# Refinishing Beadboard porch ceiling ?



## cellophane (Sep 29, 2009)

The house I am purchasing has a nice front porch that has a beadboard ceiling on it that is currently painted or covered with aluminum siding right now. Down the road (springtime probably) I would like to refinish it as the paint isn't in good shape and on visual inspection the wood is in good shape. The house was built around 1920 - the boards are strip beadboards. 

I am not sure what the best approach would be to clean it off and refinish it. I thought about pressure washing but was advised against that since the water can seep through the seams and cause issues which leaves chemicals or heat. If I go the heat route I was thinking of picking up a Silent Paint Remover (or similar) as there is quite a bit more wood in the house that needs repairing and I think it would end up paying for itself in the long run. I would like to strip it all, remove the siding that is up and expose the board underneath and then use a stain and go for a more natural color.

Is that even a viable approach for the application? I've never dealt with the beadboard before but I like the look - and its original which is nice. I'll try and get some existing conditions pictures sometime this week if the weather holds. 

Thanks!


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Well, the bad news is that the chemicals in whatever it is painted with will probably have stained it to the point it will not look great stripped and stained. So, be prepared to paint it.

Whether you remove the paint depends on how many layers are on it, how badly it is peeling, etc. 

I wouldn't shy away from powerwashing to get the loose paint off and clean the surface. Just be careful not to saturate anything any more than you have to do so. A dry method of some kind would, of course be better and safer. Infrared strippers are pretty cool. 

Whatever you do, plan on using a good quality bonding primer---oil based alkyd if you don't mind working with it otherwise a top quality latex. I use the Benjamin Moore Fresh Start or MAB Superbond primers but others on this site tend to like other things. Finish with a couple coats of good quality, name brand and not box store, 100 percent acrylic paint and you should be good to go.


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## cellophane (Sep 29, 2009)

hrm. If it is stained from the old product that could throw a hitch into my grand scheme... The existing paint looks wretched and is peeling very badly so it needs to be stripped and cleaned either way. There is wood visible under the areas where it is peeling so I don't think there are that many layers to worry about.

thanks!


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

cellophane said:


> hrm. If it is stained from the old product that could throw a hitch into my grand scheme... The existing paint looks wretched and is peeling very badly so it needs to be stripped and cleaned either way. There is wood visible under the areas where it is peeling so I don't think there are that many layers to worry about.
> thanks!


If it is any consolation, most porch ceilings on historic homes were traditionally painted and not stained. Your library will have some great books on the subject if you need inspiration. Good to get all those layers of paint out of the way though. The finished product will look nicer.


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## cellophane (Sep 29, 2009)

Don't know if the photos will change the process or end result (paint vs. stain) but here they are.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

It looks to me like they were originally stained and varnished( a common practice) and then painted over( with out priming) with the blue paint, also a common practice( thought to be painted to look like the sky to discourage wasps, etc from building nests),at least in the southern states on the east coast.I seriously doubt you will be able to go back to the stained varnished look but maybe if the paint did not sink into the varnish, it is possible. You will not know until all the paint is removed, one way or another.


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## KeniLin38 (Sep 21, 2010)

I think he is strill scraping. Im scared to start with mine!


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## JMDPainting (Sep 7, 2009)

If it were my porch ceiling I'd scrape, sand, full coat of primer, caulk the gaps, two coats of finish paint, done.


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## nathanegriffin (Feb 12, 2014)

I really wish the OP would come back and let us know how things turned out! From the photos they included I could almost swear it was my porch which has the exact same color ceiling, the same issue with chipping/flaking, and the same metal siding which has yet to be removed.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Lack of proper prep work done in the past before painting, wrong materials used are just two reasons it failed.
The ones I see most often are roof leaks and lack of ventilation of the roof.
Poke around and check for wood rot before going to far to see if it's time for plan B.
If the roofs in bad shape get it fixed first.
Most common place I've found it leaking is hidden under the first row of siding where the roof to wall flashing is.
Old metal roofs often rust out where the panels where bent to run up the wall.
What I have tried and worked is a scrapping to get the loose stuff off and using a soy or citrus based stripper.
It will even get the old paint out of the beads, which is the hardest part.
Old house tells me lead based paint could have been used. The stripper is gel so it makes the paint save to handle.
http://www.dumondchemicals.com/home-peel-away-1.html


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

One thing about the age makes lead paint very possible at some point. This may make a difference on removal method.


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