How to fix small cracks in plaster walls: tips on Plastering and Painting

Repairing Gib Board Walls

In my previous blogs I’ve given a few tips on painting and decorating. But before you paint a room, you better make sure the walls are in good condition. Paint won’t hide any cracks or dips and dents; on the contrary, paint is far more likely to highlight any flaws.

To clarify, in this blog I’m talking about repairing walls lined with Gib board. Normally these walls have timber frames. These are the most common interior walls found in New Zealand houses.

Plaster walls usually have cracks due to the house "settling" in its foundation, or are damaged where furniture or doors have struck the plaster. At first, repairing plaster damage seems like a daunting task. But take your time to plaster and paint properly, and you will get solid, long-lasting results. If it still seems a bit daunting after reading the below, call me at Banks Building Maintenance.

Fixing small cracks in a plaster wall

Note that in today’s blog I will focus on fixing small cracks in a plaster wall. For large cracks which run through the entire Gib board (so the board is basically cracked right through, this usually happens where boards are joined) a more extensive repair is required. I’ll write more on fixing larger cracks and holes in another blog. Can’t wait? Call me for a quote to plaster and paint it for you.

Tip: Safety first, so make sure you are wearing a dust mask, eye protection and work gloves. Keep the area where you are working well ventilated. If you are repairing a larger crack, you might also want to move furniture away and put down drop-sheets to protect from dust.

Before you start your plaster and painting project, clean the area with Sugar Soap. This will take all the fat and grease of the wall, which will help the repair products stick a lot better. Selleys sells a great product for this purpose, called Selleys Liquid Sugar Soap. Wait for wall to dry thoroughly. 

First make sure the crack is dry. Then clean the crack, using a scraper to rake out any loose material. Remove dust from around the crack, you can use a vacuum cleaner for this. Loose dust can prevent your new plaster or filler from bonding with the existing plaster.

Ideally the crack is at least 1-2mm wide, which helps to make sure that the filler gets into the crack. With a very fine crack, open it a bit further if necessary, using a utility knife.    

Using a putty knife, fill the crack slowly with filler. Rigid fillers are designed for filling gaps, cracks or holes in a solid surface where a smooth and even finish is required, for example repairing walls and ceilings.

Selleys sells a good product which you can use for this: Selleys Spakfilla Squeeze & Scrape. Make sure that the product gets into the crack. You will only need to use one application.

Wait 30 minutes for the filler to dry (or longer, if the crack is deeper than 2mm), and then sand the area until it is smooth and level. 

Clean any dust or filler particles away, and then you’re ready to paint. If you’re using water-based paints, you can apply the paint straight away. If you are using oil-based paints you should wait for 24 hours before painting.

Tip to achieve a high quality finish: After repairing the cracks, apply sealer/primer before painting your 2 topcoats of coloured paint. You can use a product like Resene Broadwall 3 in 1 or Resene Broadwall Surface Prep& Seal. These products are easy to sand and help to smooth any minor surface irregularities. This will help you to achieve a professional looking finish. 

Lack the time to repair your walls? Call Banks Building Maintenance.

If the job is too large for you to fix, or you simply lack the time, please give Banks Building Maintenance a call to help you with your plastering and painting project.

Cheers,  Andre

#12 on 101 tips on house painting and decorating

Exterior house painting

A new coat of paint tells the world that your house is new and valuable. Exterior house painting will improve how your house looks and at the same time it will help to protect your house from the weather. In Auckland, with plenty of water coming down from the sky and with the harsh sunlight, maintaining a solid paint job is important to keep your house in good condition.

Painting the outside of your house is definitely something you can do yourself. You’ll need materials and tools, paint, a bit of elbow grease and of course some knowledge on how to do a great job. I’ve given some info on painting in my previous blogs, and in today’s blog I’d like to give you a few tips on painting tools.

However, first of all, painting your house is not a small task, and if it seems all a bit too daunting, or if you simply don’t have the time, don’t hesitate to give Banks Building a call for a free quote on exterior painting.  

 

Buy the best painting tools you can afford. 

If you have to spend a few dollars more for top quality, it will be worth it in the long run. Quality brushes and rollers make any painting task go more easily and quickly, and will give better results. When well looked after and thoroughly cleaned after each job, good tools will last for many years of home maintenance.

 

What kind of tool to use. 

On flat surfaces using a roller will go a lot faster than using a brush. Most painters use brushes for trim work and around windows and doors, then turn to rollers to fill in the big blank spaces. If the cladding is very smooth, or if you are painting weatherboards, you might want to look into using paint pads, especially 100mm or 180mm sizes, as an alternative to rollers or brushes. 

 

Choosing a roller. 

