|
Wednesday, October 1, 2003 To paint or not to paint the house By TIM CARTER Q. The cedar siding on our modified A-frame house needs to be re-stained. But a neighbor suggests that we paint the house. Can you paint a house that has been stained? To add further confusion, a different neighbor says that painting the house will stop the wood from expanding and contracting, leading to possible structural damage. What would you do? — R.L., Lake Geneva, Wisc. A. A high-quality paint or an epoxy-fortified synthetic resin water repellent applied to the cedar siding will stop water from entering the wood. Minimizing or eliminating water penetration into the siding should be your primary goal. The aesthetic look of your home should be secondary. A house that has strong curb appeal does add value, but beware of making this your primary objective. Water repellents and paint are coatings. A paint is considered a film that lays on top of the surface. Many water repellents soak into the wood and do not leave a film at the surface. Some water repellents, however, do create a film or skin at the surface, and you’ll want to avoid these. The problem with films or surface coatings is that they eventually peel. When this happens, you are forced to scrape or strip the loose and peeling film off before you can apply a second coat. Penetrating water repellents do not peel, but they wear out. The good news about using a penetrating water repellent is that, when it is time to recoat the wood, you don’t have to scrape the wood. This can save a tremendous amount of work. No matter which coating you choose to use, you will still be faced with lots of other work. You will still have to carefully and thoroughly wash the siding with soap and water, and then do what is necessary to apply the coating of your choice. If you really want to be confused, just look at my home. It has redwood siding and is painted! My wife and I love Victorian-style architecture, so I built a Queen Anne Victorian home. But since these painted ladies just don’t seem to look good with semitransparent stains, I painted the house for my wife, Kathy. Did I know I was going down the high-maintenance highway when I popped the lid off the first can of primer? You bet I did. But I also decided to use a paint that contained a blend of water-based urethane and acrylic resins. These are very sticky, and I am confident it will be many years before my paint film peels or blisters. Keep in mind that painting your A-frame home may significantly change its appearance. Certain architecture styles lend themselves to a certain look. When I think of a log cabin and an A-frame house, I see in my mind a rustic wood look. When I think of a two-story Colonial or Victorian, I imagine it painted. You have to ask yourself if painting your A-frame will lower its value to a potential buyer. If you do decide to paint instead of applying the epoxy-fortified synthetic resin water repellent, be sure you hand wash the siding as you would your car. Avoid pressure washing this delicate wood. You need the wood to be perfectly clean. Read the label of the finish paint and follow the directions to the letter with respect to any primer you’re told to use. Never forget that paint is simply a glue with color added to it. Both the primer and the finish paint must be the best glues, and they stick best to clean surfaces.
Back to Home & Garden Home Page | Back to the top of the page |