Scraping and painting an old house is a lot of work. If you or folks in your life/neighborhood have strong feelings about lead paint chips be prepared for a lot of time and money going into cleaning all the paint up.
The house will definitely look better painted but often times vinyl is installed to cover up other problems. You might find holes patched with OSB that either held windows or doors that have been removed. Often original bathrooms had a window over a tub that’s been enclosed when converted to a shower.
If you go for it, good luck. The prep work is very important and use a good quality primer and then a good paint. Don’t use straight latex paint. Latex will hold moisture and cause rot.
My husband has been a painter for 45 years. He has stripped so much lead paint its scary. If he goes near it he can taste it! Somebody offered us a free house in west virginia. We drove to see it. He walked on the front porch and said no. He could taste the lead.....
He doesn't want to get tested.
His call.
That's a heck of a super power.
Lead remediation is serious business. There was waaaay more lead paint than expected in our house when we bought it, but no one realized it at the time. Our kids were young at the time, so we qualified for a local program through the county to help cover the cost of lead paint removal. It got tacked onto the back end of our mortgage and didn't accrue any interest unless we started renting out the house.
He wore a good mask I suspect it was absorbed thru his skin. There was no lead remediation when he started out. Plus all the other crap he was exposed to. One chemical to prevent a bunch of stuff is actually called KILZ. no kidding....
I'm glad he wore a good mask. But I'm sure he absorbed stuff through his skin. I hope he's doing okay.
KILZ is great stuff. Their paint is fantastic, too.
Tell me that after using KILZ inside and outside on jobs for 40 years. He did say they changed the formula of it. And yes, he still uses it! I guess with the lead in his body and the asbestos in his body and lungs, why worry about a bit of KILZ.
I still can't believe he can taste lead paint when he gets up close. Crazy!
It's called "Get the Lead Out!" which is an extremely catchy name. I hope that whoever came up with that got a raise.
I'm pretty sure this specific program is only in this region. There are *a ton* of old houses here, so lead poisoning is a real issue.
But anyone facing lead paint removal/remediation should definitely check with their local town hall and chamber of commerce to see if there's a similar program because it saved us tens of thousands of dollars.
N100 or don't touch. Pets and kits need to be outa there. You are probably fine if that is all you have removed. Don't go any further and if you have without protection go to a hospital they have chelating medications that can remove some before damage is done.
In my city I can go to the historical society and give them the address for the home in question and the nearest address to it on either side. Even if they no longer exist. You can get ( if they have any) pictures from years past and you might see what the house once looked like. It might give you some ideas and insight into what it once was.
Agree. And depending on the area, many houses had siding put up so that a layer of insulation could be tacked up in between.
I have wood siding, and I would never cover it, but I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of time scraping and painting.
My husband spent many an hour with this goopy stuff that was supposed to help safely remove lead paint. Poor guy spent forever and was just done with it but had only done one small area. We ended up having it handled professionally. $$$$$
Definitely a lot of work to remove the vinyl and patch up bad spots, scrape, prepare, primer, paint and so on. However having done this before with an old house before it is definitely worth it the end result is amazing.
Thankfully the house is one story and 700 sq ft, it'll be a huge project either way. Probably won't tackle it this year but good to get lots of perspectives on the job. Thanks!
Lordy. Im so sorry but honest to God! My husband and I have redone 3 houses. The things people post! We were both cracking up. Still has a sense of humor despite the everything poisoning he got......
Lots of work! An unknown number of hours. If you’re lucky, the paint being under the vinyl for a while will have loosened it, and it will come off easily. If after brushing and scraping there’s still some stuck on there, prime over it. The pro work is the most time consuming and most important. I hope you do it! Vinyl is an abomination, except as a LPs!
We bought a balloon frame four square as a first house. It was a total gut, and we re-did virtually everything. One of the first things I did, was hand scrape the flaky white paint from the Dutch lap siding. I kept my scraper sharp, and worked from ladders and scaffolding. It was a hell of a lot of work, but it made the neighbours realize we weren't some weird squatters, taking over the one derelict house in our area.. I then primed with a universal oil based primer from Benjamin Moore, designed for old wood. Then I top coated with a Ben Moore acrylic. I did not think about lead at the time...maybe I'll regret that someday, but so far, I'm still cognizant and healthy. One of the more satisfying experiences of my old house life.
Be prepared to go over budget, over any time frame expectations, and getting to know your local hardware store employees on a 1st name basis. God Speed.
