DEALING WITH LEAD
Repairing Timber Rot
All rot must be cut out and replaced. You can never fill or paint over it. Try and minimise the amount of paint dust. Scraping with a tungsten
• Cut well back from the visible rot on weatherboards 600mm on each side.
• Make sure you get all the rot out. Also check behind the framing, it may extend
into the stud framework as well.
scraper or burning off is best.
PUTTING UP A
PREPARING
• Paint lots of timber preservative onto any timber exposed by cutting. Even
TO PAINT
SANDING LEAD-BASED PAINT
spray preservative around the wall cavity if it’s not full of insulation.
• Replace damaged building paper as tape laps.
• Prime exposed timber with oil-based primer. • Wear a dust mask, and use an electric sander that has an efficient
• Replace rotten timber with treated timber (H 3.1 minimum). dust bag fitted.
• Glue and screw with waterproof glue (splicing into sills) or screw back with a
flexible exterior sealant in the joints.
• ONLY wear work clothes for stripping paint. Take them off as soon
• Sand the joint smooth and level, then prime. as you finish each day, wash frequently and separately from other UIDE
UIDE
W GUIDE
YOUR COMPLETE KNOW HOW GUIDE
clothes. Shower thoroughly, immediately after work. Wash hands
CHOOSING FILLERS before eating.
• Don’t let children or animals play in the dust. Collect it in a strong
• Check the label, or ask for advice from PlaceMakers staff to ensure plastic bag and deposit at the toxic waste section of your local tip.
you have the correct filler for your needs.
• Where a flexible filler has to seal against regular water runoff, for
instance between the timber upstand around a bath and wallboard, BURNING OFF LEAD-BASED PAINT
use a product specifically designed to seal against moisture.
• Close doors and windows to prevent lead getting inside.
• Make sure any filler you use is paintable.
• Use drop sheets (fireproof) to catch debris.
Sanding Smooth and Providing a Key • Collect spilt debris with commercial wet and dry vacuum cleaner.
A surface should be smooth but not glossy before painting. Paint won’t stick well
to a glossy surface. Careful sanding will smooth out any irregularities and
provide a “key” for the new paint.
Sealing Interiors
Bare GIB® should be sealed prior to applying top coats. If it is a brand new surface
Old paintwork
you can use an acrylic sealer undercoat. If the surface is sunburnt (the face of the
• Rub down sound old paintwork with 120 or finer grit paper.
board has been exposed to sunlight for 2-3 weeks and has gone yellow) or old
• Feather out the paint around any bare areas.
(older than 12 weeks) it must be sealed with an oil-based pigmented sealer, this
• If repainting with gloss paint, use 200 grit wet and dry paper on existing
also applies to all GIB plasterboards.
glossy paint.
Stripped timber Stripping Wallpaper
• Sand the whole surface to smooth out any irregularities.
Painting over the top of wallpaper is not recommended, it can make it difficult to
• Always sand in the “Iong” direction of the board.
remove later. To strip off wallpaper, use wallpaper strippers in conjunction with a
• Clean off all sanding dust before painting.
pump up garden spray unit.
Spray the first two drops of wallpaper with the solution allowing it to soak in and
LEAD IS DANGEROUS
Please Note: release the glues. The secret is to not allow the solution to dry, but keep it activated.
While the advice and recommendations contained in this brochure Spray the first and second drop again and you should be able to remove the
have been produced with proper care, they are offered only with Lead was used in paints up until the early ’80s. So many houses that first drop.
the objective of assisting those interested in home improvement are now ready to be stripped are covered with lead-based paint. If any Once you have removed the first drop spray the second and third, and then start to
projects. PlaceMakers does not accept responsibility for the advice, is swallowed or inhaled, it can cause illness and death. remove the second drop. If you follow around the room in this fashion, the wallpaper
recommendations, etc. contained herein.
should be a lot easier to remove.
Updated: Feb 2009 (FM0802 02/09)
Test for lead by cutting into the existing paintwork at an angle with a
When you have all the paper off, wash the walls down with sugar soap and water,
sharp blade, exposing all the layers of old paint. Drip some 5% sodium
then flush off with fresh water and allow them to dry. When dry, seal the walls with
sulphide solution (available from pharmacies) into the cut. oil-based pigmented sealer but this will require lining paper before painting.
www.placemakers.co.nz Paint containing lead will go black. Testing kits are also available at
PlaceMakers.
GETTING STARTED Preparation
•
STRIP BACK TO BARE TIMBER WHEN:
the existing paint fails the adhesion test.
BLOWTORCH PRECAUTIONS
If you are considering using an LPG fuelled blowtorch, it can be very
Paint preparation involves five main processes. easy to set your house on fire. Always have a garden hose standing by
atte how
Preparation is the key to a good paint job. No matter how
matter ho
t • Cleaning the surface well • any defects in existing paintwork will show through new paint.
in case of fire and make sure your insurance covers you for this type of
good you may be with a brush, roller or spray unit, if your
unit f you
it yo
it, our • Stripping off unstable or rough existing finishes • paint is cracked, blistered or peeling.
• Filling all holes, gaps, cracks and defects work before you start.
preparation is not up to scratch, the finished job will be of • Sanding to provide a key or grip for the new paint • build up on door and window frames prevents their closing. Remove any loose building paper, bird’s nests or anything that is
poorer quality. • Sealing and or priming the surface.
• using a much darker colour than previously. flammable, contact your local fire service and stop work at least two
Not all are necessary in every case.
