I'd like to see a pic after you clean it up.

No primer might be doable but it really depends on how it looks after you remove the flaky paint.

 

Is that paint or solid pigmented stain?

Scaping off the old stuff with a putty knife or brush definitely. The more you get off the longer it will last.

Is power washing an option?

Prime preferably oil, the paint.

 

I'd like to see a pic after you clean it up.

No primer might be doable but it really depends on how it looks after you remove the flaky paint.

👍 Will report back after probably in a couple of day.

Is that paint or solid pigmented stain?

Looks like paint to me as it peels and seemingly no penetration into the wood.

Scaping off the old stuff with a putty knife or brush definitely. The more you get off the longer it will last.

Is power washing an option?

is it better than scrubbing? I may be able to borrow one. It wasn’t on the top of my list because I thought it’d get the wood wet which can take quite some time to dry out, and it may also potentially damage it if I don’t get the pressure right (could happen).

Prime preferably oil, the paint.

Sorry do you mean an oil-based primer or?

 

👍 Will report back after probably in a couple of day.



Looks like paint to me as it peels and seemingly no penetration into the wood.



is it better than scrubbing? I may be able to borrow one. It wasn’t on the top of my list because I thought it’d get the wood wet which can take quite some time to dry out, and it may also potentially damage it if I don’t get the pressure right (could happen).


Sorry do you mean an oil-based primer or?

Oil based primer, followed by two coats of finish. Latex .

Power washing can remove alot of the pealing paint quite easily. Most of that siding should dry in a few days to a week after washing.

 

Would it be less work to buy some siding, paint it, and nail it up over the existing? Might last longer.

 

Imho, with paint all you're doing is buying a few more years till it rots off.

I have a similar feature on my house that rotted out. The siding came off, renewed the plywood sheathing, and then used metal panel siding instead.

 

I saw a layer of primer is recommended; how essential is it and what’d be the consequences of skipping it?

IMO, not at all, and 'none'.

What you can NOT skip is thorough prep work. That means a CLEAN surface. ....... I see a ton of scraping and wire brushing, but comes with the territory ....... and you don't want to be doing it again.

Had it been 're-coated' after 4 or 5 years, that is all you would have to do now. But as is often the case, it is let go until you have to do a ton of prep.

Prep it right, have it flake and damn near dust free, then apply a TOP SHELF house paint no duller than a satin. I would suggest two coats whether it looks like it needs it or not. ......... Then in 5 years, all you will have to do it 'paint' it again.

Just resided my pump house with ply. ...... Acrylic HP direct. I don't do it any other way.

 

1) always wash an exterior surface before painting

2) A putty knife will be more effective than a hard bristled brush. I never tried removing paint flakes with a brush on a pole, but my money would be on it doesn't work at all. If you got a two story house, you need a two story ladder.
Some of the paint will have separated from the wood, but is still lying flat on the surface, putty knife is great for lifting these off.

3) You only need to prime the bare wood.

4) Is that facing south, or just very old ? If it gets a lot of sun, consider a lighter color.

5) As I get older, I can appreciate the hesitation to high ladders. If you don't want to get that high up, hire a painter.

 

Thanks all for your helpful replies.

I know cutting corners is only counterproductive but I’m fairly limited by a few factors, eg my diy level (beginner, never worked with siding or used a pressure washer before), and I’m not good with heights. I can work off a basic ladder I have but I’ll be nowhere near the top of the 2-story.

4) Is that facing south, or just very old ? If it gets a lot of sun, consider a lighter color.

It’s facing north actually; it however is exposed without an overhang like the rest of the house.

I understand the right things include prepping, repainting it properly, hiring a pro, or replacing it with vinyl which is more durable and less maintenance. I’m just leaning towards a temporary solution for now, something that I can manage. For starters, good contractors are hard to come by…

 

I’m sensing an underlining tone in your questions that hints (at least to me) that you’d like to try and get away with the minimum necessary. But if I’m wrong, here goes:
Pressure wash with a gas powered pressure washer (rent one if necessary, but do not borrow a wimpy electric one) and then clean with a stiff bristle brush and Krud-Krudcutter House Wash. Let it dry at least a few days.
Scrap remaining loose wood with putty knife or scraper.
Hit the really rough spots with a sander and 120 grit.
Check with your local paint store about what they sell and recommend for filling the holes from the bird damage.
Prime the areas where you have bare wood (or all of it if that’s actually easier) and the patching compound, and let dry according to can.
Paint two coats of a quality exterior paint (Sherwin William’s Duration, satin sheen, is a good choice).
Can you cut corners and do less? Yes. Should you? Well - no.

