Hi everyone :) I've been looking at numerous web pages about the steps in prepping a house exterior for repainting. Many suggest washing as the first main step. But my mobile/manufactured home's pressed-wood siding panels have some small crumbling areas (around some of the nails). Those need to be gouged out (for those nails where the wood isn't already gone) so I can repair with an appropriate filler. Plus the paint has flaked off entirely at several places on the siding panels. I see small areas of exposed bare wood. Also, there is no visible caulk along the vertical seams where panels meet and slightly overlap. It seems like water would end up entering places where it shouldn't (especially at those nails and seams), even if I hand wash instead of pressure wash. Do I just go ahead, and then wait a couple days, hoping it all will dry out? Or should I apply the wood filler before washing, at least? My understanding is that the caulk should be applied to cleaned and primed surfaces. Should I do a special clean & prime & caulk of those seams, before washing the rest of the siding? Basically, I'm unclear about the best order of steps for a situation like mine. Thanks very much for your guidance!

Hi all. So, I'm in a 70 year old house with original doors and trim (thankfully the windows have all been replaced). A lot of the trim around the doors have spots where the top coats of paint are peeling and chipping and I can see 5 or more layers of paint in some areas down to wood. The paint on the bathroom trim is just peeling off like a sheet of rubber. Assuming to top or few top layers are not lead paint (I will test to be sure) would good option be to fill chipped spots in with a spackle and then sand, being sure not to sand through the top non-lead layer of paint? Then of course prime and repaint with a high quality enamel. Also, where the top layers of paint are chipping off, is it reasonable to say that it's safe to knock off the surrounding loose paint around those chips with a plastic putty knife while keeping the area wet? Cheers.