Wellllll....

* Looks like lotsa scraping/sanding/cleaning-off dust prep-work here!!!
* Moisture trapped IN/ON, or migrating THROUGH wood siding pushes-off even the best of paints.
* How good is your wall insulation??
* You'll have lotsa bare wood exposed, so therefore I'd prefer an Exterior Oil primer...MAYBE even TWO coats of it in the worst areas.
* Test for possible Lead paint FIRST!!!!
* Make sure the wood is tested for low-moisture. Ideally below 15%.
* Now for the Oil primer. Better oils need 24hrs. to set up b4 topcoating with TWO coats of Latex paint.
* Use a Satin or low-sheen Exterior latex for the paint-coats. Flats hold dirt easier...you couldn't PAY me enough to put Flat on MY house!

We're kinda spoiled by our C2 paint here!
They have Oil primers, and the Exterior Eggshell Paint is a real nice, low sheen.

Faron

Also make sure that the gaps below each lap of siding are not plugged, filled with paint or caulked. That is how the moisture gets out. If moisture cannot get out, then it goes through the paint which means it will peel again.

Wow, gw, got some work ahead of you! One word Peel Bond. (ok, so it's two) Still have to scrape and clean and prep and then prep some more but Peel Bond is to old houses as Botox is to old people. Kinda magical and worth the cost.

My house would be two coats of SW Duration over Peel Bond.

Here is a link that might be useful: Peel Bond

Also make sure that the gaps below each lap of siding are not plugged, filled with paint or caulked. That is how the moisture gets out. If moisture cannot get out, then it goes through the paint which means it will peel again.

Ditto that,I don't know how many houses I have seen with the siding chalked underneath. Then the people wonder why the paint job lasts for 2 years at best.

Oh, dear. My house originally had asbestos shingles on the sides and back and cedar shakes on the front. The shakes became an awful sight after a few years. Imagine a mangey dog or Deuterotomy from CATS. And every single nail dripped and made black stripes on them to make it worse.

We researched, bit the bullet and bought gallons and gallons of Sears Weatherbeater paint. There we were, two old Bozos on ladders painting day after day each night after work.

After less than a year, the sides and back started to peel in sheets. Sears told us we hadn't scrubbed the shingles well enough.

Scrub the house? Really? REALLY? After we got over our indignation we realized they were right and we should have pressure washed the house first or something. At least the paint held on the shakes so the front of the house didn't look atrocious.

Paint again? Do it right and this time scrape and scrub and prime and paint? Oh, heck no. We went to the lumberyard, bought vinyl siding, called the BIL and begged him to be our project forman.

4 days after delivery, with the help of our son and a VERY funny friend of mine who arrived with her own golden hammer and a thermos of martinis, the house was sided. I pray for your sanity and tip my hat if you decide to do the whole paint prep thing. You must be much younger and stronger of heart than I will ever be.

I know I didn't answer your question, probably didn't help you at all. But your peeling paint reminded me of a story that I felt like telling this evening.

Carry on.

Dian57, stories like yours are why I ask questions like this one. People here are very likely to answer your questions and then tell you stuff you didn't even know to ask. Lots of good info received and much appreciated:

slow drying oil based primer

satin finish rather than flat

Peel Bond if my Speedheater doesn't get enough paint off.

A possible side job of removing the caulk someone put on the lap siding on one face of the house.

Do I need to buy a a moisture meter?

Moisture-Meter....

Jeeeeezzz....I forgot about that!!!

YES. YES...Rent or buy one.
The better types have 2 little metal prongs that need to go into the wood/substrate. The meter then reads the electrical-resistance between the prongs.
Real fancy ones are surface-scanning varieties, and can adjust for wood species.

BELOW 15% is where you wanna be.
If it's usually above that...WAIT 'till wood is drier.

