Siding - from rough sawn pine

[John Pariseau]

I'm nearing the completion of my shop project. Unfortunately, when I started the project I didn't put a lot of thought into the siding, and just assumed it would work out.

The design has a gambrel roof with board and batten siding, so from the outside it should more or less look like a barn. At the beginning of my project along with rough sawn girts (2"x6" actual), I had 1" boards sawn with the idea that I would do the final finishing to make them into siding.

The only thought I had, unfortunately, was to prime all 6 sides of each board (oil based), and paint (latex based) the exterior side. Other than that, I hadn't really considered how I would prepare all of the boards, let alone whether this was the best choice for my project. I knew about cement siding products, but figured if I prepped my boards properly they would last for many years, and eventually I could replace them with a longer lasting product if they failed.

So, at this point I have enough boards to side my building, but what do I do?

My best guess, is the following:

• Plane to an even thickness, somewhere between 3/4" and 1", but only on one side
• Lightly sand the rough side
• Cut to an even width
• Prime all sides, except top and bottom
• Then, as the boards are cut for installation, prime the top/bottom and paint the rough side (visible face)

I'm getting a bit anxious - I have a DW734 - I might be able to run all of the boards through it though I've had problems with it gripping boards and feeding properly. I have a $100 Ryobi contractor table saw, and it is difficult to get clean cuts and generally a dangerous machine. I could make a circular saw jig to cut the longest (14') of the boards to width. Fortunately, since it is board and batten, the edges don't have to be perfectly straight, just "good enough".

So... any advice? I cannot afford to "junk" the material I've already bought. I briefly toyed with the idea of simply charring it with fire (Shou Sugi Ban), but it probably should match the house.

Thanks!

John

[Mel Fulks]

Two to get started. Look at every piece and use the bark side out (convex grain side) that will prevent razor blade like grain edges from popping off the paint. I would use acrylic primer under acrylic paint. One that gets good reviews here is
The Gripper, by GLIDDEN. Saw one review where a guy claimed he is even using it for glue!

[andy bessette]

Barns do not command finely finished and sanded siding.

[John Pariseau]

Barns do not command finely finished and sanded siding.

I won't be sanding the boards flat - just enough to take away the wood fibers that stick out of the board from the sawmill saw blade. They aren't too messy - the guy who cut the boards did a great job - but I want to knock off anything that stick out.

[John Pariseau]

Two to get started. Look at every piece and use the bark side out (convex grain side) that will prevent razor blade like grain edges from popping off the paint. I would use acrylic primer under acrylic paint. One that gets good reviews here is
The Gripper, by GLIDDEN. Saw one review where a guy claimed he is even using it for glue!

Will look into it - there was an article in Fine Homebuilding that mentioned the oil/acrylic combo, with results after 10 years, so I was using that as a guide.

[Mel Fulks]

Some years back it was more common to use oil based primer under acrylic. Some got more mildew with that combination. That was my experience too.

[Wayne Lomman]

Don't sand until after your first coat of paint. Doing it this way on sawn timber gets rid of the nibs in one go instead of two goes. Properly painted you will get many years out of pine. My house siding is partly Tas oak but the rest is pine and neither is rotten after at least 50 years. Make sure you fill any gaps before final painting. Cheers

[John Pariseau]

I thought I should also mention, the siding will be vented on the back - I'm making a rainscreen assembly, with bottom and top venting.

[Carl Kona]

John,

If you end up painting the wood you can use a tip I found in TOH years ago states-

"A Hidden Layer of Protection

Manufacturers of wooden windows and doors had a secret: Coating bare wood with a paintable water-repellent preservative keeps paint on
longer. Now, Andrew D’Amato and a few other top-of-the-line painters are borrowing the trick, which is backed up by research at Purdue
University and the U.S. govemment’š Forest Products Laboratory In Madison, Wisconsin. It’s Important that a product’s label make three claims:
“water repellent,” “preservative” and “paintable".....To find an effective preservative, follow the lead of the many window and door manufacturers who use products that contain 3-lodo-2-propynyl butylcarba mato, an iodine-based preservative often abbreviated IPBC. (Preservatives are usually listed on labels.) Repellents not labeled “paintable” may
contain so much wax that paint won’t stick.

I did this on my historic house when I added new siding for my addition. It was very easy to treat and prime the clapboards before they were installed.

Hope this helps,

Carl

[John Pariseau]

John,

If you end up painting the wood you can use a tip I found in TOH years ago states-

"A Hidden Layer of Protection

Manufacturers of wooden windows and doors had a secret: Coating bare wood with a paintable water-repellent preservative keeps paint on
longer. Now, Andrew D’Amato and a few other top-of-the-line painters are borrowing the trick, which is backed up by research at Purdue
University and the U.S. govemment’š Forest Products Laboratory In Madison, Wisconsin. It’s Important that a product’s label make three claims:
“water repellent,” “preservative” and “paintable".....To find an effective preservative, follow the lead of the many window and door manufacturers who use products that contain 3-lodo-2-propynyl butylcarba mato, an iodine-based preservative often abbreviated IPBC. (Preservatives are usually listed on labels.) Repellents not labeled “paintable” may
contain so much wax that paint won’t stick.

I did this on my historic house when I added new siding for my addition. It was very easy to treat and prime the clapboards before they were installed.

Hope this helps,

Carl

Hi Carl,

Did you first use a preservative, then primer, then paint?

[Jim Andrew]

If I had solid wood siding, would use an oil finish.Preferably natural color. Easy to recoat, no worry about pealing paint. And wood is the hardest material to get to hold paint. Used to be able to get products that had linseed oil and tung oil, which held the color well.

[Carl Kona]

John,

Yes, I sprayed the sealer on with a garden sprayer and ran a roller over that. After that dried I primed the boards.

Hope that helps,

Cal

[Tom Bender]

Barns are not very weathertight. A shop probably should be. Will this wood cup and twist, leaving you with a not so weatherproof skin? Will each board loose it's connection to the next board as it expands and contracts? What is the rest of your wall made of?

[John Pariseau]

Barns are not very weathertight. A shop probably should be. Will this wood cup and twist, leaving you with a not so weatherproof skin? Will each board loose it's connection to the next board as it expands and contracts? What is the rest of your wall made of?

Good questions.

I'm doing what some refer to as "wrap and strap", or DIY sips. My wall assembly consists of:

Inside - osb - vapor barrier - foam insulation (all seams taped and staggered - 3/8" spacers - furring strips - siding - outside

I'm using the foam as my WRB.

I can post pictures.

[Bill Dufour]

Should this wood be painted inside and outside faces, opinions? I do not understand the installation but I think the back of the siding is vented and will get some water. Will it see any ice or snow or just liquid water, I suppose ice might make a difference?
I do not think sheets of foam are going to be waterproof enough to keep rain out of the wall. I think it needs something waterproof under the siding.
make sure that you use a proper nailing schedule for the osb. it has about doubled in the last ten years or so.
Bill D