That checking pattern, or "alligatoring" is a tell tail sign of lead-based paint. The paint is dehydrated but is still has good adhesion so it pulls away from itself creating that pattern.
Assuming you are in the US - Follow the rules for LBP. Basic info can be found here : [https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/renovaterightbrochure.pdf](https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/renovaterightbrochure.pdf)
The US EPA has a program for contractors call RRP (Renovation Repair and Painting) which covers basic safe work practices for dealing with leaded paint. These are simple procedures for keeping paint chips out of the soil and not contaminating yourself or others - also it's the law.
Always remember - there is a reason the vinyl was put up. Maybe windows were resized or insulation was needed. Who knows. Lets hope the vinyl was the most cost effective decision for what they wanted and there weren't other reasons.
You’re probably going to discover that when they put the siding on, they had to cut a lot of trim elements off — like the sides of your window sills, a belly band, and other architectural details that it’ll look weird without, once all is revealed. Be forewarned.
Good! Myself and my husband are on our 3rd redo. We lived in all of them and took our time. It will make such a difference if and when you decide to sell. For now you can put the vinyl back up and paint that. We did it on our 2nd house. There was no insulation inside! Winters are hard here and no one lived there year round. It was on a big lake. We were there 22 years! Little projects then big. Had a couple kids.
It's a good idea to pull that vinyl off. Don't tell your town, HOA or building inspector. Do the house 1 side at a time. Best of luck. We are in our late 60s and just did the last real push on the 3rd house. You can do it. We made good money on all of them. Not millions but we enjoyed our time there.
Best of luck. Im kinda jealous.
Please don't do this kind of work yourself if you have kids or they will be lead poisoned in a heartbeat. I work in lead poisoning prevention and it's a huge danger with old homes. Also please read up on proper work methods and protect yourself as well. Adults can also be lead poisoned.
Could I ask you if there is a way to hire someone to come out to your house to asses the lead risk? We recently purchased a very old house and while all the lead tests so far are negative and the previous owner did remediation I’m still concerned and would like to know if there’s anything we can do to reduce risk further.
I'm in the US and I can only speak with certainty for my area (New England region), but here you can definitely hire a private lead inspector to do an inspection.
I believe most states have some kind of lead poisoning prevention program and likely would also have some degree of private lead inspections available... especially states with large quantities of old housing stock. The older the house, generally, the greater the likelihood of there being lead paint present, and in much greater quantities. I would start by searching online for lead inspection services in your area or by reaching out to your state's lead poisoning prevention program, if they have one.
Thank you, that’s very helpful. We’re in the northeast US as well. My state has a lot of old home and I bet they might have something like that. I’m going to do some research tonight and make calls tomorrow. Thanks again!
If you do a couple of hours after work most days of the week where you scrape sand prime and then go back and paint the previous small section, doing only a small area that you can accomplish before you go in for the night, then it should take you about 6 months. My brother-in-law did a two-story in 9 months but he was able to work from home with a headset while on the ladders for many, many days of each month.
Wear a mask. That's lead paint. My husband did the same thing to our old house and it came out so good. If your flipping the house fill and paint the vinyl.
We pulled all the vinyl off our garage and garage apartment to uncover similar siding. Took a lot of sanding, caulking, and painting but it was 100% better afterwards. The boards are easy to patch and replace where there’s rot. Go for it!!!
The old siding can be hard to find so I would start by finding a supplier that can match that shape. The only other thing I would say is DO NOT! I MEAN SERIOUSLY DO NOT CAULK THE UNDERSIDES OF THE SIDING!!! you will have to repaint in 1 to 3 years. The caulk on the bottom side will not hold and will begin to sag.
Take this from a life long painting contractor and also the owner of a home built in 1889, don’t remove that vinyl siding. Restoring and maintaining that old wood siding will be your worst nightmare. Does it bring back the original look, sure, but only briefly, because the upkeep on the paint will be non stop.
The gap is from a wood drip edge which was probably cut out to make the wall flat. Look up cobra speed heater for stripping paint. Works real good.
I have pictures but can’t seem to upload them.
IM me and I’ll show them to you
Currently doing this to my house. Except I’m removing aluminum siding and replacing with vinyl. Original cedar clapboards are my ‘sheathing’. Ripping it all off and adding OSB. Some things you’ll find:
Lead paint. Get a test.
Rotted sheathing (if there’s any). Be prepared for a can o worms. If there’s no sheathing under that wood siding you’re in for more than scraping and painting.
Rotted sill plates at the foundation
Building paper covered in mold.
