How to paint the outside of a log house. How to paint wooden houses outside

When the need arises to paint a new house made of logs or profiled timber, the first question that arises before its owner is: how to paint the outside of a wooden house? Today there are so many different materials advertised by their manufacturers that it is very difficult to independently determine which paint to choose for exterior painting. But everyone knows that the quality of painting and the durability of the coating largely depend on the chosen material. In the article you will get answers to the questions: what is the best way to paint the facade of a wooden house, how to choose paint, and at the same time you will learn how to properly paint a wooden house with your own hands so that it will delight you with its beauty for many years.

Wood is a special building material. Unlike dead brick and concrete, wood, even after considerable time has passed after felling, lives and breathes. Under the influence of various natural factors, unfavorable processes develop in it.

From excessive moisture, the tree begins to rot and mold; from direct rays of the sun, it burns out, loses its beautiful golden color and becomes gray. In addition, untreated wood is a breeding ground for the development of various microorganisms and insects.

Exterior painting of a wooden house has a protective function. Today, special impregnations and coloring compositions have been developed containing antiseptics and fungicides, which create an unsuitable environment for the life of microorganisms. Their use allows us to minimize the destructive effects of negative factors. Well, besides, painting is the best way to give your home personality and beauty.

What paint can you paint a wooden house?

The question of which paint is best to paint the outside of a wooden house is far from idle. The choice of paint for the facade of a wooden house is a determining factor that determines how long the coating will last and how the wooden structure will look.

Paints for exterior painting must meet the following requirements:

  • provide protection of wood from atmospheric agents;
  • protect the structure from UV radiation;
  • have a high level of moisture resistance;
  • ensure color preservation for a long time.

There are several types of painting compositions that can be used to coat the external walls of a log house (including rounded logs), timber houses, and also to paint a frame house. To determine how to cover the outside of a timber house and understand what is better, impregnation or paint, to paint a wooden house so that it does not peel off and retains its original appearance for a long time, you need to get acquainted with the characteristics of each product.

  1. They have good resistance to atmospheric conditions.
  2. Protect wood from exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
  3. They create an elastic film on the surface that does not form cracks during wood shrinkage.
  4. They allow air to pass through and do not interfere with air exchange processes occurring in the tree.
  5. They dry very quickly, the specific time depends on the type and moisture content of the lumber.
  6. They form a durable coating that retains its original color and does not lose its aesthetic characteristics for 8-10 years.

Acrylic paints are quite expensive. Instead, you can use inexpensive acrylate dyes for a log house, which have similar characteristics. The difference between them is that in the first case the composition contains only concentrated compounds without any impurities. In the second, additives are used: acrylate-copolymer dispersions, which reduce the cost of paint.

  1. They are distinguished by a very high degree of resistance to precipitation.
  2. Provide reliable protection of wood from moisture penetration.
  3. They have excellent penetrating ability and are perfectly absorbed by wood.
  4. They form a beautiful glossy finish that will last about six years.

The only drawback that oil-based façade paint for a wooden house has is that it takes quite a long time to dry. The drying speed of this paint is about a day.

Antiseptics are a relatively new material. They have a liquid composition and have high penetrating ability. Antiseptics easily penetrate into the wood structure to a depth of 1 cm, providing its protection from various natural factors: humidity, rot, fungus, microbes.

Antiseptic compositions are divided into:

  1. Glazing. They form a transparent coating that preserves and enhances the beauty of natural wood.
  2. Toning. The wood is painted in the chosen color, while completely preserving the natural relief of the wood.

If you are interested in the question: how to paint the lining outside the house, or how to paint imitation timber, then for such materials it is best to use compositions that simultaneously protect the wood from the influence of running factors, and at the same time preserve its natural beauty. Such products are natural waxes, varnishes and stains.

  1. Wax is absorbed very well into wood and protects it from moisture and dirt. After waxing, the surface of the imitation timber will acquire a beautiful matte shine.
  2. Stain protects the surface from fungus and various pests, but this product alone is clearly not enough, such a coating will be short-lived. How to treat the outside of the lining after applying the stain? It is best to apply varnish on top, which will enhance the protective properties and extend the service life of the coating.
  3. Clear or colored varnishes are great for painting a house made of laminated veneer lumber. In both cases, the natural relief of natural wood will remain visible; colored varnish will only change its shade.

