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How to paint a cubby house and seal gaps?

Hello everyone!

I was gifted second hand cubby house for my little one. It needs a bit work done so I thought this would be the best place to ask for help 😊

We're planning on sanding it down but I'm completely clueless as to what paint to use after. Should it be primed first? Which primer would be the best? Also which paint should we use? I was looking into Dulux Weathershield, would that be a good choice?

Also there are some cracks in the roof which we can fix but was wondering what would be the best option to seal the gaps? I thought of just putting some Styrofoam on the inside of the roof. Is that a good option or is there a better one?

Thanks all! 😊

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Comments

EricL

Hello @EnthusiasticBee

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's marvellous to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about painting your cubby house.

What a fantastic project to be undertaking. If you are planning on sanding the timber surface, I recommend investing in a Ozito 200W Detail Sander. It comes with a set of sanding pads that should help you sand down the entire cubby house. Once you've sanded the house down, I suggest using a shop vacuum to remove all the sanding dust that has settled on the surface of the cubby house.

The next step I would suggest is to seal all the gaps and cracks with Selleys 430g White No More Gaps Exterior Gap Filler. This will make the inside of the cubby house drip free from the occasional bout of rain. In order to prevent the gap filler from sinking into the cracks, I suggest using painter's tape between the cracks on the inside of the roof. This will prevent the filler from sagging on the inside of the roof.

Once the filler has cured, you can then begin painting the cubby house. Your suggestion of using Dulux Weathersheild was going to be my recommendation. It's self-priming has UV protection included in the mix and is water-based. I recommend having a look at this featured project - Weatherboard home renewed with paint by @Dinny. I think this colour scheme would make your cubby house look very modern.

I also recommend having a look at this discussion - Old cubby house renovation by @Jimi.

Here are some handy step-by-step guides:

How to choose the right paint for the job
Fence makeover using Dulux RapidFinish paint spray gun by @Nikkaz (just in case you wish to explore the possibility of using a spray gun)
How much paint is needed to paint a fence? (this will help with paint calculation)
How to apply exterior gap filler

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

EnthusiasticBee

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/31314#Comment_31314

Thank you so much @EricL!

What a brilliant answer to all of my questions. Can't wait to start 😊

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/78118#Comment_78118

Hi @EnthusiasticBee

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing the start of your cubby house painting project.

Eric

EnthusiasticBee

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/103182#Comment_103182

Hello @EricL,

Thought I should give you a little update after your brilliant advice.

It took some tim but cubby house is finally done. It was in pretty bad shape so when we tried sanding it down some of the boards started breaking so we decided to sand down only parts that were really needing it and the rest I thoroughly washed with sugar soap. We sealed it with Selleys exterior gap filler, gave it 3 coats of Dulux Weathershield paint and secured all wobbly parts and it came up looking great!

Thank you so much for your advice 😊

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/118976#Comment_118976

Hello @EnthusiasticBee

Thank you so much for posting that updated photo of your cubby house. The colours you've chosen really make the features of the cubby house come alive. The white trims on the windows add excellent detail. Thanks for sharing your painting process, I'm sure our members who are planning on repainting their own cubby house will find the information very useful.

I look forward to seeing your next project.

Eric

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