The construction market is full of high-tech materials, but wood has a special place in it. It is an environmentally friendly, safe material, thanks to which a special microclimate prevails in the interior, you can feel all the charms of country life. In addition, the wooden facade has a rich appearance, fits perfectly into the landscape design. That is why wooden houses are very popular among property owners.
Wood has only one disadvantage - it is subject to the negative influence of external factors (precipitation, humidity, wind, UV rays, sharp temperature changes). Fungus appears on the trunk, it begins to decay, wooden walls change their geometry.
However, only untreated wood is exposed to these negative factors. Impregnations for wood, facade paints, antiseptics, azures and other means can protect the wooden house. In the article we will tell you what compositions to cover the walls, what to paint them with, so that they retain an original appearance, technical characteristics as long as possible.
Reliability and durability of a wooden house
A house made of wood will last for 100 years and even longer if you protect it from the influence of negative factors. The importance of proper treatment of wooden facades has been known for centuries.
Here is a vivid example. The photo below shows a bell tower in Ruokolahti, Finland. The Finnish structure dates back to 1752. It was originally treated with an impregnation and is now regularly treated with a protective natural tar. The photo shows how well the wooden belfry has been preserved.
But no treatment will allow you to keep the walls of a wooden house in almost perfect condition if the wood itself was of poor quality. Therefore, the choice of building materials should be made responsibly.
How to protect the wood
Wood has the following negative properties for the home:
- High flammability, rapid ignition;
- Porosity, moisture saturation;
- Deformation under the influence of low and high temperatures;
- Susceptibility to fungi, mold, insects.
Untreated wood loses its natural texture, becomes gray, dries out, becomes loose, resulting in loss of strength.
One of the easiest and most effective ways to protect wood is to apply paints and varnishes. They reliably protect the surface for 15-20 years. This means that the treatment does not need to be done too often.
Pre-treatment of the wood surface before painting
Before painting a wooden house, the surface must be prepared. This determines the quality of the paint. Many people skip this step because it takes time. They think that if they use high quality paint, there is no need for preparation. This is a big mistake.
Preparing to paint
The humidity of the wood in a wooden house must not exceed 20%. Otherwise, the applied and hardened paint layer will peel off. Under the influence of the sun, the moisture begins to evaporate and its fumes penetrate the painted walls, with the risk of the paint peeling off.
The surface to be painted must be dry and free of dust and dirt. If there are resin stains, it is necessary to remove them, wipe the area with a cloth with solvent.
Before painting, it is recommended to sand the surface, especially if the facade has been untreated for a long time and exposed to the negative effects of the weather.
After sanding, priming and painting should be done within 48-60 hours. If everything is done in time, it will guarantee the longevity of the coating, because the composition is applied on fresh wood with open pores and removed resin.
Primer, impregnation for wooden house
Primers, impregnations for a wooden house can be used not only as a preparatory layer for painting, but also as a finish. However, it should be noted that primers and impregnations are not able to protect the facade. Without further painting, they must be treated every 2-3 years.
There are several types of primers and impregnations for wooden houses:
- Antibacterial - to prevent fungal growth;
- Fire retardant - against the effects of fire (note that such compositions do not make wood non-combustible, they only reduce its flammability);
- hydrophobic - create a thin hydrophobic layer that does not allow moisture to pass through.
Primers are also classified according to their constituent components. Each of them has advantages and purposes:
- Alkyd primer for wood is one of the best options if the wood has not been previously treated. It is an easy way to get a perfectly flat, smooth, lint-free surface that is ready for almost any finish. You can also choose a pigmented primer, which creates a dense matte film on the surface. This is necessary if you want to enhance the topcoat that will be applied to the product. The drying time under normal conditions is 12 to 16 hours.
- Emulsion (acrylic) primer is the most universal. It can be used both on wooden surfaces and on any other surface. The advantage - almost complete absence of unpleasant odor, fast drying speed (from one to four hours), ability to easily dilute it with warm water. In addition, it is completely harmless to health, which makes it ideal for use on objects and surfaces located in living rooms.
- Shellac primer. It is intended primarily for smoothing the surface and isolating knots where resin protrudes. It can also be used as an insulator for soluble stains.
- Epoxy and polyurethane primers are, in most cases, finish paints diluted with a special solvent. Compositions and formulations can vary widely from manufacturer to manufacturer, so it is impossible to give precise application advice. In general, this is not the best option for priming wood.
- Pre-treatment with such materials will not only improve the future quality of the paint coating, but also extend the life of the tree. For the road you should buy compositions with deep penetrating properties on organic substances. Remember that such solutions are harmful, so you should take care of gloves, goggles, respirator, closed clothing and shoes.
Choosing paint materials for a wooden house
It is important to choose such materials that are designed for the road. In addition to protection from adverse environmental factors, such compositions also prevent the development of microorganisms.
Facade paints for wooden houses must meet the following requirements
- Resistance to atmospheric precipitation.