The main stages of preparing a wooden structure for painting

The technology for painting the outside of a wooden house includes several stages. If you want the paint to lay smoothly and beautifully, so that the coating turns out to be of high quality and durable, you must strictly adhere to the technology and consistently carry out all the preparatory work.


Two main factors affecting the quality of painting are weather conditions and wood moisture. It’s hard to say at what temperature you can paint the outside of a wooden house. The main thing is that the weather is dry and windless. Do not paint during or after rain, or in the scorching sun.

Wood moisture content during painting should be within 20%. And this begs the question: when to paint a house made of profiled timber after construction if lumber of natural moisture was purchased? There is only one option - we paint the timber only after it has completely dried.

Before painting the outside of a log house or before painting a log bathhouse, coat the ends of the logs with water-based paint or lime. It is advisable to do this immediately after the construction of the log house, even before sanding work, in order to prevent the logs from drying out. After sanding the house, the ends should also be painted at least 3-4 times.

Many home builders are interested in the question: how to paint the outside of a tall house with your own hands? To do this, you can take a stepladder or special sliding stairs. If the second floor and the gable of the house are located at a considerable height, you can build the scaffolding yourself, using strong and dry boards with a cross-section of at least 40 mm.

What is better to paint the outside of a wooden house with a brush or a spray gun? The paint applies more evenly when applied using a spray gun. However, if you do not have the skills to use a spray gun, it is better to paint with a wide natural or mixed brush with dense padding.

Mistakes when painting a house yourself

Many people who decide to paint a wooden house themselves are perplexed as to why the coating turned out unsightly, and after a short time it peeled off and they have to repaint it again. Some blame it all on low-quality dye, but even the best paint cannot produce a high-quality and beautiful paint job when non-professionals take on the job.

Home builders often make many mistakes:

  • due attention is not paid to home preparation,
  • Grinding is carried out incorrectly,
  • the painting process is disrupted,
  • the temperature regime is not maintained during operation,
  • wet lumber is painted,
  • materials that are incompatible with each other are selected.

All these errors affect the final result, which causes confusion.

Professional services from the company "Master Srubov"

The first impression that will form about our home, about ourselves, depends on what the appearance of our house will be. But if everything is more or less clear with the style of the rooms, and even a person who doesn’t understand anything about design will find a lot of materials and ready-made ideas for arranging the interior, then what to do with the facade of a private house?

We won't convince you to paint the outside of your house red or light yellow, but we will tell you the secrets of the professionals that will definitely influence your choice!

What can color depend on?

Ideally, the look of your home, both inside and out, should match your personality, preferences and tastes. But it turns out that this is not the only thing that determines the color of the facade.

“The appearance of the façade of a house most often determines the style of its interior; for example, a Victorian-style interior suggests the same design on the outside. It’s another matter when a house or townhouse is located in a cottage community, in which case the developer sets the exterior style, and the house owners have no choice but to adhere to it.

As for the choice of color, designers have the concepts of “feminine”, “masculine” or “neutral” interior, and the same applies to exteriors. So, a young married couple would rather try to choose something light and light. Very often the choice is influenced by memories associated with a joint vacation: they settle on the colors blue, white, sand. Women prefer red and pink, velvety surfaces, and elegant decorative elements. Men traditionally choose brown and dark tones, a brutal look for the facade of the house. A designer I know recently built himself a house from timber: all the wood is light, with black window frames, black flooring inside, red and black furniture. If there is a choice, the color of the house will definitely reflect the character, preferences and even gender of the people living in it,” says Alisa Semenova, designer of the interior studio LOFT&HOME.

Color selection algorithm

So how to choose the color of the facade? “At the initial stage of choosing the exterior of a house, it is very convenient to use special programs or online services that allow you to choose the color of the walls, windows, doors, roof, base of the house and decide whether you like the color combination or not. At the next stage, we recommend visiting a house exhibition [open-air exhibitions where samples of finished houses are collected, popular in large cities - approx. author], where you can see the selected color and texture of the material live on samples exhibited by manufacturers.

To make a final decision, it is advisable to paint a piece of wall approximately 0.5x1 meter in size and observe the sample during the day under different lighting conditions, and also, preferably, under different weather conditions - sunny and cloudy. In this case, the selection error will be minimized as much as possible.