All rollers they are fiber-covered or urethane-foam-covered cylinders, which soak up paint from a tray and then release it when rolled over a flat surface. The rolling action creates a vacuum that pulls the paint off the roller. Roller covers can be made from different materials, for example wool, acetate or polyurethane foam. The label on the roller will tell you the kind of paint you can best apply with it.

The label on the roller will often also tell you the length of the roller cover's nap, or pile. For rough surfaces, use the long naps; choose short ones for smooth surfaces.

Paint trays are made of aluminium or plastic and come in different sizes. Choose the size that fits the roller you will use. Some trays come with hooks that allow you to attach them directly to a ladder.

What to look for when buying a brush. 

With few exceptions, there are two kinds of paint brushes: 

• Natural bristle brushes, made of animal hair;
• Synthetic bristle brushes, usually made of nylon.

Previously the naturals were considered the best, but today the synthetics are every bit as good.

Tip: Use a synthetic brush when applying waterbase latex paints, because water makes natural bristles limp and more difficult to paint with.

Here are a few tips on how to distinguish between a good brush and a bad one by examining them closely at the store: 

• Spread the bristles and inspect the tips. The more split ends, the better the brush and its paint-spreading capabilities.
• Tap the brush on the edge of a counter; a good brush may lose a few bristles, but a bad one will lose many. 
• Find a brush with long, tapered bristles, especially on narrow brushes. As a general rule, the length of the bristles should be about one-and-a-half times as long as the width of the brush (the exception is with wider brushes, often called wall brushes). Longer bristles will make it easier to paint into corners and around trim. 
• Finally, choose smooth, well-shaped handles that fit in your hand comfortably.

 

Look after your painting tools, as this will increase the life of them. 

Clean brushes and rollers after you finished painting. Use turpentine if you’ve been working with solvent-based paints, use water if you’ve been using water-based paints.

Brushes

• Work the brushes in the turpentine cleaner or water until all the paint has come off. 
• Make sure you get all the paint out of the metal plate that holds the bristles in place. 
• Always store brushes flat or hanging up. Don’t store them in a jar standing on the bristles.

Rollers  

• Rinse rollers under running water or remove the paint by working turpentine through the nap. Then wash in warm soapy water and rinse well.
• Rollers should be set on end or hung up to dry. If you stand the rollers on the nap, the nap will be flattened and will not work well next time when you are painting.

Started your project, but no time to finish it? Give Banks Building a call to get the job done! We've got some great house painters on the books.

Happy painting!
Cheers, Andre

DIY: How to fix wood rot in 6 easy steps

Wood, especially if it's untreated, can easily start to rot once it comes in contact with moisture – and we have generally plenty of water coming down from the sky here in Auckland. Wood rot usually starts when water gets into cracks or when water penetrates a wood finish and can’t dry out.

  

My customers often think that rotted wood in and around the house is beyond repair, but this is usually not the case. You will have to consult an expert like Banks Building for structural rot, but small areas you could tackle yourself if you’re game. Get yourself a bit of epoxy , woodhardener and know-how, and fix those rotted areas of wood on decks, architraves, doorway and window frames in your house. 

Let me provide you with a bit of know-how, so you can give it a go. 

First of all you’ll need some advice on how to diagnose wood rot. Test the wood by tapping it with a blunt knife. If it feels very soft or crumbles, it's rotted. Now, as long as the area of rot is less than fifty percent of the total area of the wood, follow these steps to fix the problem:

1.       Before you start please:

a.       Read all warning labels

b.      Make sure you wear protective gear:  goggles, gloves, a dust mask and any other recommended protective equipment.

2.       Use a screwdriver (flat head is best) and chisel to remove all rotted wood. This part is relatively easy, as the rotted wood will crumble into pieces. Don’t worry too much about carving and digging out every last bit of rot. The liquid epoxy will soak into areas that can be saved.

3.       Drill small holes (a honeycomb pattern works best) at an angle to help the epoxy penetrate throughout the decayed area.

4.       Apply a liberal amount of wood hardener onto the area using a disposable brush or spray bottle. Let the hardener saturate and allow to cure/dry.

5.       Mix the two-part epoxy on a piece of scrap wood and apply into the areas you’ve cleaned the rot out.

Tip: Epoxy dries very fast and is very hard to remove- great points, except when it comes to you and your tools! Apply and fill quickly and clean up as you go along.

6.       Let dry and sand the area to match the shape of the original wood. You can also use a rasp, when you need to remove quite a bit of the dried filler to match the original shape. Rasps come in a wide variety of shapes for flat and contoured surfaces.

You can cut, shape, smooth and drill into cured epoxy just as you can with wood.

If you feel a bit daunted by the above, or if you have to deal with rot in structural parts of your house, please give Banks Building Maintenance a call to get a free quote on fixing any wood rot issues.

