Maintenance means the cleaning and repairing of a building on an ongoing basis. Planning the preservation process is important. First one must stabilize, protect, and secure against ongoing property damage or injury. There are many challenges to maintaining buildings, particularly regarding the major enemy -water penetration. Exterior leaks cause interior problems. leaks need to be fixed. Temporary repairs should not have the potential to cause more serious long term problems. One needs to also secure against the loss or damage of historical elements. Building maintenance problems can range from structural problems, those related to erosion, and settlement of masonry that have significant effects on a building's integrity, to pant on the surface of a building. Below we will examine maintenance issues specifically related to one aspect of maintenance that is easy to see on the exterior of buildings - paint.
PAINTING PROBLEMS
Paint problems can occur as a result of blisters, stubborn dirt or discoloration and caulking or streaking. Paint may crackle, wrinkle peel or alligator (advanced form of crackling and crazing).
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Peeling paint usually results from painting under adverse conditions, inadequate surface preparation, or moisture.
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Alligatoring extends all the way down to the wood and usually signals old, thick paint that has lost its flexibility. To cure alligatoring all paint must be removed down to the bare wood. Any rotten wood must first be repaired before repainting. |
Surfaces must be properly prepared before painting. Old problem paint needs to be removed by scraping, heat, or chemical methods; these removal methods can be hazardous. Holes of the wood or other material should be filling in. Weathered wood or other rough surfaces of wood may also need sanding so that it can properly hold the paint. Caulking should also be completed. Caulk fills crevices, stops air flow through small spaces, and keeps out rainwater.
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| Peeling paint on porch posts at 530 Race Street (Sixth & Race Streets) needs maintenance. | Paint is stripped, sanded, and then primed. | The final coat of paint on the posts finishes the job. |
The surface needs to be properly prepared using a solution such as primer. Purists choose paint colors that fit the style and period of the building. Paint can be applied using a variety of methods (paint brush, roller, or sprayer).
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This home located at 405 Arch Street, between Fourth & Fifth Streets is one of the few homes in Perkasie with wooden siding and the only one with wood clapboards covering the entire house.The clapboards and end boards need to be properly attached to the house before the painting process starts. This home involves significant effort to repaint. | |
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VICTORIAN HOMES
Many Victorian homes in Perkasie include a significant amount of ornamental detail. These homes are a challenge and an expense to maintain. In some cases new materials have been substituted for old materials in order to reduce the maintenance.
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The home seen at left and below is located at 142 Sixth St (Sixth & Race Streets) in Perkasie. The original home was built in brick. Vinyl siding was added to the second floor many years ago and a porch at the back of the home was enclosed and covered in siding. Most of the other exterior ornamentation remains intact and adds charm to the home. The tri-color paint scheme draws attention these details sometimes called gingerbread. |
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| Louvered wooden shutters add charm to this house. | Simple angular porch columns and dentil trim (at top) trim the wrap-around porch. |
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| Unique iron ornaments appear on the roof tops. | A new lattice fence has been added to the side and back yards. Though not original the details are appropriate to the Victorian style of the house. Note the finials on the top of the post and how they repeat the forms on the roof. |