As for practicality, light colors fade the least. White fades the slowest. However, it should be remembered that white color may become yellow over time. Thus, the most practical in this case may be a gray, dim color. It does not turn yellow over time and dust is practically invisible on it.

Dark colors look very impressive on facades, especially those with simple architectural forms. However, remember that they fade quickly. The leader in fading is black. If there is a need to use dark colors on the facade of the house, then you should pay attention to the warranty card for the paint, which indicates restrictions on the period of fading. Usually this is 5-7 years for dark colors,” shared Roman Konyakhin, manager of the “Low-Rise Country” exhibition of houses.

How to paint a plastered facade

When choosing paints for brick and concrete plastered facades, the same principles for choosing colors apply. But besides this, we should remember that our walls need paint not only for beauty. Yes, of course, the facade, and the whole street, where the walls of the houses are painted in bright colors, are pleasing to the eye, but it’s not just about the color. Paint must protect the surface of the facade from destruction: the sun, frost, strong winds and unclean air can damage even the most durable materials.

How to paint a wooden house

Of course, you can paint a wooden house “tightly” using topcoat paints, for example, wood enamels. But most often in wooden construction translucent paints are used - azures, popularly called either impregnations or stains (we previously wrote about the accuracy of the terms).

“For wooden houses it is better to use materials that emphasize the structure of the wood. After all, ultimately, this is why we choose a house made of wood: for its color and texture.

The color option will depend on the chosen color and texture of the roof, the proposed platbands, the color of the drainage system, the option of finishing the base, the color of window lamination, log/beam exits (cuts at corners and in wall joints), as well as on the design of already built buildings on the site, for example, baths. In our practice, we offer clients a choice of 3-4 standard options for painting a wooden house.

For a house it is better to use 2-3 colors: the first for the facade, the second for the trim, front roof strips and pillars, the third color for the base and balusters.

You also need to understand that wood requires special protection: during operation, it is capable of both gaining moisture from rain and other precipitation, and releasing it under the influence of sunlight.

The facades that suffer most from environmental factors are those located on the sunny side, so they are required to undergo protective treatment first of all after construction; it is also very important to immediately treat the exits of timber or logs, since they are the main points of entry of moisture into the material. We advise clients to use light colors. The fact is that dark surfaces can heat up more, and in comparison with them, light ones are subject to less deformation from the heating-cooling process,” said Anton Shagiev, director of the company for the construction of wooden houses “IZHS-STROY”.

So, the choice of color, as well as the choice between paint and glaze, is yours, the main thing is to use high-quality materials. Owners of wooden houses are more concerned with the question of how to update a façade painted with azure over time: we have already talked about this (here is the link).

Sooner or later, the owner of a country house has to decide how to paint the outside of a wooden house. Houses. Even if high-quality expensive wood was used to build the house, which has undergone factory chemical treatment with special impregnations, or glued timber, over time, the facade will require updating so that it retains its original appeal. In addition, painting the outside of a wooden house will not only save on materials (untreated wood is significantly cheaper), but also be completely confident in the quality of the work performed.

Wood ages: what is the reason?

Paradoxically, the main problem of wood lies precisely in its main advantage - it is a living material. And like any living matter, wood tends to age naturally. And in a felled tree, which is completely logical, the aging process occurs more intensely. In addition, there are several other factors that significantly affect the performance characteristics of wood:

  1. atmospheric factors - moisture and solar radiation cause the wood to coarse, become gray, and the fibers lose their elasticity. After precipitation (rain, snow, fog), the wood is saturated with moisture, swells, and dries out under the sun's rays. This repeated expansion/contraction of fibers causes wood to crack.
  2. with increased humidity, mold, rot and blue discoloration appear on the surface and in cracks. Blue discoloration occurs in the fiber, and on the surface appears only in the form black , blue -gray or brown spots. Mold appears only on the surface in the form of dark spots. These fungal formations cannot significantly reduce or destroy the density of the wood, but they significantly spoil the appearance, plus they emit a very unpleasant odor. But rot, corroding cellulose, can completely destroy the wood from the inside - such wood is absolutely not suitable for further use
  3. bark beetles - they can remain in the larval stage for several years before crawling out and starting to spoil the wood

Open houses need more protection, especially near reservoirs than those protected, for example, by a forest or located in a village. An additional factor in tree destruction can be a nearby route and, as a result, an increased concentration of exhaust gases.

