Highlights
- All siding painting projects should begin with pressure washing and cleaning, followed by plenty of time for the surface to dry. We allow an entire week between cleaning and painting.
- We paint wood siding with a Sherwin Williams solid stain, which is ideal for wood because it penetrates the surface far better than a traditional solid paint, creating a durable bond and protective coating. When painting hardie board siding, we use an acrylic latex paint.
- While we use professional spray equipment to apply two coats of exterior stain or paint, we back-brush all wood siding to ensure it is fully soaked up by the wood. We then paint most trim by brush.
How We Tackle Painting Wood Siding and Hardie Board Siding
Siding is the prevailing exterior cladding on homes in the Milwaukee area, and this is one of the most common exterior paint job projects we tackle during the warmer months.
While we paint brick and concrete frequently in our area as well, we wanted to spend some time writing about how we approach exterior painting for homes with bare wood, wood siding, and hardie board siding. Why? Painted wood tends to fade faster than painted brick, and we’ve seen enough DIY siding paint jobs to know that there’s value in a little education!
Whether we work together or not for your exterior painting needs, take a moment to read these tips and tricks on painting hardie board siding or wood siding.
Surface Preparation for a Long-Lasting Paint Job
As with most things, a long-lasting painting project that will avoid peeling paint comes down to great prep work.
Whether we’re painting wood siding or hardie board siding, we begin every exterior paint job by cleaning the entire building via manual effort and pressure wash. We first remove loose paint, flaking paint, and debris with a paint scraper and larger tools
(Tip: scrape with the grain in a downward motion to smooth paint edges).
Then, our professional painters start by pressure washing to remove old paint and dirt, being careful not to hit windows directly or work the spray upward under the laps of siding with much force.
Here’s the critical next step that most DIY-ers (and even most professionals) skip before they apply exterior paint: we let the whole home dry for a week. That’s right, wood absorbs moisture, and to prevent moisture on or in your new wood or existing wood siding – which can compromise the entire process completely – we want the the siding to be thoroughly dry.
Repair Damaged Areas
Looking for rot in trim and fascia, we spend some time repairing problem wood or rot. That might include the simple stuff, like filling nail holes with heavy duty exterior spackling, compound or larger trim and moulding replacement.
Whatever it is, Culver’s Painting team has the expertise to not only paint your home, but to take on carpentry needs, too.
Painting Wood Siding Like a Pro
A week later, we return to begin the actual exterior painting work.
Every siding project gets two coats of paint or stain, but let’s talk about some key facets to selecting and deploying your wood siding covering:
- Most wood siding receives a Sherwin Williams exterior solid stain. What is a solid stain? What we love about WoodScapes® Exterior House Stain is that it offers a rich appearance and top quality performance, while soaking into the wood just a little bit. This “saturation” dramatically improves durability and longevity compared to latex paint, which doesn’t bond quite as well to the underlying wood. It looks great and is available in a wide range of colors.
- Most hardie board siding receives a Sherwin Williams latex paint. Because hardie board has a more dense makeup (this fiber cement product lasts for years) and won’t “sop up” our solid stains, acrylic latex paint is a premium solution that will last for 8+ years.
- We almost always use professional sprayers to apply our paints and stains (two coats), BUT for those solid wood stains, our painting process also includes back-brushing. This means we brush over top of the entire spray area!
We apply two even coats of paint for a long-lasting finish. We work in long sections, stepping from ladder to ladder or across scaffolding to achieve a picture-perfect finish, and use a brush to cut in around doors and windows.
Finishing Touches for a Beautiful Wood Siding
Finally, we caulk seams and cracks to prevent water damage, using siliconized acrylic caulk for windows and doors. We also seal seams and joints where necessary to ensure a watertight seal.
We clean up the worksite, picking up as many paint chips as possible and leaving
Maintaining Your Newly Painted Wood Siding
To extend the life of your newly repainted wood siding, we recommend cleaning or gentle pressure washing your siding every few years to remove debris or mildew build-up. Avoid using harsh chemicals or abrasives.
How Long Will Newly Painted Siding Last?
Most painted wood siding will need to be re-painted every 10 years or so, though this depends on sunlight and weather exposure year-to-year. If you have questions, just call!
Considering Professional Help for Your Siding Paint Job?
Culver’s can help. Whatever your exterior surface – from stucco to wood siding – we have the experience and the right solutions to protect and preserve your home – while beautifying it!
Give us a call to schedule a free consultation and quote at your home or business. No pressure, just good advice. Call to schedule today!