 

Doing it from the ground won’t work. Either ladders, scaffolding , or a lift are going to we needed. A lot of elbow grease is going to required. But I also think you need to start saving to replace the siding.

 

I made my post above based on just painting - not replacing. But it’s totally possible that once prep work for painting was to start, it would be discovered that the wood is in such bad shape that painting would basically be a waste of time and resources.
Assuming the siding on the rest of the house is in relatively decent shape compared to the fireplace area (the photo shows that it might be) then replacing the siding around the fireplace exterior would definitely be a good option - and it shouldn’t have a crazy high cost attached to it.

 

I would definitely go the whole show on this and thats scrape , all the peeling paint, oil prime and then 2 coats of a good quality paint with low luster or as mentioned satin. I've been painting for 40 years, there is no short cuts that don't come back to you to haunt you. If your not confident up a latter hired it out as mentioned. Hey how high is it to the top?

 

The wood should have already been primed when 1st painted. So, you may get away with just touch up priming. However, that looks pretty bad. Makes me wonder what shape the chimney is in. They generally have a lifespan of 15-25 years (as opposed to 50-100 years for a brick chimney. Painting may be lipstick on a pig. May be time for a new chimney.

 

I would look at putting metal or vinyl siding over top of all that instead of committing to all the work to prep and paint. If you decide to remove all the peeling paint, a flap disc on an angle grinder is the way to go. Then oil base primer and 2 coats of paint.

 

In good conscience I could not recommend someone take steps that would likely, in the long (or short) not last. Residing would be a smart way to proceed but doing it over a poor surface is counterproductive. From the looks of it, this siding could be significantly compromised by cracks, holes, and possibly rot caused by water intrusion. Putting any type of new siding over it would be a poor choice.

As a professional painter for many many years, I would often encounter customers wishing to save a few bucks by cutting corners and I would try to do my best to educate them as to why doing so wouldn’t work or would be a poor way to spend their money. If they insisted on going that route I’d almost always take myself out of the conversation and let them move on to someone willing to cut corners. I didn’t do that out of any holier than thou attitude, I simply didn’t want my name and reputation to be attached to a sub-par job that others might see and judge.

If residing is something the OP would consider, hopefully he’ll seek out someone who knows how to go about it properly and will remove the existing siding, and install the proper type of moisture barrier, and then put up the new siding (Hardi-Plank cement board siding would be a good choice). Doing so certainly won’t be the cheapest route, but it will be one of the best and he should be able to look forward to many years of life from it - IF he maintains it as should be maintained and doesn’t allow it to deteriorate to a similar state as it is now before deciding to deal with it again.

 

Would it be less work to buy some siding, paint it, and nail it up over the existing? Might last longer.

It’d last longer, definitely another option to consider.

Based on this^, here is my final piece of advice: do not attempt to fix this yourself.

I’ve been painting houses for close to over 50 years and know that even when on the ground working with a pressure washer can be a challenge. But when up on a wet slippery ladder, and combined with not being good with heights, you are creating a downright dangerous situation and are setting yourself up for what could be a tragic outcome.

There is nothing wrong with hating heights (know thyself). And if you are tentative because of it you will be tense and prone to not moving with confidence, which can cause you to overreact to any small shift of your balance while on the ladder and that is what can be dangerous.

Yes, I know this site is about Doing It Yourself but sometimes you just need to do yourself, your loved ones, and friends a favor and look for a contractor you can trust (ask friends, family, acquaintances for recommendations then ask the contractor for references). So please DON’T attempt to do this on your own. You raise too many red flags that indicate this is something you should just flat out avoid.

I really appreciate your expert advice; after mulling this over, I have asked a handyman to come do the job this weekend despite all the considerations (challenges in finding a skilled & honest contractor and other personal preferences, it wasn’t about cost) that had made me lean towards the diy route. Safety was definitely the deciding factor.

I would definitely go the whole show on this and thats scrape , all the peeling paint, oil prime and then 2 coats of a good quality paint with low luster or as mentioned satin. I've been painting for 40 years, there is no short cuts that don't come back to you to haunt you. If your not confident up a latter hired it out as mentioned. Hey how high is it to the top?

