Need recommendations on a quality exterior primer.

[evintho]

I'm about to repaint our house. May even go for a color change. I have T-111 siding and I want to thoroughly prime the weather sides of the house (which is about 2/3rd's of it). I'll be rolling the primer on. What is a good type and brand of primer to use?

 

[strutaeng]

What condition is the siding in now? Do you have a lot of checking or splitting? Paint flaking or chipping?

There is line of primers for this type of application. They are very thick and almost look like elmer's white glue. Zinsser Peel Stop and Sherwin Williams Prime Rx are two that I have used and both work well.

If you don't have these issues, then just an acrylic exterior primer. Zinsser Bulls Eye 123 is excellent, or anything from SW. My HD sells 123 in 2 gallon pails for $30. That's a bargain.

If the siding is not painted yet, scuff sand with some 40-50 grit sandpaper. This will help with checking down the road. This is a recommendation from the US Forest Products Laboratory.

I hope this helps.

 

[Jackfre]

I have used Seal Grip with good results.

 

[THE RIP]

I'm painting my house now and the siding was really dried out. I'm using Ben Moore's Fresh Start. I used to be a house painter and I'm impressed with it.

 

[Bretny]

The best i have found is vinyl siding. Lasts many many years longer.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I'd match the primer brand to the paint you plan on using. For both, go with a name brand like Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams or the like.

 

[evintho]

The back side of the house gets constant sun so some of the paint is checked and peeling. I've replaced the really bad sheets of siding and the bottom 18" of others. Had to replace sections of ledger boards and top plates also.





Top coat is gonna be SW Emerald line so I was thinking of going with this...……………..
SW Exterior Latex Wood Primer

I can get the Zinsser Bulls Eye 123 a lot cheaper but I used it to prime the back of the T-111 sheets and it barely covered. Probably because I was using cheap dollar store 3/8" nap rollers!

 

[theoldwizard1]

What condition is the siding in now? Do you have a lot of checking or splitting? Paint flaking or chipping?

Good questions ! T-111 is notorious for checking and splitting at the bottom. Even the best primer will only slow this down a little once it has started. If it is really ragged out, cut it off at the 4' level and install new. Prime the backside of the new T-111, it will help.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Your siding looks great ! I am not sure that a primer will help with color change. Try a section with just the top coat and see how it looks.


The absolute BEST exterior primer for NEW WOOD is oil based, but don't use it straight out of the can. Mix 1 part mineral spirits, one part boiled linseed oil and one part of your primer. You will probably need 2 coats (maybe 3 if you are rolling) but you should be able to re-coat the same day.

 

[strutaeng]

I've had good luck with 123 as far as hiding. Bare plywood almost needs 2 coats. Are you sure you don't have some Cali-waterered-down stuff? LOL.

The checking is due to the rotary peeling of the veneers creating some internal stresses from what I read.

Do peel stop on the surface cheking and a full coat of primer and 2 coats of top coat.

That's what I did to my house. It's pine siding and hadn't been painted in 20 years.

 

[evintho]

OK, how about a coat of Peel Stop followed by the SW Exterior Wood primer only on the checked area (the siding around the big window in the first pic)? I'll prime the rest with SW Exterior Wood primer only.

 

[yucholian]

Sherwin Williams PrimerRX, Peel Bomding primer for old section. It’s some amazing stuff

 

[Doug B]

11 years ago I scraped and painted all the wood trim on my 60 year old house with this. Some of the wood was nearly bare of paint when I started, and very dry. I have not yet top coated and the primer still looks great.

 

[cdestuck]

Not about your question but about application. You mentioned you’re going to roll it on. If you’ve never painted T-111 you’re going to fall nd out soon the a lot of time will be spent painting down into the grooves well. I don’t believe any roller will work the paint very well down the not the groove. You’ll need a good brush to work the paint into the grooves in order to get good contact.

 

[pcmeiners]

Peeling and cracking.....'
If you apply a heavy full coat of primer, it will seal in moisture vapor below the primer causing blisters/peeling over time; best off with oil base primer. Your better off applying a thinned primer coat so the moisture can migrate through it, then a top coat of latex which by it's nature allow vapor to migrate. Oil base primer is superior to latex as it penetrates deeper into the wood.