Painting Outdoor Circuit Breaker Panels & Meter Boxes

Q: I would like to paint the outside of my circuit breaker panel and the box that is holds my electrical meter.

A: You are not impressed with the standard electrical panel grey color? I don’t understand why! You own the load center (circuit breaker panel) so you can paint it what-ever color you want. As far as the meter box is concerned, in some jurisdictions you own the meter box; in others the meter box is deemed to be the property of your electrical utility. I would call them and ask, before I painted it. I wouldn’t paint any part of the meter itself as it is definitely the property of the utility.

Do not paint the inside of the box and ensure that the paint does not freeze up the hinges or latching mechanism of the cover. I would apply some Vaseline or mask the heads of the panel screws and the key lock (if your load center has one), before I painted. You don’t want to be fighting with screws or locks that have paint covering them if you ever have to gain entry to the load center in order to perform maintenance.

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Painting Concrete Porch‏

Q: I would like to paint my front porch which is concrete and wondered if I need a certain kind of paint to stick and stay on the concrete.

A: Most paint companies have a "Porch and Floor" paint that is made for concrete. Make sure you follow the surface prep instructions.

Asbestos Siding Repair

Q: I'm considering buying a home with asbestos siding. I have been told that I can remove it myself if I keep it wet, take my time, and don't break it as I remove it. But I have also been told that I can leave it and it won't be harmful as long as it's not disturbed. I was told I can paint it or I could side over it. I'd rather not have to remove it, and initially I'd like to just paint it until I decide what to do long-term. Is it true that I can just paint it and it won't be a health issue? A few of the pieces are already chipped--the house was probably built around 1912--but all the chipping looks to have happened quite a while ago.

A: This type of siding, also called "transite" or "asbestos slate" was pretty popular in the 1940's and 1950's. Someone probably put in on the house then as an attempt to make the house more maintenance free. I really like this siding because paint lasts a long time on it, and it is somewhat fire resistant. Some manufacturers are making fiber cement panels in matching profiles so people can use the new stuff to patch the old.

Back in 1994, when I bought my first house with this type of siding, I was told that I could remove it myself, but my local laws have changed, and now I would have to hire a licensed abatement contractor to remove it.

The stuff is really, really brittle. You will never, ever, get more than a couple of pieces off the house without breaking them.

A very important consideration is disposal - even if you are allowed to remove the siding yourself, very few dumps will accept asbestos.

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Right Ladder For Exterior Painting

Q: I'm considering painting my house. Probably not until spring but I like to plan ahead. So I'm wondering about the best type of ladder to get.

What looks most stable to me are the ladders whose feet spread out rather than the straight up and down ones. What do you think?

My house is about 20 feet high. Is there an easy way to more accurately judge the height of the house without being able to get up there? I'll need to know what height ladder to get.

Also, I presume the best way to clean my aluminum siding in preparation for painting is to power wash it but isn't that dangerous, handling pressure at the top of a ladder? Is there a better way?

A: You shouldn't need to be that accurate with the height. 10' per story should take you to the gutters. If the house is 20' you will need a 24' ladder or more. The wider the feet the more stability. You can rent a good ladder rather than buying something flimsy!!

Scaffolding is great if there is a lot of work in spots, however if it is just to paint around windows you will spend 90% of your time putting up and taking down the scaffolding.

I would not use a power washer while standing on a ladder. A decent power washer should hit a 20' height from the ground - otherwise use the scaffolding.

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Paintbrush Or Roller

Q: I've been told I should use a brush to apply the Benjamin Moore siding and deck stain to my cedar fence because you use less paint and somehow it's better for the fence.

A: The motion of the brush usually forces the paint/stain into the pores and cracks of the wood better than a roller, which has a tendency to have the paint, sit on top of the pores and cracks. However, in my experience you use more paint with a brush (usually because you put the paint on thicker) than with a roller.

