Mission Hills Charity Pillar Project

Every year, Chism Brothers Painting chooses a charity project to work on in the community. This year, we decided to contact one of our clients, Barry Hager, former president of the Mission Hills Heritage, to ask if there were any community improvement projects we could do in or around Mission Hills. Barry suggested restoring the three pillars in Mission Hills that were originally constructed in 1909 to mark the entrances to the Inspiration Heights subdivision. Since the original plaques that had been affixed to the pillars were stolen in 2011, new plaques were recently replaced and installed on the pillars.

Mission Hills Heritage arranged for Chism Brothers Custom Painting to donate time and materials to repair the stucco and paint the pillars. Since the Chism brothers grew up in the small community, we always enjoy working in Mission Hills and were especially happy to work on a project that helped restore part of San Diego history.

A crew from Chism Brothers worked for two days on the pillars. The pillars had surface deterioration and were badly in need of painting. It looked like the city attempted a few stucco patches that weren't successful. We tore those out and used carbide scrapers to rip off the failing paint. We then applied Amteco Mildew Sealer on the stucco and Rust-Oleum® Rust Encapsulator on the metal rooftops. We also applied ThoroSeal® Waterproofing Stucco on the pillar walls. After drying, we sanded them down with 50-grit sandpaper to match existing surface. For the final paint, we applied two coats of duratec paint custom matched to the existing color on the walls, and we applied one coat of Frazee Dexcoat in rustic red on the pillar "rooftops," and one coat of Frazee Acritec in oxford brown on the eaves. The plaques were securely affixed to the pillars with bolts and epoxy, to deter future theft.

While we were working, we were greeted by many passers-by of the neighborhood to inquire about the project or to express encouragement and gratitude. This project was well-worth our time and effort through seeing the involvement and appreciation of the Mission Hills community. We are glad that we could help in restoring a part of community heritage to its former glory!