Dannyboy0000  

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• Archived Blog Post

  Date / Time: 9/24/2009 1:58 PM UTC

  I told her "not to paint the vinyl coumns"!
  

  While erecting 2 front porches in Farmington, Connecticut this past month a customer insisted on painting the white vinyl columns green with a second rate latex paint. I tried to persuade her that it wasn’t a good idea due to possible adhesion problems. Or at least wait until they were installed.

  Sure enough the columns peeled and blistered as the construction continued. Now what an unsightly mess we had on our hands. The paint did not cure properly and now the columns need a lot of sanding to feather the damaged areas.

  These columns were 125 dollars each and trying to persuade a customer not to do something doesn’t always work in a contractors favor. Fortunate for myself I was not the painter on this job and was not liable for the damage.

  The painter prepared the columns with denatured alcohol which was recommended by the paint salesman. Whether this did more harm than good is the question. After inquiring about the proper application and methods to properly paint vinyl, it was suggested that a primer should have been used. It was also suggested that sanding the bad spots and repainting them would not do them any justice. In order for the columns to look mint, a power washing of all the paint would be necessary. A reapplication of a quality latex paint after the washing was the only way to make them look great.

  It was unfortunate to encounter this problem especially when it was evident even before it started. After spending thousands of dollars on materials and constructing the porches to the proper specs the whole way, the paint job is always a reflection of a contractors work.
  

  • Tags:
  • vinyl columns
  • adhesion
  • curing
  • don't paint
  • runs
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