Restoring Wood & Fixing Paint :: 3 Products to Help with These Projects

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Fall inevitably becomes a mad dance of DIY Projects.  Maybe it is something about impending cold and/or the approaching holiday season, but it just is, and it seems so, year after year.

As the gutters and downspouts are getting set to go on, finally, and as we are now up to about 85% of restoring all of the house’s wood siding, I had the opportunity to again work with some new products.

While each helps accomplish a specific task, I am not sure if any warrant their own Fall DIY project post. I mean – my house is, well, a little unusual. And all work, at times, seems only to fit into some bigger, ongoing … thing. Like some Perpetual State of During. But let’s stop and take a look at 3 (okay 2) products that really help when your restoring wood and fixing paint.

XIM Products – Peel Bond

Recommended by friend Chris Haught, the Blogging Painter, Peel Bond is a clear “high build” primer and bonder.

As their site says, and while you (read: I) might be eager to hope otherwise, Peel Bond (now owned by Rustoleum) does not actually penetrate into old paint nor will it reseal or re-bond peeling paint.  It however is possibly thicker than any primer you may have used.  Allowing for a high build (up to 20mils per coat), it is perfect for patches of paint affected by “alligatoring” or “pitting.”

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It was perfect for what I needed – a quick fix on the trim and paint behind the gutters that would soon be installed.  While this product is clear straight from the container, I had the fine folks at Budekes tint it white for me.

Abatron – Wood Restoration Products

Spotted at each of the past two Remodeling Show, and perhaps driven by friend Jason Whipple’s high regard for it, I finally broke down and purchased Abatron’s Wood Restoration Kit.  This kit includes parts A & B of their LiquidWood product as well as their WoodEpox product.  Both are epoxies.

I decided to put them to use in rebuilding a rotted wood window sill.  Instead of totally disassembling the window frame (as I have been known to do while restoring other wood windows), I decided instead to chisel out the bad wood and patch in a new piece of clear pine.

While the LiquidWood was not unlike other wood hardeners I have used, the WoodEpox was in fact a real delight to work with.  If the thought of working with an epoxy intimidates, trust me – this one couldn’t be easier.  By simply combining the two parts and kneading with gloved hands, it only takes about a minute before you have a nice “dough” to work with.

WoodEpox was surprisingly lightweight, and while it was not necessarily the easiest to spread, a wetted putty knife (supplied) took care of it.  Once sanded, primed and painted, it is hard to tell, I think, that there is even a patch.  A big thumbs up!  (Check ’em out @ http://www.abatron.com/.)

The Paint Brush Cover

While my wife is most definitely the painter in the family, I do on occasion break out a paint brush, and especially for these types of projects.  Enter: the Paint Brush Cover. Since the manufacturer was gracious enough to ship me a few, I figured I’d give it a try.

According to their site,  the Paint Brush Cover is meant to solve 3 problems.  1) When you have to stop painting for any reason, you have to a) wash the brush or b) wrap it in saran wrap or c) put it in a plastic ziplock bag.  2) The cardboard cover that a paint brush comes in has a tendency to rip & 3) Paint brushes are very difficult to store without ruining the shape of the brush.

My wife pretty much being a #1b up there. And maybe unrelated, but I can tell you I have tossed a few messy paint brushes thru the years. I blame some of that on method #1b, which simply shows the tool zero respect. And all and all, the Paint Brush Cover seems to make pretty darn good sense. So I was happy to give it a go. (And I was not compensated to say that.)

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And that’s more of the Fall DIY Projects I’ve been working around the house. I hope to jump back on soon with three products I have used through the years … and that I. plain. just. love.  Wish me luck, happy home improving and thanks. ~jb