What paint to paint a wooden house: deciding on the type

How to paint a wooden house correctly: basic operations

The stages of painting a wooden house include the following operations:

  1. surface preparation – allows you to create conditions under which adhesion improves, and, as a result, the durability of the coating
  2. applying a primer - a primer antiseptic will protect the wood from fungi, mold and insects, and will also reduce water absorption and help save on facade painting
  3. surface painting

In this case, the operations performed may differ significantly depending on whether the tree has been painted before.

Painting a new house

Only good, dried wood can be coated with paint, otherwise an antiseptic primer is applied on top and the wood is allowed to dry. First, the walls are thoroughly cleaned of dust and dirt - this can be done with a not very hard brush and water. Excess resin is also removed with an iron brush, and the area is treated with knot varnish. If there are signs of blue discoloration or mold, these areas must be treated with special agents. After preparing the surface, the wood is allowed to rest for 1-2 weeks.

Advice! Before painting, all metal inclusions (heads of screws, nails, staples, etc.) must be treated with an anti-corrosion primer.

For painting, it is good to choose a warm, but not too hot day - under the scorching sun, the paint dries too quickly, without having time to penetrate deeply into the wood. During the process, the paint must be stirred periodically - then you will get the same shade over the entire surface to be painted. The paint must be applied exclusively in the longitudinal direction. Before applying a new layer, it is necessary to wait until the previous one has completely dried.

Advice! The most active absorption of water into wood occurs in the end part of the logs (boards), so this part will require special treatment. To prevent rotting caused by excessive moisture, several layers of primer and basecoat are applied to the ends.

  • old acrylic paint cracks along the wood grain and has a leathery surface, easily rolled into a tube
  • oil paint cracks mainly across the fibers and looks like cells; it crumbles when rolled.

Before starting work, carefully protect the surface from hanging and peeling pieces of old paint. This can be done either mechanically (with a brush or scraper, this will be faster) or chemically (various gel removers, this will take longer, but the structure of the wood will not be damaged or scratched). After this, the wood is washed well and allowed to dry. Areas damaged by blue stains or mold are covered with special products.

Advice! To obtain high-quality adhesion of paint to wood, the cleaned surface is treated with a high-quality alkaline washing solution before painting.

Severely damaged and rotten boards should be removed and replaced with new ones. The painting process itself is similar to that described above.

Wood is a living material, so over time it begins to age and loses its original beautiful appearance. There are many reasons for aging: ultraviolet radiation from the sun, precipitation and temperature fluctuations.

In addition, the building is constantly affected by biological threats: the wood can suffer from rot and mold, it is destroyed by wood-boring beetles, blueweed and other pests. To update the appearance of a building, you can paint an old house using modern materials.

What products can be used for old wood?

There can be quite a lot of answers to the question of how to paint an old log house: it is important not only to create a new decorative coating, but also to protect the wood from further destruction by various threats. In this regard, painting an old log house means providing a multi-layer treatment using several types of products. To fully protect your home you will need:

  • Antiseptics. These are deep penetration products (up to 7 mm) that allow you to protect your home from rot, mold and other biological threats.

For an old house, they are simply necessary, as they allow you to restore the tree by removing pockets of infection. The choice of antiseptics is quite wide; you can purchase European or Russian products.

  • Wood bleaches. They are needed only if the logs have become very dark over time and have completely lost their appearance.

There are also quite a lot of such funds; as an example, we can name “Senezh Effo”. They are expensive, so professional bleaches can be replaced with regular “Whiteness” - a chlorine-containing composition can also give good results.

  • Facade putties are necessary in order to completely close cracks in logs. Wood tends to crack when it dries out or during shrinkage, and if the cracks are not closed in time, this can lead to a decrease in the strength of the log and its load-bearing capacity. Putty will help cover the affected area.
  • Preparing old wood for painting ends with the application of a façade primer. This substance also penetrates deeply into the wood structure, leveling the surface. If you pre-treat the wood with a primer, the paint will go on smoother and you will need much less materials for painting.

