Painting old house, a few Q's

[Chickenman]

Hello,

   I have a house with T-111 siding (plywood with vertical lines in it)  It is dark brown but peeling or chipping so we are going to repaint to sell.  I don't know if this is paint or stain, how can I tell.  There are not big chips comming off, it looks more like it is wearing off slowly.  Second, what type of paint can I use over it?    We are planning on power washing, thanks for the tips on the other post about painting the old house. This is a great forum!

Mark

[rmichael]

Hi Mark,

This type of siding ( vertical T-11) could have been stained or painted. If there is any peeling it is most likely a paint or a solid stain.
If the siding has a lot of "checking" which are fine cracks that run with the wood grain, you might want to consider a solid stain. Solid stain will penetrate the wood better than paint and is not "surface film" forming. The failure of a paint's surface film is a major cause of peeling.
You could also use a penetrating exterior oil based primer first, to prep the "checked" siding for paint.
If there is not a lot of "checking" you should consider an Acrylic Exterior paint in the sheen of your choice.

In general ..After you power wash, spot prime any bare wood  
and finish with a 100% Acrylic Exterior Paint or an Acrylic Solid Stain. The Acrylic/Oil solid stain hybrids have some great qualities. If you decide to use stain ask your paint dealer if he stocks Acrylic/Oil solid stains.

Hope this Helps,
rmichael  pro painter