How to Paint Old Wood so it Lasts

Back brush, back brush, back brush... We cannot emphasize this enough. There is much prep that goes into preparing old wood that has many layers of old paint on it, but once its prepared properly (which will be another post), how to actually paint it.

With the invention of the paint sprayer, created at affordable prices, many painters are opting to use these machines, because of how efficient they are. We are certainly not opposed to using a paint sprayer, however the process of painting old wood cannot end with simply spraying the wood with paint. A sprayer will save a painter time and energy to spray the paint on the wood, however, because of the nature of wood, the cracks, the imperfections and so forth, after a painter sprays the wood, we need to go behind the sprayer with a brush while the paint is still wet and brush with the grain the paint into the wood. This process is called back brushing.

If a painter only sprays the wood without back brushing it, the paint will sit on top of the imperfections, not being pushed into the cracks and gaps, and when weathered will begin to peel and flake much faster. It may look good in the immediate but it will not look good long term. What was already considered an expensive paint job now becomes very expensive when it need to be re done in 3-5 years opposed to 10-15 years. Back brushing is a large part in making the paint job last this long.

Next time you google, "looking for a painter near me" remember to make sure that painter knows best practices to make your paint job last!

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/fb1ad6_c4d1b086928947dcb6fcd5b73b496d58/720p/mp4/file.mp4

Preparing old cedar shakes on a historical home located in Converse Heights a historical area in Spartanburg, South Carolina.