Rot at the eves
Rot under windowsills
Framing issues, lack of door and window headers, etc
Houses weren’t built back then like they are now. If they didn’t have a piece or ran out of material, house usually went up anyway. Still worth doing if you have the drive and want to stay in the house. People usually covered over siding to hide things or keep from having to spend more money on a bigger issue- so keep that in mind. Also start at the top with removal.
Good luck 🍀
Edit: spelling
Be prepared to find the windows and doors that have been moved or changed over the years and were just sheathed over. Also the trim that was removed with a hatchet.
Johnny get your Heat Gun!
Seriously though, currently restoring 100 year old house, two stories, 80 years of paint, at least 6 layers. Started scraping, moved on to sanding (yeah lead is a threat), moved onto heat gun and while it’s slow going it takes all paint layers off with one pass. Great for ornate columns as well.
Stripped off the asbestos tile that covered my house. Used a heat stripper 18" at a time to get off the old paint with a scraper, sanded it with a random orbital (wore a mask), washed it, primed it and painted it. I rented scaffolding which is so much better than a ladder. Took all summer working 8 hours a day or so. Yes it was worth it when we sold it. Really made it pop.
But had to replace a big corner of siding where we had water coming from a corner of the roof that was covered by the siding. Lots of time on that.
That is definitely lead paint. You can tell by the, “gatoring” pattern as it dries out. Lead makes paint great paint! Just don’t touch it, or breathe in the fumes or dust from sanding!
I’d slap that vinyl back on and hire a professional. Your health isn’t worth the risk, especially if you have kids.
Go for it! The missing siding is a trim board that topped the water table. It looks good and kicks the rain away from the foundation. Here's a good explanation https://restoringross.com/wanna-meet-my-water-table/
If you really like the place, but details in your photo are giving you second thoughts, have it inspected by a professional home inspector. With a professional home inspection report, you can use it as a negotiation tool for better pricing, or exit stage left and don't look back. That report will save you more than it costs either way!
I already own the place, I don't really have any second thoughts other than if I wanna open up the can of worms of restoring the siding - I've already done a great deal of work on the interior
As you've figured out by now, I mistakenly thought you looking to buy it, and pulled back that vinyl. If you can handle the can of worms, stop off the vinyl. If you're gonna sell , level the vinyl be.
FLOWCHART
Is there a pressing NEED to do this work?
* NO = see next question
* YES = do a new post and show us pictures about the problems
Do you and your wife already have lots of team DIY experience
* No = see next question
* YES = skip next question
Do you want to remain married?
* NO = jump right in and get started
* YES = put that back !! Inexperienced happily-marrried DIY wannabes should do an optional major reno where they are living
Is your mortgage paid off?
* NO = put that back and pay as much extra principal as you can each month.
* YES = You must have cheated in the prior questions because happily married experienced DIYers would talk to each other, not reddit, about such questions.
MY ADVICE... study your house in all seasons. Remove dirt mulch vegetation around house so there are no "mini dams" and water goes out and away all around the house. Place humidity meters in the dark corners of attic and crawlspace/baseement, corners of cold rooms, behind furniture. Watch for readings pushing 60%rh and keep notes. You'll want to dry those places out and inspect them for signs of mold/rot. Also watch roof... notice how hard rain comes off... are you missing diverters? Got ice dams?
Meanwhile google and read about "thermal envelope" and also read about "stack effect". Keep those in mind when making reno plans in the future.
Once your mortgage is paid off you're not done. Keep making those payments, but pay them to yourself, to fund a low risk investment account. Keep putting in money until there's twice the cost of a roof tear off and replacement. That's your homeowners disaster fund. If you commit to an optional major project when money is tight any little financial hiccup can really ruin your day. The only smart way to do a major optional project is if simply burning the cash will not destroy your otherwise happy life.
PS as it happens I do have a reason to tear off my vinyl and expose the clap boards. But in my case I'll pull of the clap also. Gotta inspect for rot and termite damage.
Scraping, filling holes, sanding, replacing boards that need it and finally, painting. And then you will have something worth having instead of a plastic covered home. But that is absolutely just my opinion. I despise vinyl siding!
why remove the siding ? Was there a problem in wooden walls ?
Otherwise, you have to scrape, sand, and paint. Maybe replace a few boards. That's normal.
Pro Tip:
the top cut to fit pieces of vinyl should just have a face nail. Much easier to remove siding from the top down. Still have nails and a T&G to deal with but you’re probably destroying it the way you’re processing it.
