best paint to cover sheating

10 years ago

I'm seriously thinking of painting over the sheating in our old house instead of having it drywalled over and then painting it. I'd love to hear recommendations for paint that covers really well with one coat....as well as any recommendations for a primer, which I will probably need in at least one of the rooms, based on what I've seen when I ripped off part of the wallpaper.

I'm also reconsidering cabinetry: instead of tossing the old upper cabinets, which are installed reeeeeaaaally well, I am thinking of having new doors, with glass inserts, made instead. I'll need to strip off the dozen layers of paint on the original upper boxes, so would love to hear any recommendations anyone has for that.

The lowers are going to be replaced, they are in horrendous shape and will be replaced with all drawers, much more user-friendly. I will have a local cabinet maker make these so that he can match the base cabinets with the doors. I can't do that if I use IKEA or any ready-made stuff because the dimensions of those upper cabinets aren't made anymore so no door I could order would fit. This is fine, actually, since I love giving work to the local rcaftsmen:)

So, to recap, please share with me your recommendations for:

1. interior primer for 150+ year old sheating;
2. latex wall paint for same;
3. stripper for multiple layers of paint on cabinets;
4. while I'm at it, enamel for the trim.

Thanks so much!

Comments (3)

liriodendron
10 years ago
What is "sheating". I've never encountered that term before.

As far as I am concerned there is no satisfactory one-coat paint. I always prepare, prime, sand, tack off, and expect to paint at least two top coats, with a light sanding in between. Painting takes trouble to make it look right and wear really well. Since I do all my own painting, I just take my time and make it right.

I use Soygel stripper. Slow, but not foul to be around.

Beware of old paint used on trim and cabs intalled before 1970. It often contains lead which makes it hazardous to sand or scrape or remove using a heating plate or heat gun, particularly if you have children in the house. You can have it tested. The cheap test kits sold at hardware stores may be inaccurate.

If you do have lead, read up on how to work with it in a reduced-hazard manner. It takes some extra trouble to do it without contaminating your whole interior, but it can be done. Often there are DIY lead-paint removal workshops you can attend to get the program. Dispopsal of the strippings or scrapings may be an issue in some areas. Careless removal of lead paint can lead to the need to remediate the entire house. Sanding or scraping can spread lead dust around and using a heated aremoval appliance can vaporize the lead into the air you're breathing

HTH

L.

If you're doing a lot of work with lead paint on a project it might be wise to get your blood tested; the test that's needed is a serum lead titer. Since we've been workring on our pre-Civil War house on and off for more than twenty years, we always ask for one whenever blood is drawn for another purpose. Ours have always been OK, although our level of exposure is high. We have no young children in the house, so it's only our own (and our pets) health to be concerned about.

This post was edited by liriodendron on Sat, Oct 19, 13 at 22:37
sombreuil_mongrel
10 years ago
Sheathing. For those not initiated into the vast variety of construction methods employed by the old timers; some houses were built so that the weatherboards were applied directly to the studs, but the sheathing boards were spiked to the inside of exterior walls, then either lathed and plastered, or (typically in the deep south) had muslin fabric tacked on and then wallpapered.
For never-painted interior sheathing, beware that the way it looks now, as aged bare wood is disguising the multitudinous "character marks" (flaws/defects) that it has, and has in spades.
The questions:
1)how to treat all of the seams between boards.
2)how to deal with the butt joints (end to end seams).
3)Knots, knot holes, and bark edges.
4)splits.
5)All the gaps and joints, unless closed up with vast quantities of caulk, are points for infiltration, by outside air, and uninvited (and multi-legged) visitors.
The material requires a lot more prep since it probably was never meant to be seen. If the wood is rough-sawn, be prepared for several coats of heavy-bodied "enamel undercoater"-type primer to obtain a suitable surface. A stain-blocking primer, and probably a pre-primer /sealer of shellac over the knots and water stains, is called for.
Casey
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liriodendron
10 years ago
Casey,

That makes sense and it's interesting to know of the regional variations. In my cold northern NY area, we have T & G sheathing too, I actually have two layers of it, running at right angles to each other as the first two layers on the outside of the studs, followed by the clapboards on my pre-Civil War era house.

Inside the "stud" cavities (this is a timber framed structure, so studs is sort of a misnomer) I have two layers of wood lath, each with two coats of rough plaster.

And of course, on the interior side I have another assembly of wood lath and three-coat plaster.

Although I have no real wall cavities in which to insert insulation, even after all this time, it's surprisingly cozy (though not infiltration-proof like a modern building, obviously). And the plaster offers substantial thermal mass to buffer temperature changes. We stay warm inside here into Novmeber, and the winter's coolth lasts until after Memorial Day.

Thinking of my own sheathing (granted it's an exterior component), I think it might be a too-rustic look to have as an inside wall surface. Why not just re-paper the wall if that is what was orginally there?

In warm climates, where is the moisture vapor plane applied? In the north, it is applied on the warm side of the insulation.

L.