Day 4 house painting

Cutting inThe new house is a project and a half. I knew when I bought it there were a few things to do, apart from painting the exterior which is a mammoth task in itself, but I was up for the challenge and raring to get into it. I started painting the exterior on Dec 29 2013. I don’t want to be painting in the sun, so do an hour or so each morning to the walls that are out of the direct sun. Today, day 4 of painting the exterior, I got a late start, around 10am. I wont do that again! I check emails first thing, do any work that can’t wait until later that day, then break out the brush or roller. Day1 and 2 was just cutting in north side lower level from garage to mid-house sliding doors. Day 3 and 4 rolling the primer/prep coat. I’m using a prep coat because I think the previous paint used is an enamel gloss (big no no), and because there are the typical render cracks on sections that haven’t been repainted (old paint would be a water based exterior acrylic). The primer/prep coat will give an excellent base and protection, any visible cracks were spot primed on Day 1 and 2, with the cutting in.

In the afternoon I made good use of the natural light in the second bathroom (skylight) and removed sealant and grout from around the bath that had separated from the tiles in a couple of spots. With a reasonable population of black ants around the place, any holes in grout or sealant (talking teeny weeny holes) becomes a gateway to ants, so repairing any holes has been a good way to fill an hour or so on a couple of days. Yesterday I regrouted a section in shower 1 upstairs as there were 2 or 3 entry points that I didnt realise were there until a couple of days ago. The holes were so tiny I thought the ants were disappearing “magically” until I got down on hands and knees and followed them – they just disappeared into tiny cracks less than 1mm wide! I doubt I’ve got all the holes plugged, but I have a fresh supply of grout and sealant at the ready. To regrout I scrape out as much of the old grout as possible, then apply the new superfine white grout. To reseal sealant sections I trim away the old with a box cutter, then lay a fresh bead of waterproof sealant. If any further cleaning up of old grout or sealant is required before applying the new, I use wet and dry sandpaper to remove any traces of the old stuff, for a perfectly clean, brand new look finish.