Novice painting outside step - photo included

[TheSalad]

Hi All - looking for some advice please on how to bring our back step back to life to repair and restore. I am a complete novice so some exact instructions would be appreciated including the type of paint to use.

Should be a dry weekend coming up so hoping to tackle it then.

Many Many thanks.
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[opps]

Hi

Sand back the flaking paint with 80 grit aluminium oxide sandpaper, then use 180 grit (aluminium oxide or silicon carbide) to feather off the paint. Use the 180 over the rest of the step to provide a key.

Vacuum and dust the step, it might be worth while dusting any dirt from the undersides of the door as well, lest it falls onto the painted surface later.

I would recommend the 3 stage Dulux Trade Weathersheild paint system- a blue preservative followed by 2 undercoats and one or two coats of gloss. However if you are only painting the step on its own then the costs of the paint will be prohibitive.

If you dont want the expense of the above then scrounge some oil based primer and paint the bare wood. Then apply two coats of oil based undercoat. Sand lightly with the 180 grit to reduce tramlines (brush marks), dust and hoover again, finish off with one or two coats ofoilbased gloss.

Try not to walk on the step for a week or two.

Good luck

 

[Nige F]

If it`s a Hardwood - strip it right off and oil it

 

[TheSalad]

Primer would not dry this weekend and remained tacky. Is it because of the heat?

 

[JohnD]

What sort of primer did you use? How many coats? How thick? Did you stir it? Did you thin it?

How did you prepare the step before painting?

How old is the house?

 

[TheSalad]

We're using International Undercost and Primer.

I had sanded down the step removing all the flaking paint, so some of the step was covered in sanded down old paint and the other half was down to the wood. Is this ok, just it is a nightmare to sand it all down to the wood.

Hmm . . I may have used too much undercoat/primer.

 

[JohnD]

if you put in on too thick, it will take a long time to set and will always be rather soft (not good, for a step). You might find you can mark it with your thumbnail in a week, a month, a year.

Two thin coats are always better than one thin one.

I wondered how old the house is, in case the step formerly had linseed oil paint.

If you think you have to scrape it off, the sooner the better. Clean up with White Spirit and sand again when it is fully dry.

BTW my personal preference for an outdoor step is to treat the bare wood with Cupinol Clear against rot or woodworm. In this hot weather it will dry quite quickly so you can paint over it.