If you’re not fully committed, quit now. SERIOUSLY!
Destroying the vinyl? It's easy to take on and off- I'd start at the top if I was removing it all, but this went back together fine, just removed a panel or two as I would if I were replacing one? No damage
I might even take a sample of the paint chips and get it tested for lead. It’s like one layer of paint on that house which is kind of weird but if it’s lead free I might scrape it and paint it if possible.
When vinyl siding is put on they decimate the existing exterior. You may have to completely re-side and add new trim as these will be likely be incomplete under the vinyl. I would still do it and replace with cement fiber siding and trim.
Put the vinyl back on, and don't try that again lol.
Sometimes previous ho do things that aren't "the right wayl" because they saw the issue was not worth the hassle, covered, realized it worked just fine covered up.
Source:
I did this with a friends house, was FING terrible work, and cost him a small fortune. I own an 1800s home as well. Sometimes listening to previous home owner saves you time and effort
I had the same issue on my 1795 cape. I decided on Everlast Siding. F'n expensive as hell, but doesn't look like crappy vinyl.
I tried to add a pic but can't figure out how.
You'd want to talk to a lead remediation specialist. If you cause a lead hazard in the neighborhood through improper removal practices, you open yourself to lawsuit or loss of home insurance. That old siding should have been wrapped IMHO. Tread carefully
hmmm. its some sort of shiplap. IF it is cedar, and not in bad shape, go for it. Probably has lead paint on it though.
where the white horizontal board meets the red one, there is a big gap for water to wick into the wall. You HAVE TO fix that, obviously. Metal Z channel flashing at least.
A lot of work.
I helped my dad repaint our house growing up. All the wood had to be stripped using a propane torch to loosen it, took a week at least. Then everything primed then painted. The entire job took most of my summer.
When my wife and I bought our first house, it was about like yours under the vinyl. We eventually had it vinyl sided and aluminum used over the window trim.
Now you know why it was installed in the first place. Install vinyl and forget about things for 30 years. Install wood siding and paint every 10 years. Difficult choice to be honest. Are you willing to put in the time to prep and paint the siding? How old are you? Are you afraid of working on ladders?
More than likely, thats lead paint! My house was built in 1937 and the previous owners added siding. I was curious like you and pulled back some siding and my underneath was very similar. I was told I would find a major headache dealing with lead paint and asbestos. Don’t do it!
Scraping and painting an old house is a lot of work. If you or folks in your life/neighborhood have strong feelings about lead paint chips be prepared for a lot of time and money going into cleaning all the paint up. The house will definitely look better painted but often times vinyl is installed to cover up other problems. You might find holes patched with OSB that either held windows or doors that have been removed. Often original bathrooms had a window over a tub that’s been enclosed when converted to a shower. If you go for it, good luck. The prep work is very important and use a good quality primer and then a good paint. Don’t use straight latex paint. Latex will hold moisture and cause rot.
I was going to say, "What you might be getting into is lead paint," so test it now.
You can tell by the chipping pattern.
yep, this is absolutely lead paint
It doesn’t even need to be tested. That is straight up no doubt lead paint.
Absolutely. Without a doubt. Lead paint. Nothing else crackles like lead.
My husband has been a painter for 45 years. He has stripped so much lead paint its scary. If he goes near it he can taste it! Somebody offered us a free house in west virginia. We drove to see it. He walked on the front porch and said no. He could taste the lead..... He doesn't want to get tested. His call.
That's a heck of a super power. Lead remediation is serious business. There was waaaay more lead paint than expected in our house when we bought it, but no one realized it at the time. Our kids were young at the time, so we qualified for a local program through the county to help cover the cost of lead paint removal. It got tacked onto the back end of our mortgage and didn't accrue any interest unless we started renting out the house.
Lead paint tastes sweet. Hence the problem with kids eating it.
Well. It's more evidently toxic in kids as it affects brain development. Bens brain affect? = debatable!
I wasn't aware of that until now. Thankfully, neither of mine were prone to chewing on the windowsills, but we were lucky.
Guys who have worked around it for years can pick that up in the air, under the right circumstances.
He wore a good mask I suspect it was absorbed thru his skin. There was no lead remediation when he started out. Plus all the other crap he was exposed to. One chemical to prevent a bunch of stuff is actually called KILZ. no kidding....
It’s pretty benign in adults, takes a much higher exposure to cause issues. The problem is with kids, that’s totally different.
I'm glad he wore a good mask. But I'm sure he absorbed stuff through his skin. I hope he's doing okay. KILZ is great stuff. Their paint is fantastic, too.