When deciding how to paint the outside of an old house, it is better to avoid glazing compounds unless complete pre-treatment with bleach is intended. Translucent paints will only emphasize the dark color of the old wood, which will not add beauty to the house at all. It is better to spare no expense in completely restoring the external appearance of the building.

Types of paints for exterior home treatment

What paint to paint an old house? After pre-treatment, the building will be ready for final painting, for which you need to choose the right composition. For the exterior treatment of a wooden building, the following types of paint compositions can be used:

  • Oil paints. This is a traditional option that is becoming less and less common these days. They are quite durable; the paint layer will last for at least 6 years without major changes, since they penetrate deeply into the wood.

But they have a number of disadvantages: oil-based paint takes a very long time to dry, and the specific smell makes working with it very unpleasant. In addition, it is very difficult to apply evenly: most often, unsightly streaks remain on the wood.

  • Acrylic paints are the most modern popular option. They form an even layer with a pleasant shine; such paints will make the wood truly alive.

At the same time, it will be very convenient to work with them, the coating dries quickly, and in the future it will not get dirty. Acrylic paints can be considered the most profitable solution today.

  • Alkyd paints are another popular solution. They are made on the basis of alkyd resins: the finished coating will have a water-repellent film, so the wood will be reliably protected from moisture. Moreover, such paints are also inexpensive, which makes them a very profitable solution.

Is it possible not to remove old paint?

A common situation: the old paint layer is cracked, but it will take too long to remove it. The question arises, how and with what to paint the outside of the house using old paint, and whether it is worth doing.

In this case, preliminary work will be required to remove the peeling paint with a spatula, followed by sanding. Only after this will it be possible to proceed to full painting.

How to paint a wooden house using old paint? The best option is to use the same composition as the one that has already been used. If the walls of the house were covered with oil paint, you need to choose a similar solution, then the new layer will lie much smoother.

If there is no paint on any part of the wall, it is better to pre-prime the surface with a suitable composition. You can use acrylic penetrating primer; drying oil is used to prepare the surface for oil paint.

Proper surface preparation and painting will restore your old home's beauty and make it look beautiful again. Full processing will extend its service life and protect it from any threats.

Wooden surfaces used outdoors require high-quality protection from the damaging effects of the environment. After long-term use of wooden structures, this task is more relevant than ever.

Specifics of old wooden houses

The following features of old wooden walls compared to recently erected ones can be highlighted:

  • Presence of defects and damage to wood. These could be cracks, traces of biological influence (mold), etc.
  • Deterioration in the appearance of the tree from the outside (burnout, loss of color).
  • The presence of old coating that needs to be removed.

Impact of specificity

How to paint the outside of an old wooden house, taking into account the specific features outlined above? First, you need to remove the old coating. Theoretically, you don’t have to do this, but it is highly recommended because:

  • The presence of the old coating makes it possible to carry out all the necessary measures,
  • The old coating may simply crumble (along with the new one),
  • Paint consumption when working on an old coating increases by 10-15%.

Secondly, attention should be paid to thorough antiseptic treatment of the material. Considering the appearance of old wood, it is not advisable to use glazing compounds. On the other hand, coating antiseptics will not provide the required level of protection, since they have a superficial effect. The best option is deep penetration formulations.

Thirdly, it is recommended to use facade putty to eliminate serious surface defects. Putty greatly complicates the technology of treating walls from the outside, but it helps to repair cracks, chips and other damage.

What paints should I use?

Let's consider how to paint the outside of an old wooden house:

Oil paints.

Not so long ago, this was the most popular option for painting wood. However, today the popularity of this type of paint is falling. The reason is the presence of some negative features: long drying time, tendency to matt, difficulty of application (drips often form).

On the other hand, oil paints are inexpensive, penetrate deep into the wood and protect it from water.

Acrylic paints.

These compositions, on the contrary, are gaining popularity. Paints of this type are applied in an even, smooth layer, which will update the appearance of an old structure. At the same time, acrylic paints dry quickly enough and do not have a strong odor. The service life of acrylic paints is 30-40% longer compared to oil-based paints. However, their price is higher.

Alkyd paints.

Due to the presence of resins, they provide good protection of wood from water.