Poorly prepared surfaces will require repainting sooner and hours prior to going inside, so that if there is anything smouldering you
will take more work to prepare the surface than if you had Cleaning will notice it before you leave the job. Do not work in windy conditions.
The ideal time to repaint a weatherboard, fibre cement or concrete block house, is when
correctly prepared them in the first place. the existing paint surface is sound but powdery, and bare substrate is not exposed.
The first and most important part is to remove all contaminants by washing the Mechanical sanders, hand sanders and scrapers may be better options
Preparing includes washing down, sanding, rust removal, surface with the appropriate mould killer or sugar soap, making sure that you Where all the old paint needs to come off (usually outside), the best removal with fewer hassles (worrying about fires). Some surfaces may be fine
removal of peeling, flaking and cracked paintwork, and the rinse the surface with fresh water before the solution can dry. This is done to method depends on the type of substrate and whether the paint is water-based and only require a light sand or wash down prior to painting. This often
make sure you are not introducing more contaminants to the surface which will (acrylic) or oil-based (alkyd).
removal of all contaminants such as mould, lichen, moss applies to surfaces such as fibre cement boards, concrete blocks and
inhibit adhesion of the new paint. Once you have finished washing the surface
and atmospheric particles (salt deposits, grease, soot, thoroughly, allow to dry before you proceed to the next step. To test for water or oil-based paint textured surfaces.
etc. just to name a few). By following the recommended Rub the paintwork hard with a rag dipped in methylated spirits. If the paint colour
procedure on the back of the paint can and in brochures, Stripping comes off on the rag, it’s almost certainly water-based.
Filling
failures can be avoided from the onset. Check the existing paint surface. Can it be rubbed down and painted over, or does Stripping Back For a flawless finish, fill every gap, crack, hole and dent. It produces a much better
it need to be stripped back to the bare substrate?
looking paint job, restricts insect entry and protects the house from moisture
If the paintwork is cracked, flaking or peeling, chances are the rest of the surfaces Timber
damage. Holes allow water in, exposing untreated timber to rot.
could be the same. If you try to paint over unsound surfaces, the new paint will For water-based paint only, a hot air gun works passably well. For oil-based paint
Tools apply pressure to the old coating, which will then start to crack and peel again. a naked flame (LPG fuelled blowtorch), hand sanding and machine sanding all Rigid or flexible fillers?
An easy test to check old paint is to place an X cut in the paintwork at various work well. However, only the blowtorch or a commercial grade hot air gun are For holes in solid surfaces such as plasterboard, fibre cement, stucco,
areas around the house, stick tape down well across the cut and peel off quickly. practical for large areas. weatherboard: fill with a suitable hard setting filler that is plaster based or fibre-
If the paint peels off with the tape then removal of the coating is necessary. glass. For gaps with potential to move, such as between architrave and wall
Sandpaper: 80, 100, Paintable flexible filler Corrugated metal roofing
(See Illustration 1). linings, facing and weatherboards, cornice and ceiling, or for a crack in timber, fill
150 & 200 grit and and caulking gun Hand scraping, and hand or machine sanding all remove paint well. However with a paintable flexible filler.
they will also damage the protective galvanised coating, as will wire brushing. It is
sanding block Interior use
better to use a water blaster. Although it won’t remove all paint, any that adheres
after blasting can be painted over. Extensive fine cracks, chips or small holes in plasterboard can be filled with a
Medium and narrow plaster based filler like SKIM COAT. For bigger holes use a filler like PERMAFILL
Take care to work down the roof, and in the direction of the laps to avoid forcing or RAPIDFILLA. For really large holes, do a proper repair, by cutting out damaged
Hand scrapers: scraper/flat knife water up under the overlapping sheets. section and replacing with a patch. Use a tube filler like NO MORE GAPS to fill
preferably tungsten cracks and gaps that might move.
blades Stucco
Clean off small isolated patches of flaking or chalking paint with a wire brush. For Exterior use
Rigid exterior filler For holes in timber where there will be no movement, use a rigid plaster based
extensive areas of degraded paint, use a waterblaster and an anti-fungal solution.
exterior filler like PERMAFILL or fibreglass BUILDERS BOG.
Sugar soap or Basol Fibre cement For masonry surfaces use a cement based filler like NO MORE GAPS MASONRY.
Hand scraping and hand sanding both work well to remove loose paint or strip All must be undercoated before the top coat is applied.
crystals Linseed oil putty small areas. Old asbestos fibre board should NEVER be scraped or sanded. Where there is likely to be movement, use a flexible filler like NO MORE GAPS
Other Surfaces: or externally a sealant.
Check to see if your Press a piece of strong If the paint comes Other surfaces like internal linings and woodwork don’t generally need to be Rusty nail holes can bleed through several layers of paint. Punch them below the
Utility knife and strong
old paint is in good adhesive tape across off with the tape, the completely stripped in order to be repainted, hand sanding or scraping in usually surface. Spot prime with an oil-based galvanised iron primer. Fill with linseed oil
sticky tape Dust mask putty, and then prime over the top.
condition by making the area and peel it off. surface should be the best in these cases. If you want to totally strip old skirting, doors and window
several cuts with a stripped, sanded or joinery, experiment with a combination of chemical strippers, hand scrapers and Where glazing putty is missing or needs replacing, prime wooden frame first then
sharp knife. scraped back to bare small specialist power sanders. replace with new linseed oil putty. Leave to harden for two weeks before repainting.
LPG bottle and blow wood if possible.
torch or hot air gun Appropriate sealers,
(higher wattage the primers and brushes
better)
Illustration 1: Check Existing Paintwork