# LP smart siding (8" lap) to look like stain?



## catscratch (Jun 21, 2015)

I have a house with all new LP smart lap siding on it. I want to finish it to look like it's been stained (I know it isn't going to look like real wood up close, but I would like it to have a log cabin look to it from the street). I originally thought a semitransparent stain would work but I started reading LP's instructions and found this in the question and answer section:



 Can I use a traditional transparent or semi‐transparent stain on SmartSide products? a. No. These stains are typically low in solids and provide less protection from UV and other weathering effects. There are new acrylic latex paints commercially available that can replicate the appearance of a semitransparent stain. Refer to the installation instructions for proper finishing. 

5. Can I use a solid stain on SmartSide products? a. Yes. These stains are generally lower in solids so increased maintenance will probably be required. Refer to the installation instructions for proper finishing.
 
My question is what works? I've been searching the internet and getting more and more confused on what is a quality product that would work for my application the way I want it to. 

Anyone out there with experience who can help me?

Thanks!


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Hopefully others will chime in.......I have LP siding on my garage. I can't imagine semi-transparent stain working on it and understand the warning on the LP website. I wouldn't even be a fan of putting solid stain on it although that probably would work. 

The only process that I think would work to make it look like stained wood, would be to find a paint color that is the color of the wood type you want it to look like. It already has the wood texture, all you need is the color. In a nutshell, I think what you are wanting to do is next to impossible.


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## catscratch (Jun 21, 2015)

Posting so I can post link.


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## catscratch (Jun 21, 2015)

Thanks for the reply Gymschu! I fear that we will have to change our plans if we don't find a product that does what we want.

We have a neighbor who used this with a brush on their house and it looks great! Unfortunately, I don't know what their siding is and the product is discontinued. 
http://www.worldofstains.com/Superdeck-Woodperfect-Fiber-Cement-Stain-p/sd-woodperfect-stain.htm


It appears the Mason's Select has been replaced with this:
http://www.worldofstains.com/Superdeck-Woodperfect-Fiber-Cement-Stain-p/sd-woodperfect-stain.htm
It says it's for use on all composite and cement siding... Does our Smart siding fit into this category?


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Catscratch, I don't know if you have a good paintstore close by or not, but, if you have one where there are experienced people (not young college kids, etc) they may be able to steer you in the right direction. I can't tell you how many times my local SW store has come through for me with suggestions on technique and product that I may have been unfamiliar with.


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## catscratch (Jun 21, 2015)

I went to the closest SW on Saturday. There was a young man working (the only person in the store), he tried but obviously didn't know what I was after. Very much the "young college kid" that you describe. I tried not to stress him out too much before I left...

I have to make a trip to the big city tomorrow. Maybe I can find someone up there that can help. I've also sent a question to Superdeck about their duckback line and it's compatibility with smart siding. Hopefully I hear back soon.


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## catscratch (Jun 21, 2015)

Lol, the product that replaced the discontinued product... is now discontinued. They sent me a phone number to call a different department. I'll call them but I'm starting to lean towards regular old paint! I'm starting to wonder why all the products are discontinued; low sales, lots of recall or warranty work, who knows but it sure makes me question if I'll be re-doing this work in a few yrs.


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## JourneymanBrian (Apr 1, 2015)

doesnt it say *traditional* stains are a problem? because of low solids?
The transparency doesnt seem to be the issue, but rather the binding agent. Use a waterbased acrylic stain. The UV protection comes mainly from the pigments anyway


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## JourneymanBrian (Apr 1, 2015)

i take traditional to mean alkyd in this context


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## JourneymanBrian (Apr 1, 2015)

for the wood look, you can paint the first coat opaque in a wood color of your choice, second coat translucent in a *slightly* darker tone with a brush.


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## catscratch (Jun 21, 2015)

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JourneymanBrian said:


> for the wood look, you can paint the first coat opaque in a wood color of your choice, second coat translucent in a *slightly* darker tone with a brush.


Great idea. Do you have a youtube link or an "how to" article I can look at? I would like to pursue this more but want more info before I commit to do this to the whole house.


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## JourneymanBrian (Apr 1, 2015)

Most of the videos on YouTube seem to be about the more complex version of the technique using a rubber woodgrain-imitator on flat surface:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=obs3b0-ErK8

what you would be doing is actually very simple. Your siding already has a wood texture/form as I gather, so its a simple matter of painting your boards with A BRUSH.

my advice is just to try it first on scrap wood. Paint it the color you want, let dry, then paint translucent with a brush in the direction of the grain you want.

Base coat and translucent coat should ideally have the same binder (i.e. acrylic/oil etc)

Make sure your two tones are only slightly different.

The translucent coats can be repeatef infinitely in slightly different tones to add further realness


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## catscratch (Jun 21, 2015)

Outstanding! I had planned on brushing it as that is how my example house has been done and it looks great. I've just been concerned that the products that I want to use have been discontinued. 

The siding calls for 100% acrylic paint. Do you have a manufacture or certain product you would recommend for this project? And, do you know approximately how long this should last before I need to re-do it?

Thanks for the help!


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## JourneymanBrian (Apr 1, 2015)

youll hsve to ask the others here for brand recommendations, I live in Germany and the brands are different


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## EC3 (May 13, 2019)

I took a latex acrylic exterior bright barn red (2 coats) then topped with transparent black and randomly applied then feathered (flogged) till I achieved a retro reclaimed barn wood look. It looks awesome!! Turned bright red to a deep Burgundy with blacked worn/burnt look. Waiting to see if I'll need to top coat a clear for durability. Try it yourself!


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## mathmonger (Dec 27, 2012)

If you already have the texture, my instinct is paint it a light color and then wipe on a dark color or two. Paint will be harder to wipe out of the low areas in the grain, so those areas will be accentuated. I dunno. I have no experience with this, though. Just random blowhard on the internet. I'd definitely be doing some practicing and experimenting before taking on this project.


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