I’m guessing 20 ft+ up to the top.

The wood should have already been primed when 1st painted. So, you may get away with just touch up priming. However, that looks pretty bad. Makes me wonder what shape the chimney is in. They generally have a lifespan of 15-25 years (as opposed to 50-100 years for a brick chimney. Painting may be lipstick on a pig. May be time for a new chimney.

The chimney hasn’t been used since I moved in over a decade ago; I may be overly optimistic on this but it seems in okay shape if looking beyond the peeling paint of the siding. It looks bad but it feels dry, not wet or rot, but is likely weakened as the house was built in 1980.
My neighbor has a brick chimney which I envy for its longevity and virtually no maintenance. His house also has wood siding just like mine except the chimney.

In good conscience I could not recommend someone take steps that would likely, in the long (or short) not last. Residing would be a smart way to proceed but doing it over a poor surface is counterproductive. From the looks of it, this siding could be significantly compromised by cracks, holes, and possibly rot caused by water intrusion. Putting any type of new siding over it would be a poor choice.

As a professional painter for many many years, I would often encounter customers wishing to save a few bucks by cutting corners and I would try to do my best to educate them as to why doing so wouldn’t work or would be a poor way to spend their money. If they insisted on going that route I’d almost always take myself out of the conversation and let them move on to someone willing to cut corners. I didn’t do that out of any holier than thou attitude, I simply didn’t want my name and reputation to be attached to a sub-par job that others might see and judge.

If residing is something the OP would consider, hopefully he’ll seek out someone who knows how to go about it properly and will remove the existing siding, and install the proper type of moisture barrier, and then put up the new siding (Hardi-Plank cement board siding would be a good choice). Doing so certainly won’t be the cheapest route, but it will be one of the best and he should be able to look forward to many years of life from it - IF he maintains it as should be maintained and doesn’t allow it to deteriorate to a similar state as it is now before deciding to deal with it again.

The handyman came through a coworker highly recommended; he started off as an HVAC tech. He came by once to help with some small jobs including patching up the bird damage on the siding. He seemed to know what he was doing but I had a feeling that he wasn’t highly skilled (sorry), partially because he asked me how I wanted things done etc which is not a bad thing in itself but I’d prefer being offered a few solid options as in professional advice for me to choose from. So I’m sure he can handle repainting but not so much about residing; he probably can as it doesn’t sound overly complicated for someone who knows how to do it but we have only talked about the painting job so far.

 

Hi everyone I just spoke to the handyman about residing - he said he was doing siding jobs before so quite familiar with it.

He also said it’d take him 1.5-2 days and entail stapling tie-back paper on the existing siding as moisture barrier, then J-trim and the new siding. Does that sound about right?

Re different materials, he mentioned composite, aluminum and vinyl. Based on a quick search, aluminum/metal seems pretty good; for one it is bird resistant? But it still requires maintenance like repainting though much less frequently.

An alternative would be stucco/brick veneer with no painting/little maintenance required (?) such as :
“Coat it with stucco
Put a cast stone veneer on
Cover it with outdoor rated tile
Cover it with a German Schmear
Cover it with a Brick veneer or a different color/texture” (https://www.doityourself.com/forum/...-chimneys/647157-there-anything-we-can-do-make-exterior-chimney-look-nicer.html)

Will any of these be suitable in my case? HomeGuide seems to suggest “brick veneer costs $8 to $24 per square foot”, probably excluding installation.

 

You could reside it, but that looks like wood siding on the rest of the house, so I would be inclined to leave it as wood. Brick might not be a good match.

The only thing is, you mention bird damage a couple of times. Woodpeckers are not stupid. If they are pecking at the wood, they are often correct that there is a meal back there (often carpenter bees).

You could likely find a similar looking vinyl.

 

I think residing is the best choice here, my only concern is doing so over the existing siding. In the new photos there seems to be signs of cupping (the siding develops a curve going from side to side) especially on the upper half of the visible side of the chimney. Putting new siding over that just doesn’t make for a sound base for new siding - I’d liken it to building a new house on an old damaged foundation. Can you do it, well yeah. But should you? Plus, removing the old stuff first just wouldn’t be that big of a job and doing so would also allow for an inspection of the sheathing under the siding - assuming any exists.

