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Bob joins Ron Boyajian and the painters for the prep work and painting of this 100 year-old wooden Victorian. The painter explains that they power wash the surface with a 50/50 mix of bleach and water to blast away loose paint and kill any mildew. He then shows how to feather the edges of the paint with a sander for a smooth finish. A drop cloth, and a catch on the sander keep chips out of the soil, but it's critical to check for lead content in the paint before disturbing it. Boyajian shows Bob the moisture meter used to check the moisture content in the wood and verify the right type of paint to use on the surface. At around 10 percent moisture, a latex paint will adhere without peeling, but at 25 percent, oil-based paint will peel, so it's important to get an average for the house. Boyajian gives Bob the basics on priming before painting. At 60 percent bare wood, he says it's best to prime the entire house. California Paints uses their Trouble-Shooter linseed-oil-based primer to hold back the tannic acid in the new cedar clapboards so that they won't bleed into the new paint. The painter shows the proper technique for covering clapboards, using a hand-brushing technique to cover the butts first and then the face of the clapboards for good coverage. This primer is tinted to half the depth of the color of the finish coat so that it will hide any imperfections in the top coat.

Before starting your next paint job, have your tools ready. For the prep, you'll need putty, a putty knife, sandpaper, masking tape, drop cloths, wash buckets, rags and liners. You may also need a step ladder for those hard to reach areas. Of course, you will also need the right brushes and rollers for the job.

Excessively tall staircase paint jobs that require scaffolding might be best left to the experts. For moderately tall jobs, a few easy steps will have the walls and ceilings looking new in no time.