Restoration Painting Jobs: Special Concerns

August 11, 2008

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Restoring historic and special interest buildings takes a lot of planning, research and hard work. When it comes to painting and recoating a historic structure, there are several special concerns that are unique to this type of project. During the next few days, we will cover the some of these concerns, beginning with the first stage of any painting project: surface preparation

Surface Prep

Although surface preparation is a vital and time-intensive part of every painting project, professional restoration projects have a number of special considerations that have to be successfully taken into account to produce a fantastic final coat. Excessive paint build-up, fragile surfaces and ornate surfaces are just a few of the special challenges that your painting contractor will face during the project.

Excessive Paint Build-Up

Older buildings may have dozens of layers of aged, chipped and worn paint covering its surfaces. Many times, the paints will be of widely different bases and compositions. Oils and acrylic layers will be mixed in with latex and alkyd coatings. Lead abatement may become as well. Getting rid of all this old paint is the first hurdle to overcome in the restoration project. Several applications of stripping products may be necessary, along with hand scrubbing and brushing before the building is ready for a new coat of paint.

Fragile and Ornate Surfaces

Once the old paint has been taken care, the surfaces need to be prepped to receive a fresh layer of paint. However, older buildings may have structural issues that need to be addressed before the project can move forward. Special care must be taken not to damage irreplaceable architectural details.

Coming Up: Restoration Paints

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