I’m trying to decide whether to stain or paint the cedar siding on my house. Thoughts?
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Philo asked:
My painter recommends an oil-latex emulsion solid stain, but I’ve heard great things about Behr’s new Premium Plus Ultra exterior paint, with a lifetime warranty. Any help or directions to good help would be appreciated.
Thanks for your help. There are several paints that are self-priming, which would take out some of the labor. Does this change the analysis?
Troy
My painter recommends an oil-latex emulsion solid stain, but I’ve heard great things about Behr’s new Premium Plus Ultra exterior paint, with a lifetime warranty. Any help or directions to good help would be appreciated.
Thanks for your help. There are several paints that are self-priming, which would take out some of the labor. Does this change the analysis?
Troy
August 12th, 2007 at 7:09 am
Just did my own house and the trim is cedar. Use stain so you don’t cover up the grain! Get a wood wash to remove black stains before applying new stain, though…..
August 13th, 2007 at 6:32 am
I love wood - so I would go for the staining - if you do not like it you can always paint over - but not the other way around.
August 15th, 2007 at 4:13 am
stain looks better longer.
August 18th, 2007 at 11:59 am
For wood, stain with a protectant would be best. It will bring back the natural wood color and protect for several years if you purchase a quality product.
Experts do not recommend painting a wood deck. The same rule would apply for siding.
If you don’t think the stain will look good, apply a small test section that’s hidden to see how the cedar will transform after it’s applied.
August 21st, 2007 at 1:37 pm
Trust me, your painter is right. A solid stain will last longer and save you money. This is why…
A solid latex stain over a previously oil treated surface requires no surface prep, such as primer, and will last about 7 to 10 years if two coats are applied.
However, if you choose to paint, no matter the quality of the paint, you will have to have him or her roll on an oil-based “Kills” primer just to block out the stain, which will add days to the cost of the estimate.
Depending on the size of the house, that could mean thousands of dollars.
The kicker is that even with all that, the paint will only last 5 to 7 years, regardless of what it says on the can.
Your painter is doing you a favor.
Hope that helps
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August 23rd, 2007 at 7:42 am
I also can’t help you with choosing an opaque paint, but I have found great results with Wolman products. Their Durastain was rated the best for semi-transparents by consumer reports. I have also used their Fence and Deck Cleaner and Brightener to clean off the old gray and prepped the surface. It was a lot of work, but the results were stunning.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:33 pm
Neither cedar or redwood should be painted. You can buy opaque or semi-opaque stains: check out Olympic.
Or you can mix a combo of linseed oil nd mineral spirts, which will darken the wood.
August 26th, 2007 at 11:42 am
Stain is better because it doesn’t peel as it gets older. if you need to change the color or spruce up the current one, you can just stain right over the current color. No scraping, sanding, etc., needed.
August 29th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Behr’s has been doing well in general for the Conumer reports long term tests. I’m not sure about the exterio stain. But your library would be able to break the tie.
Painters seem to want to go to the same paint retailer, possibly because they get a deal. Around here, they go to Sherwin-Williams, a good paint store that doesn’t always do well in the CR tests.