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Cracks In Newly Painted / Patched Walls?‏

Q. Last June, we patched and painted every crack in the walls of our 100yr old apt.

Now I have two questions:

1. There are tiny, almost feathery looking cracks appearing on several of the walls. They are very shallow and fairly uniform (i.e. everywhere). What might have caused this and is there any cure?

2. Several large cracks have appeared on the walls that don't have the problem I listed above. I assume if we patch and paint again we'll have the same problem. Any ideas on how to get a longer lasting solutions?

A. The feathery looking cracks sound like a paint compatibility problem - undercoat/primer versus finished coat - from your description it sounds as if the paint is cracking not the wall.

Large cracks sounds like a settling problem - foundation problems in a 100 year old apt. The answer to your question is - YES , if you patch and paint you will most likely have the problem repeat itself.

Q. If I've got a paint compatibility problem (the feathery cracks), what do I do to fix it? Paint again?

Also, what, other than patching and painting the walls with the big cracks, can I do? Does skim coating take care of this? Other ideas?

A. It may be possible to correct cracking if it is confined to small areas by removing the loose or flaking paint with a scraper or wire brush, sanding to feather the edges, priming any bare spots and repainting.

If the cracking involves large areas or the entire surface, remove all of the paint by scraping, sanding and/or use of a heat gun or power washer.

Then, prime with a quality primer and repaint with a quality latex house paint.

I would also recommend that you go talk to a paint expert - Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams paint store - not a big box like Home Depot or Lowes and ask for their advise.

I am sorry to say that with the big cracks, you have to fix the problem, and if it is the foundation it is a major exercise.

A building only has to shift 1/32 of an inch to produce cracks. The only way to "possibly" stop the appearance of the cracking would be to put a layer of thin drywall over the wall. Drywall will stand-up better to shifting than plaster.

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Painting Up To A Popcorn Ceiling

Q. I am going to paint some walls in my house and we have popcorn
ceilings (which I hate). What is the best way to not get pain on the
ceiling around the edges? I can't tape..can I?

A. Taping the a popcorn ceiling is difficult, the paint will usually get behind the tape, because you cannot get a tight seal.

Use a 12" wide, plastic drywall knife held in the angle of the ceiling where it meets the wall, hold it at about a 30 degree angle and using a paint brush, paint the wall. The drywall knife will keep the paint from touching the ceiling.

Make sure you wipe the edge of the knife often, as paint will build up there and will run to the ceiling side of the knife.

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Best Season To Paint

Q: My friend says that the best time to paint outside is in the spring or autumn when the paint or deck stain has more time to soak in because these are cooler months. Also the surface won't dry first like in the summer.

I always paint before the sun comes around but of course it heats up the surfaces when it hits. I think it's better to paint when it will get hot so the paint will get less dirt on it and the dries fast. Can you settle this disagreement. Does it matter which season you paint outside in?

A: Fall is the best time to paint, followed by Spring. The reason is not heat as much as it is humidity. Wood becomes saturated with moisture in the summer and when you paint you trap the moisture in the wood, this has the potential of causing rot.

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Painting Door Casings & Trim

Q: We did bathroom renovation, built new baseboards but kept trim and casings. I sanded, primed and painted the trim and casings. The paint started bubbling up and peeling! I can see old varnish that adhered to the paint and pulled away. Not enough sanding apparently! Should I strip everything and start over or sand up to the large spots that seem to have adhered well?

A: If the bad spots are less than a third of the surface I would try to just sand the bad spots, however if it is any more than that I would sand it all down to the bare wood. It may be difficult to get the surface to match in paint thickness on the areas that you sand versus the ones you don't. You will have to feather the areas that are in good shape to try and get an even paint surface.

Choosing a Paintbrush

Choosing A Paintbrush.

In order to choose the correct paintbrush there are three items to consider.

• The type of paint – oil or water based.


• The surface texture being painted – rough or smooth.


• The size of the area.

Follow the link for more information.

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