# Paint or Stain rough sawn popular siding



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

I'd be using soild stain not paint, going to take two coats.
Hope that siding is at least 6" above grade or it's going to rot.
I'd stain it all before the battens and prestain the battens on all sides to keep them from rotting.


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## sawtooth1 (Apr 19, 2015)

This is my barn and yes its above ground so the siding should be able to dry. Just curious why would not prime then paint as a option? Seems to me the new stains and paint are about the same thing now. Thank you.


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

Prime and paint is a viable option as well. Solid stains and paints are similar but not quite the same. They are both film forming, but the qualities of the film are different. Solid stains tend to wear more by fading rather than peeling like paint is prone to do, and as a result maintenance is simplified. Solid stain films are also generally more permeable which also adds to their resistance to peeling. 

Solid stain would be my choice as well. For the reasons outlined above, and also for ease of application (one product instead of two). Being rough cut lumber is a big bonus in how well the wood will hold a coating. The roughness of the wood allows it to hold much more material and "grip" it more tightly than smooth lumber. Therefore there is generally much less chance of premature peeling or fading of the coating. 

Since its been sitting in the weather for a while, ideally it should be treated for mildew (weak bleach solution) and pressure washed before coating. This step isn't absolutely necessary on rough lumber IMO, but it does help. A few months is enough time for mildew to take hold and it's best if it's removed. Also, pressure washing will remove the loose/decayed wood fibers from the surface allowing for a stronger initial bond.


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## JourneymanBrian (Apr 1, 2015)

If you want to go old fashioned barn, paint it with linseed oil, terpentinr and natural pigments. Quite cheap, too.


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## sawtooth1 (Apr 19, 2015)

Ok so solid stain it is. Now for the brands. Again, I'm reading bad reviews about the new stuff from most brands. The one I "think" I like is the Cabots stain for siding. Its a 100% Acrylic formula I believe being their 0800 series. Of this particular product I've only seen a few reviews, all of which are good. However, the newer oil based Cabots deck stains are not rated as well. Would you guys recommend the Acrylic 0800 product? What others would you recommend also?

http://www.cabotstains.com/products/product/Solid-Color-Acrylic-Siding-Stain.html


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

I've had good luck with the Cabbot solid siding stain on horizontal siding in the past. I did a large condo building in a deep earthy red color with it several years ago. Driving by it still looks good, and seems to have held its color pretty well. The acrylic deck stain however was a big disappointment. 

Another brand to look at might be Arborcoat. I haven't personally tested it out, but have seen jobs done with it that have held up really well. Fade resistance is one of its selling points. Arborcoat uses the new generation of colorants from Benjamin Moore (Gennex) that are supposed to be way more colorfast than traditional colorants. 

Flood solid stain has been a good performer for me on several projects over the years. It's an oil modified stain that has a bit more sheen than most acrylic solids.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

I use SW products and WoodScapes has never let me down. I have jobs going on 10 - 12 years that have not yet needed recoated. And, as JMays stated, the solid stains rarely peel thus you only need to clean the substrate and re-coat every 5-8 years depending on the abuse it takes from UV rays and the weather.


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## sawtooth1 (Apr 19, 2015)

After reading everyones post here and thinking about this further it seems that most of the solid stain failures in the past few years is mostly derived from using them on deck applications. So if I'm thinking about this correctly using them as siding stains seems to perform much better. I'm sure this is due to standing water and foot traffic. If you do a search on SW or BM solid stains you will find all kinds of negative feedback. But after reviewing further most of this is when used for deck applications.


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

That's certainly been my experience. I don't think I've ever seen a solid stain failure on siding, certainly not rough cut siding. On decks, and other horizontal surfaces it's all too common.

Note: in my previous post I should have said "vertical siding"


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## sawtooth1 (Apr 19, 2015)

I'm at my local paint store and the gentlemen is saying he recommends going with cabots oil base siding stain. Then after a month or two doing a coat of Cabots acrylic solid siding stain. I didn't think acrylic would stick to a oil base? He said because it's a flat base oil product. Thoughts?


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