Cracked & Peeling Paint.....what to do?

[kaneohe]

Last yr I painted a post. Scraped it for peeling paint, washed it too.
The front of the post gets afternoon sun exposure and that side had some
deep cracks in it. Filled the cracks w/ spackle....it said ok for exterior.
I believe, but can't be sure, that I primed the bare spots, then painted it.

One year later there are a lot of cracks in the paint....a lot of them, I think, are where the cracks are. The spackle had deteriorated or at least didn't fill the cracks as when first put in and painted. A putty knife at the cracks can peel the paint off to bare weathered wood (looks greyish).

Any hope for a more permanent life?
A better thing to fill in the cracks? A better primer?.....what type?
Anything else?

The cracks and peeling seem to be related to the sun exposure since other posts facing the same way but w/ less sun exposure are fine as are the 3 other sides of the posts that have the problem.

 

[calmloki]

Last yr I painted a post. Scraped it for peeling paint, washed it too.
The front of the post gets afternoon sun exposure and that side had some
deep cracks in it. Filled the cracks w/ spackle....it said ok for exterior.
I believe, but can't be sure, that I primed the bare spots, then painted it.

One year later there are a lot of cracks in the paint....a lot of them, I think, are where the cracks are. The spackle had deteriorated or at least didn't fill the cracks as when first put in and painted. A putty knife at the cracks can peel the paint off to bare weathered wood (looks greyish).

Any hope for a more permanent life?
A better thing to fill in the cracks? A better primer?.....what type?
Anything else?

The cracks and peeling seem to be related to the sun exposure since other posts facing the same way but w/ less sun exposure are fine as are the 3 other sides of the posts that have the problem.

We've had good luck with Vulkem, a polyurethane caulk available in a number of colors. Latex paint holds well to it. Designed for use on roofs, so maybe check with a roofing supply company. Dig out the old caulk and redo w/ Vulkem. Oh - you will be wearing it a long time when you get your hands in it.

 

[Nords]

You can buy exterior-grade spackle or joint compound with vinyl or latex in it to resist moisture intrusion.

But as Calmloki says, caulk is better. We have a side of the house blasted by eastern sun that behaves the same way. You want the expensive stuff, rated exterior or silicone or "doors & windows", and plainly labeled "paintable". You can squirt it in and work it around with a putty knife & wet rag, giving it 24 hours to harden between layers, until the cracks are filled & smooth. Then prime & paint. We've used latex paint (exterior gloss) but oil might work as well.

 

[kaneohe]

Thanks for the tips. Sounds like paintable exterior caulk--polyurethane or silicone.

 

[HFWR]

Do not try to fill large cracks in one fell swoop. Shrinkage (heh, heh) will occur... As Nords suggests, fill it in layers, allowing each to dry before adding another layer. I would then scrape all loose paint away, apply primer to the resulting surface, then paint.

 

[calmloki]

Re: paintable silicone

I haven't used any that really is - at least, if you want the paint to stay put.

 

[kaneohe]

Back to square 1? Called local hardware store to see if they had what I wanted......
guy said I needed to sand before I caulked. Told him cracks were 1/16" more or less wide and hard to sand. He said caulk was for larger cracks and that I should use wood putty. Agree or not?

edit to add: wood putty was their generic term: one specific type recommended DAP latex wood filler

 

[Martha]

I agree with using wood filler. There are a wide variety of brands of exterior wood filler.

 

[thefed]

coming from a painter's son...


Scrape scrape scrape away....then scrape some more.

use an exterior grade wood filler, sand smooth.

prime the whole thing, preferably oil based (ie Killz...not killz 2....KILLZ or Bin or 1-2-3 OIL BASED)

Paint it...again I prefer oil for outside...especially a stubborn spot. not fun on a whole house, but great for something like this



splitting is an indication that water is getting to the wood. not sure what kind of post this is, but for example....if its a mailbox, take the box off then do your work...if its attached to the home and can be removed...do so...otherwise the backside will always get wet...if you cant remove it, caulk the joints so water doesnt get back there and sit



good luck!

 

[Westernskies]

Caulk=flexible
Wood Filler= rigid
Cracks=movement

I would dig out the old filler and any loose or deteriotated wood, push backer rod into anything over 1/8" wide or deep and then caulk with a good quality paintable polyurethane caulk- stay away from silicone; it doesn't seem to hold paint well. Prime with a good-quality primer, then topcoat with two coats of urethane enamel. If the paint fails again, consider replacing the columns with a polyurethane equivelant.

There are also epoxy products specifically designed to patch rotting wood- Abatron is one brand, West Systems is another. My experience has been that the patch doesn't fail, but the wood adjacent to it usually cracks loose or continues to rot.

You might have luck cutting in a section of new wood- a dutchman- securing it with dowels and epoxy, re-profiling to match, sanding to blend, then priming and painting- it is a lot of work, but the repair can be invisible if done right. This is the only way to get rid of the rotten wood and eliminate the cracks- anything else is just filling a naturally occurring expansion joint...

Again, unless you like to scrape and paint, I would look at a polyurethane replacement, Pacific Columns has a good selection.

Good luck with your project.