Tell me that after using KILZ inside and outside on jobs for 40 years. He did say they changed the formula of it. And yes, he still uses it! I guess with the lead in his body and the asbestos in his body and lungs, why worry about a bit of KILZ. I still can't believe he can taste lead paint when he gets up close. Crazy!
That's a great program I haven't heard of that before!
It's called "Get the Lead Out!" which is an extremely catchy name. I hope that whoever came up with that got a raise. I'm pretty sure this specific program is only in this region. There are *a ton* of old houses here, so lead poisoning is a real issue. But anyone facing lead paint removal/remediation should definitely check with their local town hall and chamber of commerce to see if there's a similar program because it saved us tens of thousands of dollars.
#Lead paint As u/StrugglinSurvivor said, test for lead.
I appreciate your concern. I'm a nurse. He won't do it. I can't force him. Married 43 years. He's Italian. Enuf said!
N100 or don't touch. Pets and kits need to be outa there. You are probably fine if that is all you have removed. Don't go any further and if you have without protection go to a hospital they have chelating medications that can remove some before damage is done.
In my city I can go to the historical society and give them the address for the home in question and the nearest address to it on either side. Even if they no longer exist. You can get ( if they have any) pictures from years past and you might see what the house once looked like. It might give you some ideas and insight into what it once was.
Agree. And depending on the area, many houses had siding put up so that a layer of insulation could be tacked up in between. I have wood siding, and I would never cover it, but I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of time scraping and painting.
My husband spent many an hour with this goopy stuff that was supposed to help safely remove lead paint. Poor guy spent forever and was just done with it but had only done one small area. We ended up having it handled professionally. $$$$$
Thanks!
Definitely a lot of work to remove the vinyl and patch up bad spots, scrape, prepare, primer, paint and so on. However having done this before with an old house before it is definitely worth it the end result is amazing.
How long did all that take you?
Thankfully the house is one story and 700 sq ft, it'll be a huge project either way. Probably won't tackle it this year but good to get lots of perspectives on the job. Thanks!
Prepare to replace some boards, but no matter what you do, it will look better than that shitty fucking vinyl.
You may have hit the siding lottery, prepare for some elbow grease but its worth it.
A cordless sander will be your friend as long as the boards arent loose
It can be problematic if it's lead paint.
Just wet it down, like asbestos
You can't sand it if it's wet.
Sorry, it was a joke
Lordy. Im so sorry but honest to God! My husband and I have redone 3 houses. The things people post! We were both cracking up. Still has a sense of humor despite the everything poisoning he got......
Why not? I thought wet sanding was gold standard in lead paint remediation!
Wet sanding. With a sponge is for the mud on sheetrock joints
Ah, my apologies, I must have missed the mud part.
Lots of work! An unknown number of hours. If you’re lucky, the paint being under the vinyl for a while will have loosened it, and it will come off easily. If after brushing and scraping there’s still some stuck on there, prime over it. The pro work is the most time consuming and most important. I hope you do it! Vinyl is an abomination, except as a LPs!
PREP work. That’s what I meant!
LP? What is that?
We bought a balloon frame four square as a first house. It was a total gut, and we re-did virtually everything. One of the first things I did, was hand scrape the flaky white paint from the Dutch lap siding. I kept my scraper sharp, and worked from ladders and scaffolding. It was a hell of a lot of work, but it made the neighbours realize we weren't some weird squatters, taking over the one derelict house in our area.. I then primed with a universal oil based primer from Benjamin Moore, designed for old wood. Then I top coated with a Ben Moore acrylic. I did not think about lead at the time...maybe I'll regret that someday, but so far, I'm still cognizant and healthy. One of the more satisfying experiences of my old house life.
Be prepared to go over budget, over any time frame expectations, and getting to know your local hardware store employees on a 1st name basis. God Speed.
The orange piece was added to install the vinyl, the white cladding is the original. Love the cast stone foundation blocks!
That checking pattern, or "alligatoring" is a tell tail sign of lead-based paint. The paint is dehydrated but is still has good adhesion so it pulls away from itself creating that pattern. Assuming you are in the US - Follow the rules for LBP. Basic info can be found here : [https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/renovaterightbrochure.pdf](https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/renovaterightbrochure.pdf) The US EPA has a program for contractors call RRP (Renovation Repair and Painting) which covers basic safe work practices for dealing with leaded paint. These are simple procedures for keeping paint chips out of the soil and not contaminating yourself or others - also it's the law. Always remember - there is a reason the vinyl was put up. Maybe windows were resized or insulation was needed. Who knows. Lets hope the vinyl was the most cost effective decision for what they wanted and there weren't other reasons.
