AY Honors/House Painting, Exterior/Answer Key
1. Know and explain the difference in composition of exterior paints versus interior paints.
Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Vocational/ExteriorInteriorPaint
2. Tell how to prepare the outside of a house for painting by doing such items as preparation for new and old work, paint removal, priming, puttying, finishing, etc.
Preparing the house for repainting, if done properly, almost always takes longer than the painting itself. It is also the most crucial step in the entire job, as it is the foundation upon which the rest of the work relies.
Inspection & Repair
Begin by making a careful inspection of the entire house. Look for cracked or rotted boards. Severely cracked or rotten boards will need to be replaced, and this may require that you get a building permit (check with local authorities). You cannot simply caulk over rotten wood, as this does nothing to stop the process of decomposition. Soon after you caulk and paint over rotted wood, you will find that even more has rotted, and you will have an even bigger job to do.
Check around the edges of the roof for flashing. All the facia should be covered with metal flashing to protect the wood from weather. Doors and windows should also have drip edging to direct the water away from the openings and to the outside of the house's siding.
Cleaning
Once repairs have been made, the surfaces to be painted should be thoroughly cleaned. A pressure washer can do this effectively. Painting over dirt or algae growths is always a bad idea, as when the dirt flakes away, the paint will go with it and the house will be exposed to the elements. Do not rely on paint to cover the dirt and expect the paint to hold the dirt in place. It must be removed.
Scraping and Sanding
After the exterior has been cleaned, it is time to begin removing the old paint. Paint that is well-adhered to the surface need not be removed, but all flaking paint must be. Paint should be scraped off with a scraper. In places where some paint is scraped off but other paint is well-adhered, the intersection between painted and unpainted should be sanded to make a smooth transition. Edges in the paint will cause the paint to drip there.
Caulking
In places where the wood has been lightly cracked, it is appropriate to fill in the cracks with caulking. Be sure to select a caulk that can be painted (not all of them can be - some repel paint). Smooth the caulk with a putty knife, allow it to dry, and then sand it down. Also caulk around windows, doors, electrical entrances, vents, water faucets, etc.
Painting
After all that has been done, you are finally ready to paint. If using a can of paint, pry the lid from the can with a common screw driver or with a tool designed for this purpose. Some painters like to make a hole in the rim of the can so that paint can drip out of the rim and into the can. This hole will be completely covered by the lid when it is replaced.
When replacing the lid, be sure to wipe all the paint from the rim of the can. Place the lid on the rim, and then lightly tap around the edges to seal it. If the rim was insufficiently cleaned, paint will splatter all over the place, so it is important to do that job carefully.
If using a brush, dip the tip of the brush into the paint no more than an inch or so. Wipe the paint from one side of the brush onto the inner side of the can's rim. Then raise it to the surface to be painted and brush it on with a smooth horizontal motion.
Don't completely empty the brush before refilling it with paint. It takes a lot longer to paint a house with a brush that is empty most of the time.
3. List ten proper color schemes for house painting (if possible, use color charts from a paint shop in making the display).
4. Tell how to prepare and paint metal properly.
5. Name at least three paint thinners and give their specific uses.
6. Show ability to properly use brush, roller, and spray equipment in outside work.
7. Paint the outside of a house with at least four rooms (if possible, make this a group project for a special-needs person in the church or community).
Historical Notes
Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Painting/History
