Painting of Peeled Skylight Tunnel

If you detected water stain marks on your skylight tunnel or peeling paint on the interior part of frame or drywall it is important to find the reason whether the skylight is leaking or it could be condensation issue. Usually this problem is solved by home owner or roofer before painters are invited to fix and paint interior part of the tunnel. I will show steps how to prepare and paint skylight tunnel after exterior part is fixed.

Step 1. If you see signs of mold or mildew it is necessary to wear gloves and a proper mask. Tape the window around perimeter and cover the glass with a plastic if you are going to use spray primer. Make sure it is no film for the sun control, because tape can damage or rip off the film. Scrape peeled paint from the surface with a scraper (5 in one tool and finish with sandpaper (usually I use grit 100).

Step 2. Wash the surface by using bucket, sponge and towel with mold killing solution. For this case we have painted drywall, we can use disinfectant chlorine bleach 10% solution. Allow the surface completely to dry. You can use mobile fan directed to the skylight.

Step 3. Fix the drywall by using mesh tape and patching mud. After everything is dry, sand patched spots and prime all spots with the proper primer. I prefer oil based primers from the paint stores with anti mildew protecting qualities. Especially if you have spots with bare wood, oil based primer is necessary (my opinion).

Step 4. Allow primer to dry completely than fill every crack with the caulk. I like Sherwin Williams 950 white caulk, but you can have different choice. When caulk is settled (firm enough) it is time for painting. I used Emerald interior acrylic semi gloss finish paint and primer in one with stain blocking advanced technology. It is much more durable than regular flat paint, often used for ceilings and skylight tunnels. Especially if you don't change old skylight window with new one you can expect condensation water spots in the future, so washable paint is preferred.

Sorry if this post looked scary at the start, but good news is, that this looks much better now J. 

Step 5. The paint on the video is wet and fresh. After it will be dry you can check if the sheen is nice and even. Than you will decide if it needs second coat. On the end would be nice to compare these two "faces" J:

Before                                                                                                    After

 All comments are welcome on  any of my posts.

 Happy New Year Everybody!!