Last but not least, you'll also want to preserve your wood to prevent future damage. We at Banks Building Maintenance are happy to give you a hand with that, but there might be some things you could do yourself as well. Here are a few tips: 

• Use treated timber for decks and other outdoor structures. Never allow untreated lumber posts or lumber to rest directly on concrete.
•  Waterproof and seal any natural wood that might be exposed to moisture. 
•  Regularly inspect your house for peeling paint or other paint failures, especially near joints. This is where water might start to seep in. Have a close look at window frames and window sills, wooden architraves and door frames. Repair rot as soon as it starts appearing to help prevent further damage. 
•  Seal large cracks and gaps with a product like Selleys No More Gaps. If you are working on the outside of your house, make sure you use products which state that they are suitable for outdoor use. You might also want to check if they are paintable (for example, silicone is not paintable), otherwise the end result might look a bit shabby. If possible, use screws to close any open miter/corner joints. 
•  Sand any bare wood and apply wood preservative before you apply a primer. Seal joints with No More Gaps after priming and before the top coating.

Cheers, Andre

Help, my roof is leaking!

Help, my roof is leaking!

On average Auckland receives 1240mm of rain each year and Auckland weather can turn from brilliant sunshine to showers within minutes. Inside your home you’d like to stay warm and dry, but what do you do if you suddenly find that your house is leaking? The torrential rainfall of the last few days brought in a flood of calls about leaky roofs and windows. 

A leaking house can be quite a frightening thing. The main problem with water leaks is that you rarely know of the damage until it’s too late and timber has started to rot. So, what can you do if you find that you have a leaky roof? Well, the first thing to do is to get as many buckets and bowls as possible to catch the falling water. It’s likely that there more water than you can see, and the occasional small drop might well turn into a huge puddle. 

The second thing to do is to try and get in touch with someone who can help you fix the leak problem. You might want to call Banks Building Maintenance. Try to get water leaks repaired as soon as problems become apparent. This will help prevent further damage, and help minimise additional repair costs as a result.

It is important that the source of any leak is identified and dealt with. This may take several attempts, even when you have an expert from Banks BuildingMaintenance look at it, as it is not always immediately clear where the source of the leak is located. Water travels in funny ways, and a small damp area of carpet on one side of the room might initially be the only visible sign of what later turns out to be a major problem in another part of the house.

If the leak is an isolated loose flashing, a small leak in the roof, or a broken gutter, then this can easily be fixed.  However, if the leak is due to an issue that is repeated around the house, such as a lack of window flashings, or is caused by lack of regular roof maintenance, storm damage or general wear and tear then the problem is likely to be much wider. If the problem has been happening over some time we might need to remove and replace all the timber and other materials affected by mould and rot. 

When you are looking at getting a roofing company to price your roof repair or roof restauration, please make sure you get references and testimonials. The same of course goes for any other leak repairs. And make sure that one of your quotes comes from us here at Banks Building Maintenance :)

Cheers, Andre

# 9 of 101 tips on house painting and building maintenance - temporary leak repairs

Sometimes you are just too busy to get that leak fixed
so in this case I will recommend a quick temporary repair.(just this once)
Here are a few quick building maintenance tips that will get the leak repaired until a professional building maintenance contractor or house painter can sort out the problem.

Silicone.
Uses- any dry solid surface, gaps and cracks up to 15mm
Choose a paintable product such as MS(modified sealant) Fix All or Blockade,
There is nothing worse than having to remove silicone residue for your house painting to be effective.
Mask the area first so you don't make a mess and have some turps and a rag handy.

Builders Foam
Uses - pipe penetrations and any gap over 10mm wide
Any brand will do, just get a small can as it does not keep well.
Once you have used the product don't touch it again untill it is hard ( 2 hours ) Then trim with a box cutter knife.
You can apply a layer of paintable silicone if you like or just paint over directly during your next house painting schedule, as it is waterproof and stable.

Plumbers Tape
Uses - roofs and gutters, clean and dry surfaces
If you get through this list and haven't solved your problem then call your house painting or building maintenance professional.
Happy home maintenance
Andre

# 8 of 101 tips on house painting and building maintenance - corrugated iron Roof repairs

The trusty old corrugated iron roof is synonymous with New Zealand architecture and of course they aren't all made equal. Along with the various gauges (or thicknesses) there are quite a few options in materials, coatings and colours. Like house painting do your research

Now by now you know I'm going to say -  buy quality.

In my experience its not worth going a mid priced job, you either do the whole job properly using quality long lasting products or you get your building maintenance company to perform roof repairs or house painters to sort out your roof.

A good  roof painting job will give you 10-20 years extra life where a re roof using at thick gauge galvanised steel, will give you at least 50 years if not more depending on the material used and how well the building maintenance is carried out.