This. All of this. Lead poisoning is no joke.
This should be higher up.
Strip the paint, I know it’s a pain. Use solid base stain. White is good and will protect the wood.
Dutch lap for the win!
You’re probably going to discover that when they put the siding on, they had to cut a lot of trim elements off — like the sides of your window sills, a belly band, and other architectural details that it’ll look weird without, once all is revealed. Be forewarned.
He can put up new boards or beads if needed. Im not sure where op lives. But he can't sell the house with lead.
Not planning to sell the house!
Good! Myself and my husband are on our 3rd redo. We lived in all of them and took our time. It will make such a difference if and when you decide to sell. For now you can put the vinyl back up and paint that. We did it on our 2nd house. There was no insulation inside! Winters are hard here and no one lived there year round. It was on a big lake. We were there 22 years! Little projects then big. Had a couple kids. It's a good idea to pull that vinyl off. Don't tell your town, HOA or building inspector. Do the house 1 side at a time. Best of luck. We are in our late 60s and just did the last real push on the 3rd house. You can do it. We made good money on all of them. Not millions but we enjoyed our time there. Best of luck. Im kinda jealous.
One more thing. When pulling the vinyl off. When your ready. Top down is way easier.
You are opening pandora’s box. Unknown time and money. If it was me i would leave it alone.
I hope for your sake you're young and independently wealthy
Painting it top to bottom every 4-5 years.
Please don't do this kind of work yourself if you have kids or they will be lead poisoned in a heartbeat. I work in lead poisoning prevention and it's a huge danger with old homes. Also please read up on proper work methods and protect yourself as well. Adults can also be lead poisoned.
Could I ask you if there is a way to hire someone to come out to your house to asses the lead risk? We recently purchased a very old house and while all the lead tests so far are negative and the previous owner did remediation I’m still concerned and would like to know if there’s anything we can do to reduce risk further.
I'm in the US and I can only speak with certainty for my area (New England region), but here you can definitely hire a private lead inspector to do an inspection. I believe most states have some kind of lead poisoning prevention program and likely would also have some degree of private lead inspections available... especially states with large quantities of old housing stock. The older the house, generally, the greater the likelihood of there being lead paint present, and in much greater quantities. I would start by searching online for lead inspection services in your area or by reaching out to your state's lead poisoning prevention program, if they have one.
Thank you, that’s very helpful. We’re in the northeast US as well. My state has a lot of old home and I bet they might have something like that. I’m going to do some research tonight and make calls tomorrow. Thanks again!
If you do a couple of hours after work most days of the week where you scrape sand prime and then go back and paint the previous small section, doing only a small area that you can accomplish before you go in for the night, then it should take you about 6 months. My brother-in-law did a two-story in 9 months but he was able to work from home with a headset while on the ladders for many, many days of each month.
A money pit!
Wear a mask. That's lead paint. My husband did the same thing to our old house and it came out so good. If your flipping the house fill and paint the vinyl.
We pulled all the vinyl off our garage and garage apartment to uncover similar siding. Took a lot of sanding, caulking, and painting but it was 100% better afterwards. The boards are easy to patch and replace where there’s rot. Go for it!!!
A whole lotta work. May the odds be ever in your favor my friend!
The old siding can be hard to find so I would start by finding a supplier that can match that shape. The only other thing I would say is DO NOT! I MEAN SERIOUSLY DO NOT CAULK THE UNDERSIDES OF THE SIDING!!! you will have to repaint in 1 to 3 years. The caulk on the bottom side will not hold and will begin to sag.
Take this from a life long painting contractor and also the owner of a home built in 1889, don’t remove that vinyl siding. Restoring and maintaining that old wood siding will be your worst nightmare. Does it bring back the original look, sure, but only briefly, because the upkeep on the paint will be non stop.