- Resistance to low and high temperatures and their variations.
- Color retention. It should not fade with time, burn out in direct sunlight.
- Resistance to abrasion.
- Resistance to mechanical and physical influences.
- Chemical inertness. The composition should not react with acids, alkalis.
- Plasticity. Wood can change its volume depending on humidity, temperature conditions. Therefore, the paint should be elastic. This will prevent it from cracking.
- Vapor permeability. This property ensures that moisture can escape from the inner layers of the walls, preventing rotting inside.
- Fire safety. The paint should not only protect the walls from burning, but also not be susceptible to ignition.
- Antistatic properties. Thanks to this property, the facade will be less polluted, since it will repel dust and small particles of dirt.
Types of facade paints
There are several types of house paints:
- Oil based. The most attractive in terms of price. Such paint completely overlaps the natural color and forms a thick film on the surface. It protects the wood from moisture. However, it should be noted that such a material does not last long. Under the influence of temperature fluctuations, the coating can begin to crack. It also fades quickly in the sun. The paint layer does not allow liquids to pass through - this is a plus, but at the same time it does not allow the wood to breathe. This leads to rotting. When using such compositions, it is necessary to wait about 10-12 hours for complete drying.
- Alkyd. Such paints harden faster than the previous type, but have a caustic smell. They reliably protect walls from moisture and temperature. However, this type of paint also fades in the sun and loses its shine over time. If you do not pay attention to the preparation, i.e. if you paint on wet wood, the paint layer begins to blister.
- Silicone. Perfect in conditions of high humidity. Coating the walls of the house is durable even when the composition is applied in one layer. The material is not afraid of chemicals, so the facade can be washed with almost any detergent. Its great advantage is that it does not burn or fade in direct sunlight. It has good resistance to abrasion and mechanical impact. This type of paint has only one disadvantage - high cost.
- Acrylic. Such paints are very popular for painting the facades of houses. They are characterised by high adhesion, form a vapour-permeable layer that protects the wood from the effects of liquids and the sun. At the same time, it allows the walls to breathe. The coating does not fade, bleach or rub off. The composition has no unpleasant odour and dries quickly.
- Water dispersions. Their peculiarity is that they are diluted to the desired consistency with water, not a solvent. The coating dries very quickly, the composition is easy to apply.
Technology of painting wooden houses
In todays article we will share with you the secrets of painting wooden houses. If you follow all these recommendations, your facade will not shine next year and will last for many years.
Stages of painting a wooden house
The work is carried out in several stages:
- Sanding.
- Dusting.
- Treatment.
- Painting.Sanding
The biggest mistake people make is that they dont sand the wood. They just buy paint, take a brush and dab paint on the walls.
This is drastically wrong. It is imperative that you sand the wood first. This will allow you to remove the top sunburned layer and open the pores.
The easiest way to sand the wood is to use a sander. It is recommended to buy a special attachment on Velcro, because the petal discs are not very suitable for this task. They leave grooves that affect the quality of the finish.
The delta sander can be used where the profiled timber is chamfered. It has the shape of an iron, which makes it convenient for chamfering. Also this tool is convenient for processing corners.
There is another variety of grinders - belt grinders. But they have a sufficiently large weight, so when performing work on a vertical surface after 5-10 minutes, the hands will get tired. It is reasonable to use them for grinding horizontal surfaces. That is, where the plane takes the load from the tool.
Surface Treatment
After the entire surface has been sanded and dusted and the pores have been opened, it is necessary to treat it with an antiseptic primer. It will protect the wood from fungus and mold, and also increase adhesion (the strength of adhesion of different materials to each other). Thanks to this, the paint will adhere better to the wooden facade.
If the antiseptic primer is water-based, the wood may become clammy. This is a natural phenomenon. If you want a perfectly smooth surface, you can sand with fine sandpaper.
Painting
If you want the paint to last, dont skimp on the paint. Dont buy 10-in-1 style paints from obscure manufacturers. Stick with products from proven and reliable brands.
Paints come in a variety of finishes, such as wood stains and topcoats. The former accentuates the texture of the wood, making the natural pattern lighter. Top coats completely hide the natural structure of the wood. They also last longer. If you are new to painting, it is better to give preference to covering compositions. They will hide the imperfections of poorly treated wood, dents and splits. Lacquer, on the other hand, will emphasize them.
Most manufacturers recommend in their instructions to apply the paint in 2 coats. All their recommendations should be followed. Note that 24 hours should elapse before applying the first and second coats.
There are no painting secrets
This completes the painting process. Remember that to get a beautiful facade it is important not only to apply paint evenly, but also to prepare the surface properly for the work to come. This is 90% of the success of the painting.
Who to contact to paint a wooden house
If you need to paint the exterior of your wooden home, its best to call in the experts. The best painting company in Sacramento is Nico Pro Construction. Call us now for professional advice or hire our craftsmen to paint the outside of your wooden house.
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