Yapp Returns For Paint Workshop
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Bob Yapp during his May 2021 historic window restoration workshop. Yapp will do a historic house painting workshop this weekend.
By MARK EVANS
STE. GENEVIEVE HERALD
Those wishing to learn how to get a better, longer-lasting paint job will have an opportunity to learn from an exert, Sept. 30-Oct. 1.
Bob Yapp, who runs the Belvedere School For Historic Preservation in historic Hannibal, Missouri, will be putting on a two-day historic preservation workshop on exterior painting.
It will be 9 a.m. to 4 pm., both days.
Yapp doesn’t feel houses need to be painted every few years, if the job is done right.
“One of the biggest issues with older houses is a lot of homeowners feel they can get a three to five-year paint job,” he said. “That’s because a lot of painters don’t know what they’re doing. There’s some really good painters out there, but most of them are just doing a cursory scrape job or they’re power washing, which drives moisture into the wood, it doesn’t clean the paint, so it doesn’t hold.”
He will show an alternative method.
“What we’re going to do this weekend is show people how they can get a 15- to 25-year paint job and how to do it properly and safely,” Yapp said. “I think people will be astonished at what the results are.”
Two years ago, Yapp put on a window restoration workshop and last year did one on repairing exterior wood on older homes.
“I’m looking forward to being there,” he said. “This is my third time down to Ste. Genevieve in the last few years. We did windows, we did exterior wood repair, now we’re doing paint.
“It shows a real commitment by the city and the community to preservation work.”
The workshop will be at the historic Francois Valle House at 167 S. Gabouri Street.
“The homeowners have picked out a neutral color that is typical of the period. It should be fun. We’ll spend two days taking paint down to the bare wood, using lead-safe methodologies. We’ll teach people how to get a good paint job.”
Those who don’t fancy climbing on scaffolding in 100-degree weather should still be interested.
“The goal is two-fold,” Yapp said. “One is people will learn how to do it themselves if they have those desires or skills, but it also will show them what the quality standard is they should expect if they hire somebody. I think that’s just as important.”
Yapp, like his friend Donovan Rypkema, author of “The Economics of Historic Preservations, A Community Leader’s Guide,” “Heritage Conservation in America: An Introduction,” and other books, stresses that historic preservation and restoration is more cost-effective than gutting buildings or building new.
“The big lie out in America today is that historic preservation is more expensive than remodeling or building new, and it’s not true,” Yapp said. “I’ll walk students through all that. I think it’s important to understand that it costs less to rehab than to replace or to build new, all day long.”
In the past, Yapp has estimated that in his projects, about 72.3% has gone into labor and the rest into material, whereas in new labor, about 40 percent goes into labor and 60 percent materials on average.