On another note, I see quite a few suggestions about going to vinyl siding. Just curious how much that is utilized elsewhere around the country? Are there areas where house are predominately sided in it?

Here, in western Oregon, vinyl siding can be seen on houses here and there but is not hugely common. Houses sided in brick are also somewhat rare and stone is virtually non-existent. Instead, Hardi-Plank seems to be the siding of choice and, although we do exist in a part of the country where forests and logging is still a huge industry, it overtook wood as the main choice for siding probably around 30 years ago.

As a former painter I loved working with HP - it took paint like a champ and offered excellent resistance to pests (out here carpenter ants are the biggest threat to wood siding - and they hate cement board). And since it is virtually insect proof, birds leave it alone. You do have to install it properly and keep it painted, but once up it looks great (IMO) and if properly maintained, will last a long, long time. I have it on my own home and though we live in the land of frequent and heavy winter time rains, it looks as good now as I’d did when I installed it 25+ years ago. And in case you are wondering, I am NOT a salesman for it - just a guy who has had a lot of up close experience with it and has been able to develop an appreciation for a quality product when he see it.

 

Locally vinyl siding is on the majority of houses.

 

You could reside it, but that looks like wood siding on the rest of the house, so I would be inclined to leave it as wood. Brick might not be a good match.

The only thing is, you mention bird damage a couple of times. Woodpeckers are not stupid. If they are pecking at the wood, they are often correct that there is a meal back there (often carpenter bees).

You could likely find a similar looking vinyl.

Woodpeckers started it I think for food and/or because the siding on the chimney was beat by the elements (no overhang). Then I had a pair of nuthatches persistently pecking at it for months; they were finally gone after I patched up the holes and put up bird netting.
Aesthetics is low on my list to be honest as I prioritize longevity and no/low maintenance and that's not wood.

I think residing is the best choice here, my only concern is doing so over the existing siding. In the new photos there seems to be signs of cupping (the siding develops a curve gong from side to side) especially on the upper half of the visible side of the chimney. Putting new siding over that just doesn’t make for a sound base for new siding - I’d liken it to building a new house on an old damaged foundation. Can you do it, well yeah. But should you? Plus, removing the old stuff first just wouldn’t be that big of a job and doing so would also allow for an inspection of the sheathing under the siding - assuming any exists.

Good eye; there is cupping indeed. I don't know much about residing but does it need to be airtight all the way down between the old and new siding? My concern was about how to seal the gaps at the very top so no rain/water can get in between and down.

On another note, I see quite a few suggestions about going to vinyl siding. Just curious how much that is utilized elsewhere around the country? Are there areas where house are predominately sided in it

Actually it's rather common here where I am. My neighbors on both sides have vinyl (my back neighbor has wood siding like me but brick vaneer on his outside chimney)

Here, in western Oregon, vinyl siding it can be seen on houses here and there but is not hugely common. Houses sided in brick are also somewhat rare and stone is virtually non-existent. Instead, Hardi-Plank seems to be the siding of choice and, although we do exist in a part of the country where forests and logging is still a huge industry, it overtook wood as the main choice for siding probably around 30 years ago. As a former painter I loved working with HP - it took paint like a champ and offered excellent resistance to pests (out here carpenter ants are the biggest threat to wood siding - and they hate cement board). And since it is virtually insect proof, birds leave it alone. You do have to install it properly and keep it painted, but once up it looks great (IMO) and if properly maintained, will last a long, long time. I have it on my own home and though we live in the land of frequent and heavy winter time rains, it looks as good now as I’d did when I installed it 25+ years ago. And in case you are wondering, I am NOT a salesman for it - just a guy who has had a lot of up close experience with it and has been able to develop an appreciation for a quality product when he see it.

I did a quick search and couldn't find HP locally; also composite wood can be messy to work with, e.g. fine dust.

I think as of now I'm going back to repainting which hopefully would last 5-10 years. Residing is a much larger undertaking taking much longer; I know the end results will last much longer but I'm just not ready to take it on at this time. Also, the contractor said I'd need to rent scaffolding or a lift for the job.

One thing I still need help with is to come up with an idea of adding a lip/edge at the top extending out as a mini-overhang to protect the siding. Also I want to hang some bird netting from the edge as well to deter birds. Would appreciate any thoughts and ideas.