premises? /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif I know they are on brink of bankruptcy, so where did they go?

....Bob

rancar · Feb 25, 2003

"...with pressure treated lumber, wait til it grey's, then prime/seal and paint. Should last a lifetime, painting every 10 years..."

The pressure treated boards may last a lifetime but unlikely the paint will last more than 5 years without peeling. I've tried this and have used different well known brands of oil based primers and paints and it doesn't matter what side of the house it's on....these boards just peel on a schedule of 4-5 years, almost like they're programmed to. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

....Bob

nitronut1 · Feb 25, 2003

The house faces east, so this side gets the morning sun - and takes abuse with every 'noreaster we get. The west side one by the pool gets the afternoon sun so it doesn't fare any better either.

Lucent vacated their new headquaters in the fall and regrouped in Murray Hill; about 10 minutes east of here. This building was very elegant, had fountains and a San Francisco style trolley to bus the employees between buildings. Now it's idle.

normde2001 · Feb 25, 2003

"This building was very elegant, had fountains and a San Francisco style trolley to bus the employees between buildings. Now it's idle."
Sounds like one of the many reasons they are near bankruptcy.

nitronut1 · Feb 25, 2003

Here's a link...

http://www.sjpproperties.com/details.asp?propid=36

Steven · Feb 25, 2003

How about if you use stain instead of paint. stain will not peel, but a semi tranparent stain will. it is more like paint. and as the stairs wear you can just restain with no scrapping. works for me on my deck stairs.

rancar · Feb 25, 2003

Stain is OK Steve but it just doesn't have that colonial paint look that old house purists look for. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

....Bob

nitronut1 · Feb 25, 2003

Could the epoxy be the problem? I bought that mix because it was supposed to be stronger...but it's a latex formulation. I was supposed to adhere to the oil without a problem but you see where that went. Just seems silly that it does this. I have white picket fences (vertical) which the paint lasts for years on....

rancar · Feb 26, 2003

"Could the epoxy be the problem?...it's a latex formulation..."

I've always been taught that one can use an oil base paint to paint over surfaces previously painted with a latex paint, but one can't paint over oil based paints with a latex base. The paint just won't adhere. So....I always look carefully at how paints are manufactured. If there are references to latex on the label, even vague ones, I will not buy it if I need to paint over an oil based finish.

I still think your problem is the flat surfaces of the floor boards that absorb moisture from rain and fluctuating climate conditions and the sun that really takes a terrible toll on painted surfaces.

FWIW, when I paint my barn, the north facing sides that NEVER experience direct sunlight also have NEVER had peeling paint. The previous paint will just fade due to time and wear but the paint holds up and the clapboards are the original boards on this 120+ year old barn. The south facing sides are another story altogether.....

See following link that tells a bit about my barn, how I paint it, the paint I use, etc.

Barn Renovation Project

...Bob