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Painting the House: Summer, 2011

It seems like we JUST did this, but the paint job completed in 2007 is already flaking off and we must paint the exterior AGAIN this summer.  The big question is WHY is the paint flaking so badly in such a short time?  We are confident a good quality of paint was used, and the painters were careful to prepare the surface by scraping and priming.

We believe it is because of excessive interior moisture in the unheated house during the winter. When you look at the house on a sunny winter day you can see water droplets running down the insides of the windows (also ruining that paint and damaging the wood of our 200 year old windows!).  Since there is no insulation or vapor barrier, the moisture that comes from the dirt floor basement is free to penetrate the walls and lift the paint.

In 2007 we were fortunate to have workers from the Windham Correctional Institute paint the building and also had the paint donated by Sherwin-Williams of Windham. This year we were unable to get the free labor but store manager John Witonis at Sherwin-Williams came through once again on the paint*.  Bottom line is we need to raise at least $5,000 to paint the house and do something about the moisture problem. We are not sure exactly what will be done, but it appears some combination of vapor barriers in the basement and ventilation above may do the trick.

The painting itself has been ongoing for most of the summer and we expect to finish before the onset of cold weather.  Most of the work is being done by one young man, Matt Larrabee, who is doing an excellent job, particularly on the re-glazing of the deteriorated windows.

*Note on paint donation:  Both of the “Big Box’ stores in Windham as well as Aubuchon Hardware in Raymond were approached for donations but did not help us. We hope you will remember Sherwin-Williams’ support for their community when you are next shopping for paints or supplies.

Please help us in this effort by making a special contribution to the painting fund. We will gladly provide a receipt for tax purposes, so be sure to include your name and address. Contributions should be mailed to:

Hawthorne House Painting Fund

P.O. Box 185, So. Casco, ME  04077