Paint or stain?

[TimSullivan]

I just started putting the batten boards on the barn today and my neighbor came by to visit. When I told him, I was going to stain it next week he told me I should use a good quality paint instead.

The barn has rough cut one inch by ten inch hemlock that was put on green in May. It has dried out well and the battens look good too. They were stacked tight so no twisting.

I would like to hear what paint or stain you think I should use.

 

[kcbarnes]

I am far from an expert on this but my personal oppinion is stain is a better way to go as it will penetrate the wood to protect it. Paint will only have a surface film that can be damaged and allow moisture to enter. I have a log home and the first time I coated it I used CWF-UV by flood and it was a surface film product that did just that. Since then I have used a product called wood-guard with good results.

 

[riptides]

Same boat here, having had a pole barn completed.
We are leaning towards stain and two that have been recommended are-
Cabots and
Sickels.

I have had NO experience with either..... yet....

My big question is spray or brush. Am leaning towards spray.

-Mike Z.

 

[JJT]

STAIN IT! Once you paint wood you are stuck scraping and painting forever. Transparent stain, you simply restain every few years. Solid or semi transparent simply lasts longer than transparent. With stain you never need to scrape and when it wears off you restain. Paint may last 10 - 15 years, oil/transparent stain may last 3 - 4 years, semitransparent/solid stain may last 6 - 10 years. All estimates are experienced based, for the northeast, using the highest quality product available. The real cost to stain/paint is the labor cost, don't buy the cheapest paint/stain available, it will not last.

 

[webbmeister]

I agree with the others here. Paint over a rough cut may not be too visually appealing, you'll wind up scraping soon enough, and if the siding was green in May it might not be dry enough to avoid blistering and other problems that come from applying paint over insufficiently dry wood. You'd also need to prime the stock before painting, if you wanted the paint to stick and last.

As for stain, I personally have had excellent and long-lasting results on outdoor projects with Cabots. It cost's more, but when compared to having to do the job over again prematurely, the extra little you'll spend on it or another high quality product is inconsequential.

Brush or spray? Spray!

Jim

 

[TimSullivan]

I used Cabots semi-transparent stain on the porches and had planned that to use it on the barn. I respect my neighbor’s experience but painting rough hopefully dry wood makes me very nervous.

I will take a look at Consumer Reports and see what they have to say about the best stain. I have not sprayed paint in twenty years but if I start at the back I should resurrect my skill. With the rough surface spraying is the way to go.

 

[john4nh]

Ive been using Behr stain 10 plus or plus 10 with really good results. Of course its on Hardi Planks though. Ive had some on for about 5+- years and shows little fade in thIs Texas sun.
Garage just painted 8months ago and cant tell the difference.
You can get any color you want almost too! I spyayed the stain although it did take 2 coats. With brush/roller 1 coat was good.

Good lucks

 

[bellweather]

My house is also board & batten, with rough side out. It was previously stained very dark brown. I just stained it with a light gray opaque stain made by Cabots. The attached picture shows the results. I'm very pleased.

 

[rancar]

Well, I've got the 'stain it' crowd running against me...but I'll throw my hat in with the 'paint it' crowd.

I paint my barn buildings, using Sherwin Williams red barn paint gloss in 5 gallon buckets. This is a very good paint and if properly applied in the right weather conditions, it lasts a good 10-12 years before re-painting. I am painting my buildings now and this is the first time I am giving everything two coats. I will monitor to see how well it holds up over time when compared to one coat that I've previously given the buildings.

As the other posters said, it is very time consuming to scrape old and peeling paint, but I do this in conjunction with needed clapboard replacement and other cosmetic repairs every piant cycle. The paint job looks super after it's done and adds a Currier and Ives appearance to the old New England barn scene. See pics of my barn and paint job in the thread entitled "Barn Renovation Project" in this forum.

It may be a matter of preference, but I'd rather paint every 10-12 years rather than stain every 3-4 years.

Bob

 

[rancar]

Nice pic of the barn and stain job bellweather, but what is the story behind the rusted gutters and drain spout? This looks like a fairly new building. Did these gutters prematurely rust due to defective workmanship?

Bob