Best Filler & Paint For Exterior Woodwork ?

[WhiteVanJack]

Hi,

Can anyone please recommend what they consider to be the best filler for exterior woodwork before priming and painting?

I need to repair or replace some soffits and fascias which look in reasonable condition from ground level, however, I will have a better idea when the scaffolding is up whether its repair or replace but if its repair then I would like to know the best filler to use. I think that I read somewhere on the forum that car body filler is good for this type of work so any recommendations for a product would be most appreciated.

Also, could anyone recommend a good make of paint for wooden soffits and fascias such as Dulux Trade Gloss or is a matt or vinyl silk paint better?

Finally, am I correct in assuming that a lighter colour paint such as white is more resistant to weathering as it reflects more heat than a darker colour such as black?




Rgds
Jack

 

[opps]

hi jack

I use bucket loads of epoxy resin filler (car filler). it does have some disadvantages though. If the wood is damp then in time there is the risk of the wood rejecting it, ie. pushing it out. It isn't the easiest to sand. i have lots of very nice Festool sanders so this is not an issue for me. The worst fillers to use are the powder type fillers. The filler also slumps quite a bit so more than one fill might be required.

I find that if I have a window sill with lots of hairline cracks I am better off building up the whole sill by 1 mm or so, otherwise the filler is pushed out of the cracks as the wood expands

Dulux Weathershield make a good filler, it allows some movement. It is not cheap though, a similar type of filler is Red Devil OneTime. Takes a while to dry though and is not very hard.

I only recommend the Gloss Dulux Trade Weathershield (avoid the retail range- if it doesn't say trade then it is retail). again not cheap but it does last. Not easy to work with- dries a little too fast so I add Owatrol to it to make it more "workable". it does have the advantage of being microporous and full of toxins to kill green stuff

Gloss paints will be better suited to standing up to our weather.

With regard to colours I am not sure. wood is not a good conductor of heat, neither is paint so I don't know if dark equals bad is a myth or not.

Steer clear of waterbased exterior wood paints- they are crap.

Hope this helps

 

[WhiteVanJack]

opps,

Many thanks for your reply, it is very helpful.

Are the products you mentioned such as Red Devil OneTime and Owatrol readily available or would I need to order them through my local builders merchants?

The Gloss dulux Trade Weathershield sounds like a good option for painting the fascias and soffits and other exterior woodwork.

Lastly, I have seen Festool sanders mentioned a few times on the forum. I assume they are not cheap but are a high quality sander. I am not sure if I can justify the outlay for what is a one off project for repairs and renovations to the outside of my house even though I have a hankering for quality products.

Thx once again, most appreciated.


Rgds
Jack

 

[opps]

Hi Jack

festool are one of the best out there but you pay a premium for their tools, all of the sanders are designed to be connected to their dust extractors (ie. vacuums).

A delta sander will cost about £180 and a 150mm random orbital about £440. You then need to add the cost of a dust extractor.

There are a limited number of places that will hire them out. If you were in North/West London you could use Ryefield DIY aka Aces Fixings

http://www.fixings-diy.co.uk/

When I first started out I used a Numatic dust extractor (with a relay so that it starts running when you turn the sander on), about £120 retail. These can be hired almost anywhere.

Sanding with dust extraction means more than just a clean working environment. It helps to prevent the paper clogging and the paint/filler overheating.

If you can only justify a lower end sander then go for a (round plate)random orbital rather than a (rectangular) orbital. It is a better all round tool, faster stock removal.

http://www.google.co.uk/products?rl...esult_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CDsQrQQwAA

Please note that all green Bosch tools are DIY rated- regardless of cost- the blue range is pro.


The resin filler is often cheaper in proper car paint shops (not halfords).

80% of my suppliers sell OneTime filler (about £20ish) and about 40% sell owatrol (about £18 but goes far, more than enough for the whole job).

There are a number of other fillers that are similar to OneTime- I prefer it as it tends not to overheat as much when machine sanding.

I would recommend using spare pots/plastic kettles with the oil based weathershield as it will skin on hot days.

Use old milk cartoons for the weathershield blue primer, never pour it back into the tin. It is a blue liquid and can be messy. You can overpaint in under two hours or you need to wait till the next day. I prefer to wait till the next day as it make the undercoat turn light blue sometimes.

I use one primer, two undercoats and two top coats on new wood. most people only use 1 top coat but i prefer the extra depth of body.

good luck