2008 Issue 6

Coating Concerns
by William E. North

Problematic Delays!
An observation that is becoming uncomfortably prevalent in New England condominium communities is the poor condition of the wood siding. Severe erosion damage used to be the exception. Over the past several seasons it has moved into the ranks of a common, frustrating and an expensive problem.

The Problem
Many of the suburban complexes were built in the 80's. They are now reaching the age where the original coatings have been depleted. Projects that were originally coated with transparent or semi transparent stains are the most susceptible to erosion damage and thus require the most frequent coating maintenance. Projects that started with a solid coating but allowed the coating to be exposed beyond the functional life of the coating are also seeing major siding problems. Depleted coatings do not prevent the degradation of the siding due to the wear and tear of the weathering process.

The greatest contributor to damaged siding is not ignorance but rather planned delays in the coating cycle. The association budget is stretched. All parties want to avoid a "Special Assessment" but in the end the buildings need coating. It is a convenient decision to put off the required coating project just one year. The rationale is that it took the buildings three years to reach the current state, surely one more year will not hurt. Unfortunately, erosion is an accelerating process. Each year the speed of degradation increases. It is not uncommon to see as much wood damage in the final year as what was experienced in all the previous years combined.

A board that might get away with a one year delay often is lulled into an attempt to get a second year of grace prior to starting the coating project. The delay leads to thousands of dollars of wood damage that renders the siding incapable of presenting a smooth unblemished appearance when finally painted.

The Symptom
Eroded wood is porous wood. The soft fibrous areas of the grain wear away faster than the hard growth lines of the grain. This leads to a pitted surface that receives stain in a varying way board to board as well as grain to grain.

Unit owners will swear that the problem is nothing more than a light or poor application of the stain that can be solved with an application of another coat. From a distance the patchy dark and light shading looks like an application problem.

Once the wood is damaged, the application of a new coating will coat the undulating surface of peaks and valleys. In a valley the coating goes deep. At a peak the coating lies close to the apparent surface of the wood. Assuming proper application, the surface is 100 % covered by the new coating. However, the light casts shadows in the valley thus giving a darker hue to the siding in the eroded areas. This is the lighter and darker shading that is described. One, two or three additional coats will not make a difference in the presentation of the siding.

Unit owners don't expect blemished light and dark patches on their buildings.  When they hear and think of "recoating" they expect a final product that looks perfect. When the result misses their expectations there is disappointment and then there is outrage that is projected at the contractor (who must have done a poor job), the property manager (who should have done something, anything) and the board which is responsible in the end. Outrage breeds conflict and the temperature of the association meetings rises.

The Solution
Before a decision is made to delay maintenance, know the risks for your specific association. The best solution is easy to say but hard to implement. Don't delay the coating protection cycle. Long term cost associated with decreased curb appeal of the buildings and reduced life of the siding in no way justifies the short term savings or fiscal convenience.

Boards that are in the predicament of high risk of damage and a constrained budget should fully disclose to the unit owners the risks and the option of an assessment to avoid the risks. If and when the option of an assessment is voted down, communicate the risks and ramifications clearly in writing to all unit owners as protection from the future wrath.

William North is President of Prime Touch Services. The company provides condominium consultation and maintenance for painting, carpentry and vinyl siding in Connecticut and New England.