The below list covers some of the corrugated roof range in New Zealand

Corrugated galvanized steel.
The original product  was wrought iron– sheet steel  zinc coated, then roll formed into corrugated sheets. This product is still commonly used today in New Zealand. Modern architecture and "green" thinking has made these products popular again.

Zincalume and Galvalume

A blend of zinc, aluminium and silicon-coated steel,  Sometimes left in the raw zinc finish, but more widely used as a base metal under factory coated colors and sold as Colour steel. No house painting required

Metal tile sheets.
These are usually painted or stone-coated steel. Previously sold under the name Decromastic

Stainless steel.

Available for harsh conditions and/or as a distinctive design element. Usually roll-formed into standing seam profiles; however, shingles are available.

Aluminum.
One of the longest-lasting metals, but somewhat expensive compared to steel products. Aluminum roofs are very lightweight, corrosion-resistant, have high natural reflectivity and even higher natural emissivity, increasing a building's energy efficiency. Aluminum products with Kynar paints easily last over 50 years. The newest innovation is anodizing of the aluminium coil stock for use in architectural details and standing seam panels. The anodized layer is intimately bonded the metal and is not normally subject to weathering and wear.

Copper.

Expensive for a roofing material. Usually used for flashing or smaller, highly detailed areas such as entrances of historical buildings and churches.

Stone coated steel.
Panels made from zinc/aluminium-coated steel with acrylic gel coating. The stones are a natural product with a colored ceramic coating.

Inverted Box Rib, Trapezoidal or IRB.

A low-cost corrugated square-fluted iron roofing material used mainly in the commercial market. It can be commonly found on anything from industrial sites to low pitched roofs.

In Short

A metal roof graded "AG" or "Utility" will need re coating (roof painting)once the factory finish wears off, or corrosion will occur. These paints are commonly acrylic or polyester based. Roof coatings are the preferred material since they are able to stay elastic and withstand the thermal cycling that occurs in metal roofs.

Roofing materials made from stainless steel, zinc or copper will rarely require maintenance over their lifetime. Any required maintenance is usually due to design or installation mistakes. Otherwise, these materials commonly last over a century.

Metal roofing with long life polymer coatings like Kynar should not normally require maintenance until the coating fails. These products have been used for over half a century now in the U.S. and few installations have failed. They should be considered lifetime products.

( Note some excerpts from Wikipedia)

Andre

#7 of the 101 best House Painting and Building Maintenance tips - Steel Fastners

The lesson to be learned today is that quality is not too expensive, especially in my game of Building Maintenance, House painting and roof repairs.

All too often we see cheap and inferior building practices and materials with a planned obsolescence designed into them.
This is, of course, so more products and services can be sold to you when replacement time comes up.
Often we find good quality products will only cost 30 % more but last 200-300% longer.

Using Quality Steel materials such as nails, screws, hinges, flashings etc is as important as the quality of the house painting and roof repairs

However  deciding on "the correct materials" is not so easy, for instance stainless steel is not necessarily stain-less and comes in various grades depending on the recipe of the product.

In many instances hot dipped galvanised bolts, nuts and screws will last just as long as lower grade stainless steel when kept dry and painted, also the galvanised steel is 'softer', more flexible so performs better in areas of large temperature differences.

I have made a list below of a few facts to help you with your decision making when tackling building maintenance and roof repairs.

Make sure you use the same type of metal fasteners as the metal in the product you are using, otherwise the different metals create a very weak electric charge which will corrode the less noble metal

Zinc-chromate (This is a yellow/gold plating often seen with a pink and green rainbow effect visible on the plating surface. Items with this coating are first plated with zinc, then treated with a dichromate coating which gives it the yellow/gold appearance. )

Low cost fastenings, good for mainly dry areas where it may get wet or damp only occasionally, ie windows,framing, skirting, architraves where filling and painting.

Best suited for interior/sheltered exterior, screws, nuts, bolts, hinges

Zinc (electroplated) shiny silver in colour

Low cost fastenings, good for mainly dry areas where it may get wet or damp only occasionally, ie windows,framing, skirting, architraves where filled and painted

Best suited for interior/sheltered exterior, screws, nuts, bolts, hinges

Zinc (Galvanised Hot Dipped) dull silver colour with a crystal pattern on larger sheets

Medium cost fastenings and should be a minimun standard of rust protection for all exterior fittings and fastenings.
Best suited for exterior fences, roofs, structural beams and gate hardware

Note- when you are painting make sure you use a special primer if the product is new. Some corrosion takes place naturally and the product needs weathering or priming before house painting.

Stainless Steel(316 and 304 grade)

It is also called corrosion-resistant steel or CRES
For building and maintenance if you are going to use this product you may as well pay for the marine grade 316 steel,
Best suited for window hinges, exterior fastenings and hardware.
Stainless steel fixings are required by your local council if you live within the sea spray zone as laid out in the building code of New Zealand.