Restoring the Brownstone Facade and Working on the Wrought Iron

Clip Summary

Bob focuses on the exterior of the Manhattan Brownstone, where paint has built up over the last 100 years and now obscures the details and carvings on the facade. Erik Nadoban of Nadoban Painting joins Bob to talk about stripping the paint and restoring the facade to its original appearance. Nadoban used an alkaline-based product and paper to peel away the layers of paint on the Brownstone and carvings. This method removes up to 30 layers of paint. On the wrought iron he used a methane chloride product. The intricate detailing and iron flowers required five or six applications of stripper to dig out the paint. Once stripped, he applied an oil-base rust inhibitor followed by a single, light coat of oil-base paint. He uses a technique that prevents drips and buildup, first dabbing around the details with an angled ox-hair brush, then using a light-hand coat to sweep across the dabs and give a smooth finish.