You MAY be $$$, time, and effort-wise better off replacing siding with a more permanent variety...meaning vinyl or steel.
Our home is 14 yrs. old. STEEL siding. Still looks like a new house. I haven't done a thing to it.
Of course....we're in ND. With temps from -30 to an occasional 100+, you're screwed if perfect prep isn't done.
>>> Even then...a decade is almost the "outer-limits" for a good paintjob here...
>>> My guess is- You're kind of at a "tipping-point" here. New siding, OR....LOTS of time, effort, & prep dollars for maybe a decade of wear.

Faron

hmmm....

or, Peel Bond so your speedheater doesn't HAVE to get as much paint off. Definitely check out the site with regard to what Peel Bond actually *does* and don't hesitate to call the info line.

I am going to be a real bummer here but all should read this

Here is a link that might be useful: lead paint laws

Siding is probably not an option. I live in the historic district of town and there are controls over what I can do to the house. The regulations here are fairly reasonable, you can't destroy what exists, but you can do things as long as they can be undone. So technically, maybe siding is possible, but it would be inappropriate visually. I believe the wood is in good shape. And 90 year old wood tends to be rock solid - it is difficult to drill or nail into.

As a homeowner, I am exempt from the lead paint regs. Regardless, there seems to be only one coat of paint on the house and it was applied sometime in the last decade.

I really like the idea of the Peel Bond and plan to make use of it as needed. I'm sure I will be using it on the windows.

Faron, shouldn't you be out filling sandbags?

.

I really like the idea of the Peel Bond and plan to make use of it as needed. I'm sure I will be using it on the windows.

Peel Bond for body of the house, Trim Magic for the windows. The website has info about Trim Magic too and it makes it easy to understand the diff between the two.

I've worked with painters who used Peel Bond everywhere -- they can paint with it and they aren't about to mess with two different products unless someone can convince them it's reallly necessary. As a DIYer, however, the benefits of each individual product and how they will support your painting skillset and fundamental knowledge base about paint could very well outweigh the hassle of having to manage the variety.

Definitely do your homework, and again, don't hesitate to call them for support.

You may be exempt from the lead paint laws as a homeowner, but if you are doing the work yourself, you should still know a bit about it just in order to protect yourself. Most of the law itself is a bunch of hooey designed mainly so that the government can collect money via fines and fees from contractors that probably can't afford to give them the money, but there still is a small amount of truth to the risk that lead based paint dust can pose. Wear a respirator even if you are working outside and dispose of all the mess you make so that no passing child can eat it.

You're getting lots of good advice here gw, but didn't see this mentioned: don't paint in extreme heat. Not sure where you live, but that's just lethal to an outside paint job.

DH and I had a crew of nearly a dozen friends/family lined up to paint our house pre-move in, lots of surface to cover. Was supposed to be ideal weather, and at last moment it got pretty hot. We were hustling to stay ahead of the heat and sun, or timing to stay behind it till siding cooled. Because odds were slim to none we'd get that crew assembled again and having so many other big ticket repairs, paying someone later was not an option. ;)

Paint job was only meant to hide the fugly existing paint till we could afford to get siding, so when it started to fail I didn't get too upset. About the 3 year mark it started to blister and crack in small areas. 4th summer was much more pronounced. (There was something really funky underneath as well, tho, that was coming through.) But it wasn't long after that we were able to put up siding.

It's a benefit you have all the time you need to do this job, just be warned about timing the paint application and avoid hot days!

Guys, assuming you used Peel Bond and SW Duration for a house with wood siding exterior (and proper prep, etc.), how long would it last? How often would repainting be necessary? Climate would be that of San Antonio, Texas.

Thanks!

My guess would be half of what you'd get most other places with 'normal' four seasons. Five years on average, seven if you're lucky, expecting more than seven and you're probably pushin' it. The sun here is brutal - I live in the middle of the Chiuauan Desert so zero humidity. San Antonio might not be as intense.

The regional palettes here in the west are totally, completely different compared to the midwest (where I'm from) too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pretty much what my backyard looks like