Both acrylic and alkyd paints hold color well and are vapor permeable. The latter circumstance allows the wood to “breathe”, which ensures that the wood maintains optimal moisture content.

When painting old wood surfaces, it is important to ensure they are properly prepared. In addition, the specifics of old walls practically exclude the use of glaze compounds. Acrylic paints can be considered the most preferred material for work.

Painting the outside of an old wooden house
Wooden surfaces used outdoors require high-quality protection from the damaging effects of the environment.

Refresh the paint on an old house and make it look like new

What you need to paint a house

Where to start painting a house

Like all repair work, you need to start with calculating the material. You need to measure the area of ​​the part of the house that is to be painted. It should correspond to the area of ​​the walls minus the area of ​​existing windows and doors.

Then calculate the required amount of paint for this. This is quite easy to do. All cans always indicate the average paint consumption per square meter, which should be multiplied by the area of ​​the measured wall of the house. What happened is multiplied by two, since to obtain a good quality coating you should apply at least two layers of paint.

How to paint the outside of an old wooden house

What paint to buy and what color to paint the house? For painting an old wooden house, oil paint or alkyd enamel is best. It is still preferable to purchase alkyd enamel; although it is more expensive than oil paint, it has a longer service life of the paint layer, up to six years, while oil paint has up to three years.

As for the color scheme for painting your house, then as they say, “there are no friends according to taste and color.” You can paint a wooden house any color you like. You can paint the outside of the house either one color or combine two or more colors.

Paint an old house any color you like

How to paint a house correctly - let's get to work!

The first stage is preparatory, perhaps the dirtiest and not very pleasant, but necessary. When preparing the surface of the walls before painting, you need to check and replace, if necessary, fragments of the old cladding that have become unusable.

Then, using a metal brush, carefully remove the old paint and clean the walls from peeling and dust. Window frames and trim, as well as doorways, should be sanded. Then construction tape and wrapping paper (or, alternatively, old newspapers) will come in handy, with which you can protect the window glass from paint getting on it.

How to renovate an old house - let's start painting

Before painting the house, it would be a good idea to treat the surface with a primer; the paint will lie smoother, and the consumption will be less. After you have thoroughly mixed the paint in the jar, you should immediately apply it to the surface of the wall, moving from top to bottom, using a wide brush. This is done in order to rub the flowing paint, preventing the formation of drips.

When applying the first layer, it is advisable to use paint of a thinner consistency, which penetrates faster and fills minor damage and cracks. After just a couple of days, the surface of the walls can be repainted.

And the final touch is to tidy up and update the cornices, door and window frames. These parts need to be painted with a narrow hair brush, having previously cleaned them of dirt and dust. It is better to choose paint in lighter tones than the main color, or even in a contrasting color. When finished, remove paper and tape from the windows.

How and with what to paint the outside of an old wooden house
How and with what to paint the outside of a wooden house to give the building a completely new look - read our article


Every owner of a wooden house should periodically think about protecting its walls. Wood is subject to destruction due to seasonal temperature changes, high humidity and ultraviolet radiation. Moreover, fungi, mold or various insects may appear in it. Painting an old wooden house can help solve these problems.

Before you start painting, you need to prepare the walls: check the elements of the old cladding, seal cracks, and prime the surface.

Causes of damage to old coating

Old paint may begin to peel or bubble. Basically, this problem appears due to the increased content of condensate. The reason for its occurrence may be wear and tear of the putty coating, a clogged drainage system, or poor-quality treatment of seams or cracks.

In order for the paint to adhere well to the wall, it is necessary to apply a layer of primer to the surface to be treated.

To fix this problem, you need to address the source of moisture. To do this, it is necessary to thoroughly study the condition of the walls of a wooden house from the outside. Then check the condition of the roof, all existing gutters, window bays and cladding and seam joints. If cracks are found on the outside walls of a wooden house, they must be repaired (sealed). After this, you need to check the condition of the putty; if it falls off, then it needs to be renewed. The next step before painting the exterior of a wooden house is to apply a primer, otherwise the wood may absorb the solvent, which will lead to poor performance.

Peeling of paint can also occur under the eaves, where weather exposure is minimal. This happens mainly in plates that have a small thickness. In this case, moisture interacts with the chemical composition of the paint, which leads to the appearance of a salt coating. The resulting salts will accumulate water, which will freeze when low temperatures arrive. When frozen, water is subject to expansion, so it will lift the top layers of paint, causing it to delaminate.