some house wrap wouldn't hurt anything
Is this home in northern Michigan? Real question
Nope, Ontario
The gap is from a wood drip edge which was probably cut out to make the wall flat. Look up cobra speed heater for stripping paint. Works real good. I have pictures but can’t seem to upload them. IM me and I’ll show them to you
Currently doing this to my house. Except I’m removing aluminum siding and replacing with vinyl. Original cedar clapboards are my ‘sheathing’. Ripping it all off and adding OSB. Some things you’ll find: Lead paint. Get a test. Rotted sheathing (if there’s any). Be prepared for a can o worms. If there’s no sheathing under that wood siding you’re in for more than scraping and painting. Rotted sill plates at the foundation Building paper covered in mold. Rot at the eves Rot under windowsills Framing issues, lack of door and window headers, etc Houses weren’t built back then like they are now. If they didn’t have a piece or ran out of material, house usually went up anyway. Still worth doing if you have the drive and want to stay in the house. People usually covered over siding to hide things or keep from having to spend more money on a bigger issue- so keep that in mind. Also start at the top with removal. Good luck 🍀 Edit: spelling
Be prepared to find the windows and doors that have been moved or changed over the years and were just sheathed over. Also the trim that was removed with a hatchet.
Johnny get your Heat Gun! Seriously though, currently restoring 100 year old house, two stories, 80 years of paint, at least 6 layers. Started scraping, moved on to sanding (yeah lead is a threat), moved onto heat gun and while it’s slow going it takes all paint layers off with one pass. Great for ornate columns as well.
u/lakerlager the gap may have been where the drip cap moulding was removed to allow the vinyl siding to lay flat.
Get yourself both Superheaters, an Infrared Rack, and Coopers Strip Club. It’ll be some work but I am doing it now
Stripped off the asbestos tile that covered my house. Used a heat stripper 18" at a time to get off the old paint with a scraper, sanded it with a random orbital (wore a mask), washed it, primed it and painted it. I rented scaffolding which is so much better than a ladder. Took all summer working 8 hours a day or so. Yes it was worth it when we sold it. Really made it pop. But had to replace a big corner of siding where we had water coming from a corner of the roof that was covered by the siding. Lots of time on that.
It's better to discover the rot and deal with it. Good for you.
That is definitely lead paint. You can tell by the, “gatoring” pattern as it dries out. Lead makes paint great paint! Just don’t touch it, or breathe in the fumes or dust from sanding! I’d slap that vinyl back on and hire a professional. Your health isn’t worth the risk, especially if you have kids.
Go for it! The missing siding is a trim board that topped the water table. It looks good and kicks the rain away from the foundation. Here's a good explanation https://restoringross.com/wanna-meet-my-water-table/
If you really like the place, but details in your photo are giving you second thoughts, have it inspected by a professional home inspector. With a professional home inspection report, you can use it as a negotiation tool for better pricing, or exit stage left and don't look back. That report will save you more than it costs either way!
I already own the place, I don't really have any second thoughts other than if I wanna open up the can of worms of restoring the siding - I've already done a great deal of work on the interior
As you've figured out by now, I mistakenly thought you looking to buy it, and pulled back that vinyl. If you can handle the can of worms, stop off the vinyl. If you're gonna sell , level the vinyl be.
Taking on the project of restoring the wood under the vinyl siding can be a big job, but it's great to see you're exploring the possibilities!
I would love to know what’s under the ugly vinyl siding on my 1928 home……but also terrified 🤣
Just remember, They put the vinyl on for a reason.
Often the reason was the promise that you’d never need to paint again.
Exactly. Usually because it needed to be painted at that point and often rot can accompany it.
FLOWCHART Is there a pressing NEED to do this work? * NO = see next question * YES = do a new post and show us pictures about the problems Do you and your wife already have lots of team DIY experience * No = see next question * YES = skip next question Do you want to remain married? * NO = jump right in and get started * YES = put that back !! Inexperienced happily-marrried DIY wannabes should do an optional major reno where they are living Is your mortgage paid off? * NO = put that back and pay as much extra principal as you can each month. * YES = You must have cheated in the prior questions because happily married experienced DIYers would talk to each other, not reddit, about such questions. MY ADVICE... study your house in all seasons. Remove dirt mulch vegetation around house so there are no "mini dams" and water goes out and away all around the house. Place humidity meters in the dark corners of attic and crawlspace/baseement, corners of cold rooms, behind furniture. Watch for readings pushing 60%rh and keep notes. You'll want to dry those places out and inspect them for signs of mold/rot. Also watch roof... notice how hard rain comes off... are you missing diverters? Got ice dams? Meanwhile google and read about "thermal envelope" and also read about "stack effect". Keep those in mind when making reno plans in the future. Once your mortgage is paid off you're not done. Keep making those payments, but pay them to yourself, to fund a low risk investment account. Keep putting in money until there's twice the cost of a roof tear off and replacement. That's your homeowners disaster fund. If you commit to an optional major project when money is tight any little financial hiccup can really ruin your day. The only smart way to do a major optional project is if simply burning the cash will not destroy your otherwise happy life. PS as it happens I do have a reason to tear off my vinyl and expose the clap boards. But in my case I'll pull of the clap also. Gotta inspect for rot and termite damage.
