We just bought a new old house in centro, we have some doors and windows that are cracked, chipped and I want to paint them over. What can I do to fix the chips and paint the doors?

Hi Alen62, It is hard to say, everything depends on how does your woodwork looks like at this moment and what you hoping for it to look like when is done. In general the most common door and windows problems here are: rot damage, wither damage and sunlight damage and in most cases are repairable. Rot damage is usually found on the bottom of the door and windows, you should remove completely deteriorated part than satchurate it with Penetrating Epoxy Sealer, when its dry you can fill it with Epoxy Filler (my personal favorite is Bondo also widely used in auto-body repair). Sun and Weather damage use the same techniques but most important part is that you absolutely have to have your woodwork sealed and painted to prevent more damage in the future. And in the Yucatan it is never ending battle.

Thanks, Which of the paint brands available in Merida would you recommend for the exterior wood?

yes wood need to be repainted for it to look good and new. I think the painter whom you will appoint will do all the prior thing that has to be carried out before painting like rubbing the surface making it clear and smooth to paint on.

If the doors are in bad condition then my advise would be better replace it with the new one. Install a new door specially that of acrylic door. If you want to paint the existing door without changing it then do the following steps so that the cracks and chips can be hided by painting the door. Wash the door first and let it dry or wipe with a dry cloth. Paint a thin coat of color on the door and let it dry. Now apply the main paint and also use the roller to equally spread the paint and let it dry overnight.

Hi, Any of the reputable brands of paint are OK and in Merida you have practically all the mayor paint companies. What I would humbly suggest that for your exterior wood applications you should use the oil based paint or any synthetic resins rather than acrylic or vinyl paints. Good Luck.