To avoid this, you need to wash the wall surface located under the eaves using regular detergents. You can also use a car wash for these purposes, which will allow you to wash under pressure. After this, the paint that will peel off must be removed from the surface of the walls.

Crack Treatment

To avoid delamination of previously painted layers, and to avoid the appearance of unevenness on the walls, you need to grind the base to the surface of the log.

From time to time, cases arise when the paint on the outside of a wooden house is accompanied by cracking of the base of the walls. Small fractures may appear at first, which can eventually form larger cracks. Such defects contribute to the penetration of dampness under the surface of the coating and, as a result, the destruction of the paint of a wooden house.

Moreover, dampness that gets into the cracks will lead to mold and various fungi getting onto the surface of the wall. This will not only lead to damage to the material in the future, but can also cause various types of diseases, including pulmonary ones.

The walls of some houses may have been painted more than once, so the lower layers of the coating have become completely fragile, which leads to delamination of all layers in turn. As a result, water can get on the wood and it will swell, which will lead to the appearance of cracks or an increase in the size of old ones.

To avoid such problems, you need to remove the damaged surface, after which they are polished. But the best option would be to completely remove all layers of paint and varnish material, right to the surface of the log. This will prevent similar problems in the future and eliminate the appearance of unevenness on the walls.

House painting process

If the old coat of paint is faded, has a pale appearance, is moldy, or has other imperfections, it's time to start painting it. The technology for painting an old wooden house is divided into three main stages:

Tools for applying paint: paint brush or roller, paint container, rag or rags.

  1. Removing the old coating surface.
  2. Treating walls using primer and various antiseptics.
  3. Applying a coat of paint.

After the wall surface is cleared of old paint and other coatings, you need to apply an antiseptic primer to it. After this, you need to apply paint, and for this you will need the following tools and materials:

  1. Paint brush or roller.
  2. Bucket.
  3. Rag or rags.

In order to paint a house with your own hands with high quality, you need to mix the paint very carefully and well to avoid applying an uneven layer of coating.

Before starting work, you can paint a small test area to understand the correct selection of the required color. The highest quality can be achieved using a brush. Its use will allow you to obtain a uniform color and thickness of the applied layer.

If possible, you should use a primer whose color is identical to the color of the paint. This can be done using the tinting procedure. Tinting the soil will allow you to avoid unpainted areas.

Painting the outside of a wooden house should not be done in direct sunlight to avoid the paint drying very quickly. Therefore, it is not recommended to perform such robots during the day in hot weather. Work should be avoided during precipitation (rain, snow, etc.), which will complicate the drying process of the material. The most favorable weather will be a warm, windless and partly cloudy day.

Antiseptic paint should be applied along the material to ensure better penetration into the wood fibers. Particular attention should be paid to the ends of boards or logs. These are the weakest points of the tree, where water will most easily and very quickly be absorbed into the structure of the material. Therefore, it is necessary to apply paint and primer very carefully and in several layers to the ends.

Painting the outside of a wooden house is a necessary and responsible task. It will help not only preserve the surface of its walls, but also make it reliable, beautiful, and also emphasize the high status of the owner of the house.

How to paint the outside of an old wooden house
Painting the outside of an old wooden house is a necessary and responsible task. How to do it yourself? Crack treatment, house painting process.


Wood is a living material, so processes occur in it that are characteristic of all living organisms. Under the influence of time and unfavorable weather factors (rain, sun, temperature changes), wood begins to age, become sick and deteriorate. Various microorganisms and insects that settle in the tree and gradually destroy its structure, as well as mold and mildew that form in damp places, also contribute to this negative process. As a result, the wood loses its original appearance, and the house turns into an unsightly gray structure. Painting the gray walls of a wooden house can solve the problem. How to renew aged wood, and what paint is best to paint it with, that’s what we’ll talk about.

Specifics of painting an old wooden house

An old wooden structure, unlike a newly built house, has already experienced the negative influence of time, bad weather and other natural factors. Therefore, the building, as a rule, has a very unpleasant appearance: the wood is cracked and darkened, the logs are covered with a network of small cracks, and in some places mold and mildew are blooming. In general, all the signs of old age and decline are evident. The best way to update an old building is by painting.

