Resene Popular Paint Systems – exterior timber: training notes
This web page is an edited version of the Resene Best System Selling training notes provided to Resene staff and is provided to enable you to gain a greater understanding of the substrates and paint systems you may encounter in your decorating project. It is impossible to cover all decorating scenarios in a single document, so if you are in doubt about any aspect of your project please contact Resene for assistance.
Select the timber surface you will be painting from the list below to view how to prepare and finish the surface.
Preparation & finishing flowcharts
Note: Refer to the PDF flowchart for a visual of the steps below:
Wash thoroughly to remove any dirt, contaminants etc. Rinse thoroughly
Options...
Fill any holes and gaps, lightly sand filled areas with 220 grit sandpaper and reprime with Resene Quick Dry Primer
Topcoat options...
Also consider using: Mouldefender and CoolColour
With the notable exception of Resene True-Prime the manufacturers of the primers used to pre-prime timber in NZ and Australia require that the timber is sanded and primed with an oil based primer – such as Resene Wood Primer. These pre-primers are thin, holding primers and only designed to provide temporary protection during the building process. They should not be considered part of the coating system.
Unfortunately most are so poorly bound together that unless the primer is sanded off completely an oil based primer (as opposed to waterborne primer like Resene Quick Dry) will be needed to help stabilise the preprimer and ensure a good base for future topcoats. Most paint failures on new exterior timber are due to the poor quality of these primers.
As noted the exception is Resene True-Prime which was developed specifically to overcome the issue identified above. It is blue in colour but unfortunately this has been copied, so the only true indicator is if the required identification sticker has been left on site.
There will always be dirt and other contaminants on timber surfaces and these must be removed before painting can commence. A thorough wash ideally with Resene Paint Prep and Housewash is recommended.
It is always best to prime any holes or cracks before filling – large filled areas may need re-priming especially if Resene Sonyx 101 or Resene Hi-Glo is used.
Bargeboards inevitably have more issues than weatherboards and often deteriorate quicker due to higher U.V. exposure and differing timber qualities. To help overcome this recommend a third topcoat. Three coats are also much better over sharp edges.
We recommend either Resene Hi-Glo or Resene Sonyx 101. Apart from the gloss level there is no difference in long term performance between the two – although as a rule lower gloss paints are easier to apply so Resene Sonyx 101 has a slight application advantage. As a trend sales of Resene Sonyx 101 for use on weatherboards and exterior timber have increased substantially over the past five years.