Today I cracked open the gallon of Benny Moore and painted all of the porch and corner posts. I used the "soft Gloss" finish, which is somewhere in between semi-gloss and eggshell. Oh, and I also washed down the house.
The siding is asbestos shingles. Many of these older shore homes used them years ago but nobody does anymore. Can you say C-A-N-C-E-R? Asbestos-once the wonder substance is now the scourge of the modern world. Anyway, these shingles have probably never been painted since the were done around 1960 when the house was built. The paint on them has mutated into many various colors... all horrible, and they are now covered with a chalky substance, as well as 50 years of dirt, grime, pollen, soot, etc. So before painting they must be somehow cleaned.
As said previously, I bought a scrub brush that fits on the end of a broomhandle, and, after mixing up my mix of MelaMagic and water, began the thankless and boring task of hand washing each shingle. The brush is only around 6 or 8 inches wide, so you can't do too much before having to redip the brush in the suds and continuing, but when I was done the color of the house was now a fairly consistent greenish color. The MelaMixture washes off nicely and I was left with a perfectly clean surface on which to paint. Note that these shingles are like mini sponges, and are super absorbent, so the first coat of paint will surely be sucked up pretty quickly.
We'll know tomorrow when the first coat goes on!!!!!!
I am proud of you, grasshopper.
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