If you immediately apply fresh paint on top of all this “beauty,” then nothing good will come of it. A new coating will not save the house from further destruction; on the contrary, applied to an untreated surface, it can provoke increased crumbling of the wood. Therefore, before painting the outside of an old wooden house, it is necessary to carefully prepare and renew the surface.

Preparing the house for painting

The first step is to inspect the entire structure. If the inspection reveals logs that are rotten and severely damaged by fungus, they will have to be replaced. If the wood has not yet been damaged, areas covered with mold can be preserved. In this case, moldy areas are treated with an antiseptic.

A darkened surface can be bleached using special bleaching compounds. For the same purposes, ordinary cheap white is suitable, which will provide the same effect as more expensive special means. Large and small cracks are sealed with acrylic-based putties for exterior use. If the surface is to be painted in the future, putty of any color is suitable; under the varnish coating it is better to use products that match the wood.

Main stages of preparatory work:

  1. Old peeling paint is cleaned off with a wire brush or spatula. You can also use chemicals designed to clean the surface. The mechanical method is faster, and the chemical method takes longer, but is more effective. After chemical treatment, the old log structure will look like new.
  2. Uneven and rough surfaces are sanded to good light wood. To do this, use a grinder with a special attachment. If there are any unevenness left on the wood after sanding, they are smoothed out with coarse sandpaper.
  3. Next, a primer is applied. To protect wood from the appearance of fungus and mold, it is better to paint it with a primer composition with antiseptic additives. It is advisable to use a primer that matches the color of the paint that will be used to paint the house.

What paint is best to paint the outside of a wooden house?

To determine the best way to paint a wooden house, you need to get acquainted with the dyes that are suitable for painting the external walls of old wooden buildings.

There are several types of coloring compounds:

  1. Oil paints have very good penetrating ability and are perfectly absorbed by wood. They are also highly resistant to any weather conditions.
  2. Acrylate paints form an elastic coating on the surface that does not crack when wood shrinks during seasonal temperature fluctuations. The house will need to be repainted no earlier than ten years after the renovation.
  3. Coating antiseptics reliably protect wood from various adverse weather conditions, and also prevent the formation of mold and rot.

A different type of paint can be applied to an old painted surface only if the previous dye is completely removed before repainting. If you bought a house that was already painted and don't know what kind of paint it was painted with, you can tear off a small piece of the old paint and roll it up. If the old coating easily rolls up, most likely the structure was painted with acrylate dye, but if the paint has crumbled, then you have an oil composition.

How to paint an old wooden house correctly

You can only paint dry wood, otherwise the paint will curl. Painting is best done in cloudy but not rainy weather. This is due to the fact that direct sunlight, when hitting a painted surface, contributes to the formation of stains.

Before applying the paint, it must be mixed thoroughly. For painting, it is better to choose a wide brush with natural or mixed bristles and dense padding. Work begins with the lower crowns of the frame, applying paint only in a horizontal direction to avoid smudges. To get an even and beautiful coating, you need to apply two or three layers. After repainting the house for the first time, you need to wait for the paint to dry completely, and only then proceed to the next layer.

Mistakes when doing work independently

A typical mistake when painting an old wooden structure is poor quality and improper preparation of the wood before applying the dye. Some unprofessional builders, wanting to quickly and cheaply repaint an old log house, perform only part of the necessary preparatory work, or even skip the preparation stage, which ultimately only increases costs. For example, when painting yourself, logs are often not sanded, as a result of which the antiseptic cannot penetrate deeply into the wood, which causes the fragility of the new coating.

Professional painting services

The right choice is to entrust the painting of your old wooden house to specialists who thoroughly know the technology and rules for performing the work. Experienced craftsmen of the Master Srubov company will carry out all the necessary work at a high professional level. We will determine the condition of the wood, thoroughly prepare the house for painting, and select the optimal paint composition in accordance with the individual characteristics of the wooden structure. We guarantee high quality painting and a long service life of the new coating. You can contact us using the coordinates in the “Contacts” section.

Technology and rules for painting an old wooden house
Painting the gray walls of a wooden house can solve the problem. We will tell you in this article how to renew aged wood and what paint is best to paint it with.