Repainting Wood Siding on Old Torrance Homes

Eight hours of scraping per wall is not unusual on an early 1900s house with layers of old paint built up on its lap siding. Many homes in Old Torrance, CA fall into that group, and the painting contractor work they need, as set out at painting contractor torrance blitsy crafts, is mostly preparation.

What is under the paint

Homes built before the late nineteen seventies may carry lead-based paint under newer coats. Before sanding or scraping, painters test suspect areas with a lead test kit and follow lead-safe practices when the result is positive: plastic sheeting on the ground, wet scraping, no dry sanding, and a HEPA vacuum for cleanup. Dust from old paint is the real hazard, so the method matters more than the speed.

Scraping and sanding

Loose paint is scraped back to a firm edge. Where the edge between old and bare wood is rough, sanding with a medium grit feathers it so the line does not telegraph through the finish. A scuff sand on the remaining sound paint gives the primer something to grip.

Soft wood and rot

A screwdriver pushed into a board tells the story. If it sinks in easily, the board is rotted. Small soft spots are dug out and filled with epoxy wood filler, while a section that is gone is replaced with a matching profile. Bottom courses near the ground and boards below window sills are the usual victims, since water collects there. In Torrance the rainfall is low, but the marine layer keeps wood damp often enough to rot untreated joints.

Priming bare wood

Bare wood takes an oil based primer or a high quality acrylic primer for wood, applied the same day it is exposed. Knots and tannin stains get a stain-blocking primer. Skipping this leaves yellow-brown bleed marks through the topcoat within months. Back-priming loose boards, patching cracks with caulk and filling nail holes follow before any finish goes on.

Finishing the siding

Lap siding is traditionally brushed, and with good reason. A brush works paint under the lap edge where a sprayer leaves gaps. Many crews spray then back-brush, or cut in the laps by hand and roll the faces. Two coats of acrylic latex in satin or semi gloss sheen are standard, and the second coat waits until the first has fully dried.

Keeping the original character

Old Torrance has houses with original trim details, porch brackets and window casings. Where those are intact, painters preserve the profiles by hand-sanding rather than power-stripping, and leave the original shapes rather than flattening them under thick caulk.