Background: This beautiful log home tucked in the hills in front of Emigrant Peak was originally oil stained, but was left untreated for decades leading to a thick water-damaged and porous layer on the outside of the logs. The homeowner had attempted to paint the home themselves to save some money. They didn't sand the substrate to remove the layer of decayed wood and flaky oil stain. They also didn't realize that a primer would be necessary to make the paint stick over the previously stained wood. When we first laid eyes on the home, they had already painted what they could reach which was about 2/3 of the home which had a sloppy and uneven coat of paint inadequately stuck to it. It was chipping and peeling badly due to the lack of surface preparation and primer underneath. 

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Process: The preparation on this job was critical. Typically, scraping just the peeling paint and priming those raw spots will produce long lasting results. This job was different because we knew the all paint likely wasn't stuck well due to a lack of prep. A simple scratch test of the adhesion between paint layers that we performed on each wall confirmed this unfortunate fact. In order to remove all of the paint so we could start fresh, we used orbital power sanders on every square inch of the exterior. This was not only remove all the badly adhered paint, but to create a smooth but grippy surface for our primer coat to stick to. We masked off everything that wasn't being painted and then used airless sprayers to apply primer onto the freshly prepped surface. After applying it with a sprayer, we immediately used brushes to work the primer into all the cracks and pores of the wood. We then went over the primer after it was dry with two fresh coats of paint. It took our crew almost three times as long to complete the surface preparation on this project as it did to finish painting it. In the end, it was well worth it because we can be sure that this masterpiece of a home will remain protected from the harsh elements for years to come.