I've got a few questions in regards to a job I'll bid on tomorrow.
A customer asked me if I could paint his building. It has signs and 2 foot tall MDO cutout letters on it. The surface is that T-111(?) siding. It's been painted before, I'll be recoating in the same color. I've managed to get alot of experience painting BIG objects, plus I could use a bigger job right now, so I'm interested.
My questions are:
1, would it be easier to remove the letters and paint the wall behind them, or paint around the letters, then clean up the face of the letters by rolling on a coat of paint. They could use a coat anyway. Remember, it's that "ribbed" type of siding.
2, If I did remove the letters, would red Stabillo pencil act as a bleed-through with water based paint, thus allowing me to align the letters back up after removal? If I don't have a quick way to position the letters after the wall is painted, I think I'll stick with painting around them. I'm the one that made the letters some years back, I might even have a pounce pattern laying around, but it's a hassle climbing up and down the ladder all those times and pouncing. To further explain, I'm thinking of drawing little marks at the corners of the letters with a red pencil before they're removed. I have one pencil that's made for this job, but it might only work for oil based paint.
Thanks for any help.
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
Paint around them, then redo the text with a roller!
Posted by W. R. Pickett (Member # 3842) on :
Give your client the choice (and additional price) of refurbishing the letters or not. It would be a better job to remove them prior to painting the wall. but if the client is a cheapskate, you may have to "cut corners".
If you remove the letters, won't there be holes (or marks) in the wall for their re-placement?
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
rent an airless sprayer, move all the cars from 50 ft around where you will be painting. spray the t-111 and the letters. go back next day a with a 3-4" roller coat out the letters.
[ July 29, 2003, 02:34 PM: Message edited by: old paint ]
Posted by Glenn S. Harris (Member # 2190) on :
You could open a can of worms removing those letters. Of course perhaps you've got a good handle on what's involved.
Having lots of experience with painting and carpentry, I generally feel pretty confident in my ability to make a paint job look good regardless of surface.
When you get into removing and reinstalling exterior building components, you never REALLY know what kind of problems you may encounter.
As soon as you have to bust out the sawzall, you know your in trouble. (:
Posted by James Donahue (Member # 3624) on :
Thanks for the replies.
O.P. I already own an airless, it's one of the handiest things I've got. Certainly my first tool of choice, but this in the very heart of the mega-busy tourist area, on a corner no less, one side about 10 feet from the street. There's probably even traffic out at 3 am.
I'm planning to use a real deep nap roller, and put the paint to it.
I finally remembered what that pencil is called, I think it's called an "indellible"(sp?) pencil. I think it's used by billboard painters when the copy remains the same on a repaint.
Posted by James Donahue (Member # 3624) on :
I forgot to respond tp WR's question. The letters are screwed on with galvanized decking screws, and I don't know how easy/difficult it would be to find/align according to those little holes. But if I could find the holes, it would probably be as easy as painting around the letters.
Here's something I wanted to share, there might alot of folks that know it, but here it is: When I go to paint the trim, (1x4 nailed on), that is, the corner where the two meet, I'll use my "Speedy" method. You get a container to carry with you that's not as deep as the gallon can. Something about as deep as the bristles. (Don't do this to lettering or quality brushes.) Dip the brush into the paint, all the way to the bottom. gently touch the tip of the bristles on the bottom of the container, preferably with a somewhat sideways motion, so as to not jab or mash the tip to the bottom. Next, gently swirl the brush in a circular motion. This will open the hairs up, and fill them with the max amount of paint. Then, holding the container and brush near the surface, quickly pull the super loaded brush out and dab it in a line where you intend to paint. You're depositing all that "excess" paint where you'll be painting. As you make the last dab, pull the brush back and forth quickly through the dabs of paint.
Speed is the word, you go dat dat dat dat dat, vwoop vwoop. I can paint 3 feet of of lenght in the time most people paint 6 inches. Forget being polite and wiping the paint off the sides of the brush in a manner worthy of a TV commercial.
Posted by pierre (Member # 1462) on :
Most often the simplest answer is the correct one. Just ask Si.
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