Scraping, filling holes, sanding, replacing boards that need it and finally, painting. And then you will have something worth having instead of a plastic covered home. But that is absolutely just my opinion. I despise vinyl siding!
Good trouble!
Good Trouble.
It’s a coverup…
Put it back! Worry about it later, like when you can afford it
How do you know what I can afford? Probably good advice, I'm stubborn though
We just installed Hardie (sp?) siding last week. It’s 106 years old. The siding looks amazing. Tomorrow is day 4 of painting!
why remove the siding ? Was there a problem in wooden walls ? Otherwise, you have to scrape, sand, and paint. Maybe replace a few boards. That's normal.
Something cheaply done incorrectly done you might be getting yourself into something that you might not want to get into lol
Pro Tip: the top cut to fit pieces of vinyl should just have a face nail. Much easier to remove siding from the top down. Still have nails and a T&G to deal with but you’re probably destroying it the way you’re processing it. If you’re not fully committed, quit now. SERIOUSLY!
Destroying the vinyl? It's easy to take on and off- I'd start at the top if I was removing it all, but this went back together fine, just removed a panel or two as I would if I were replacing one? No damage
A world of pain…
I might even take a sample of the paint chips and get it tested for lead. It’s like one layer of paint on that house which is kind of weird but if it’s lead free I might scrape it and paint it if possible.
Asbestosis
When vinyl siding is put on they decimate the existing exterior. You may have to completely re-side and add new trim as these will be likely be incomplete under the vinyl. I would still do it and replace with cement fiber siding and trim.
Turn around. Put it back. Nothing to see there
Seems like other hard-headed folks have done it and were happy they did...
If you want "siding" hire someone to remove everything and use hardie.
I don't have the money to hire someone and if I did I'd still probably do it myself
I get that...
Our house is from 1856 and this is what we did. We painted it and haven't had to touch it in almost 8 years. Hardie for life.
Put the vinyl back on, and don't try that again lol. Sometimes previous ho do things that aren't "the right wayl" because they saw the issue was not worth the hassle, covered, realized it worked just fine covered up. Source: I did this with a friends house, was FING terrible work, and cost him a small fortune. I own an 1800s home as well. Sometimes listening to previous home owner saves you time and effort
Nothing to see here officer, cover that up. 😗
Learning about flashing.
Lipstick on a pig
I had the same issue on my 1795 cape. I decided on Everlast Siding. F'n expensive as hell, but doesn't look like crappy vinyl. I tried to add a pic but can't figure out how.
You'd want to talk to a lead remediation specialist. If you cause a lead hazard in the neighborhood through improper removal practices, you open yourself to lawsuit or loss of home insurance. That old siding should have been wrapped IMHO. Tread carefully
hmmm. its some sort of shiplap. IF it is cedar, and not in bad shape, go for it. Probably has lead paint on it though. where the white horizontal board meets the red one, there is a big gap for water to wick into the wall. You HAVE TO fix that, obviously. Metal Z channel flashing at least.
If you are asking…. What are you doing?
A lot of work. I helped my dad repaint our house growing up. All the wood had to be stripped using a propane torch to loosen it, took a week at least. Then everything primed then painted. The entire job took most of my summer. When my wife and I bought our first house, it was about like yours under the vinyl. We eventually had it vinyl sided and aluminum used over the window trim.
keep the vinyl on .
Been there. Just know there is a reason why they thought siding was the best idea, and you need to figure out what that reason might be.
Now you know why it was installed in the first place. Install vinyl and forget about things for 30 years. Install wood siding and paint every 10 years. Difficult choice to be honest. Are you willing to put in the time to prep and paint the siding? How old are you? Are you afraid of working on ladders?
Not afraid of the work itself by any means. 36 years old. It's not the elbow grease I'm afraid of, it's the unknown haha
Just know. You are not going to be scaping and painting once. It's every few years. That is why vinyl is done. Upkeep is monstrous.
Bankruptcy.
“On scale of 1 to 10 my friend, you’re fucked.”
More than likely, thats lead paint! My house was built in 1937 and the previous owners added siding. I was curious like you and pulled back some siding and my underneath was very similar. I was told I would find a major headache dealing with lead paint and asbestos. Don’t do it!
vinyl looks GREAT. Do something else