According to Bob Vila, the best time to paint is early fall, which is drier and warmer than spring and less hot and humid than summer.
While I agree with Vila, I think the light is much better in the spring than in the fall, so if you are fortunate enough to find a spring that meets all of our criteria, go ahead and paint.
However, the basic iffiness of the weather makes spring the best time of year to prepare surfaces for painting. Surface preparation is the key to an enduring paint job.
Because the exterior of my house hadn’t been painted in 18 years, surface preparation took about five years of spring and summer weekends. When autumn arrived each year, I contended with failing light and painted when the temperatures allowed.
One year, I put away the ladder and put up the Christmas tree. Another year, I called it quits on Halloween because it just got too cold.
Over the years, I’ve tried just about every method of removing old paint — burning, chemical stripping, razor blades, sanding — you name it. The tool I finally settled on and keep handy is the Sandvik scraper.
The secret to the Sandvik is its replaceable triangular Swedish steel blade. Sandvik, which manufactures carbide steel tools designed for mining and other heavy-duty uses, has applied the same technology to a $6.49 scraper-blade, which can remove a painted or stained finish right down to the bare wood with one stroke — without scratching or gouging the wood.
Because the scraper-blade is triangular, it lasts three times longer than a conventional razor blade. I typically dull a scraper-blade with a couple of weeks of heavy use while working on the exterior of the house. Professionals, who use the Sandvik to remove adhesive from floors after removing linoleum, go through blades much more quickly.
Using the blades creates some dust and shavings. It’s best to bring whatever you are scraping out of doors — baseboard, molding, windows and doors — for easier cleanup. Wear a dust mask and safety glasses so you won’t inhale the dust or get it in your eyes.
The handle retails for about $8 and is reusable. I’ve gone through three handles over 10 years. The chief reason for replacement is that adjusting or replacing the blades tends to strip the screw that holds the blade to the handle, and the screw needs to be tightened frequently during use.
Sandvik makes a wider blade — 2-1/2 inches — that is used with a larger handle, but I don’t find it as easy to work with as the triangular blade.
The scraper and handle are available in hardware stores and home centers.
Proper preparation for painting means scraping off the old finish and ensuring that the surface you’ll be painting is clean and dust-free, and will accept paint without a whole lot of effort.
Often, removing old paint leaves indentations in surfaces that should be filled before a new coat is applied. Plaster and drywall can develop cracks that need to be repaired beforehand as well, because new paint often highlights such imperfections.
I’ve tried any number of brands of spackle over the years, and the most versatile I’ve found is Zinnser’s MH Ready Patch, which I’ve used in several projects since last fall.
MH Ready Patch, which can be used indoors and out, has several advantages over others I’ve tried. One is that it doesn’t shrink as it cures and dries, meaning that one application is enough to fill a hole.
Another is that it dries and can be sanded and painted one hour after application. Joint compound, which is what I typically use to repair holes, takes at least 24 hours to cure and often needs two or three applications, depending on the size of the hole or crack.
A one-quart can of MH Ready Patch retails around $4.79 and is available at most home centers and hardware stores.
