Hubby and I are in the process of renovating a 100 year old barn that was sided with rough cut pine boards slightly overlapping each other. To keep the historical perspective, we are residing it with pine boards as well. The question we are debating is what to paint the wood siding with. I want an opaque wood stain, hubby thinks Lowes barn paint is just fine. I foresee paint peeling, more work in the future whereas hubby is not convinced wood stain will protect the wood from rain and rot.

Currently housed in the barn are geese, chickens and goats.

Any thoughts on what to paint this barn with?

Jeanne

-- Jeanne (jeanne@thinds.com), October 20, 2000

Answers

depends upon where you live..hot humid Summers? Heavy bouts of Winter ice storms and prolonged Winters? When we lived in the Northeast, we used barn paint..three coats of it and still had to repaint every 5 years or so because of the very harsh climate. Here in Alabama, we just built a barn and were happy to only have to put a few coats of stain over the pine boards to protect the wood from rot.Having said that, I recall right before we left PA seeing several new barns raised with just stain on them! Do not know how they will do in the long run, but our understanding is: extreme cold=paint, milder climates=stain..God Bless.

-- Lesley (martchas@gateway.net), October 20, 2000.

Cheack out; "The Old Barn" http://museum.cl.msu.edu/barn

They will even tell you why barns are red and probably answer your questions.

-- Hendo (redgate@echoweb.net), October 20, 2000.

Correction, THE BARN JOURNAL, not The Old Barn.

-- Hendo (OR) (redgate@echoweb.net), October 20, 2000.

Once painted, even with best quality primer and paint, you'll be repainting every 5 - 7 years. Stain may last 3 years. Anyone out there have any luck with a product that lasts longer? I hate painting the barn only a little less than I hate recoating the barn roof.

-- Bob (stbarb@usa.net), October 20, 2000.

We've been happy with Farm & Fleet's barn paint, if you are in the Midwest. Any paint job lasts longer the better you do your prep work. Be sure you follow the air temperature recommendations on the can too. Important! Good luck!

-- Jean (schiszik@tbcnet.com), October 20, 2000.

When I built my house I used only waferboard for the siding and covered it with 3 coats of the redwood latex stain. It is still holding but I do plan of putting a better protective coating on as I really don't want to reside it. But I would think that where you are and using real wood and not the wafer board it might work but as many on this forum know a lot more than me listen to them. gail

-- gail missouri ozarks (gef123@hotmail.com), October 21, 2000.

Why paint or stain at all. We have a 80 or 90 year old barn that has never been painted or stained to my knowledge. It has faded to a nice gray. What do you mean the boards are overlapping? On my barn they put the boards tight to each other and as the moisture gets out of the wood the wood shrinks and lets air and light in. In a few years I plan on residing our barn as some of the wood has seen better days, but I think getting 80 or 90 years out of a board without painting or staining is pretty good.

-- Michael W. Smith (kirklbb@penn.com), October 22, 2000.

We have had the best luck with Olympic Solid Color Wood Stain, comes in lots of colors, oil or water base, we always used the oil, made sense that oil would preserve wood better than water. Also comes in semi-transparent. Have covered bare and previously painted surfaces, used two coats, no priming, has lasted ten years in SE Ohio. Cheapest prices for it at Lowes. Cheap paint is false economy, we learned that the hard way !Annie in SE OH.

-- Annie Miller (annie@1st.net), October 23, 2000.