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exterior tech question for the pros

16 years ago

What do you think of applying a transparent or semi transparent OIL stain over a solid body ACRYLIC on wood?

Please be brutally honest as I am seriously considering this and you may be saving me from my own insanity. :D

This is the scenario.....I have a house built in the 50's with either pine or cypress siding on the top 5ft of wall (I'm on the coast in Fl.) It has been treated with Creosote and Linseed Oil but this mixture has not been applied in at least 20 yrs. I have pressure washed all the wood and the creosote came out according to the weathering of the wood. Some bare, some nicely grained with color and some dark areas. With this in mind, I searched these forums and decided that 100% acrylic solid body stain was the best choice (thanks for all the advice here from the experts!). What I had really WANTED to do was semi trans oil to show off the wood but figured the leftover creosote would make it too blotchy. (and then there was the warning about mildew with oil stain).

So I went and purchased 8 gals of B.M. Natural Cedartone and started staining yesterday. I am NOT loving it and the husband HATES it. I could flush the $250.00 I just spent and start over with something else I probably won't like *OR* I could get artsy and apply a transparent or semi transparent darker oil stain OVER the acrylic and hopefully achieve a nice wood grain effect.( I have an area I could try this out on). I am afraid that a thinned acrylic would dry too fast and leave lap lines.

Am I an idiot or could this work????

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Comments (5)

PRO
Lori A. Sawaya
16 years ago
Oh my, that is an exterior tale to tell. I have no input for you whatsoever, but I can give you another site if no one responds here. I trust these guys a lot. Paintsmith, rmichael, Jared, Brushworks even posts there sometimes - all good guys with plenty of exterior experience. Click on Forums.

Here is a link that might be useful: Painter Forum
terrence67
16 years ago
Oil over an acrylic will cause the acrylic to lift off causing a big mess. Your options aren't that good here. Either use a waterbase or elastomeric over the acrylic or you will need to remove it (yuck!). The solvents in the oil base will most likely soften the acrylic to the point of failure.
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smartashblonde
Original Author
16 years ago
Well......thanks for the responses. :D When it took a few days I figured everyone thought I was nuts and no one was touching me with a 10 ft pole.
I just got back from the paint store and got the hairy eyeball there too but one guy (must have been bored) decided to roll with the idea and mixed me up a quart of acrylic semi-solid body in a dark brown with a hint of red. I chickened out on the oil...guess its a good thing. I didn't think about the oil messing up the acrylic underneath. I was more worried about staining over it if the idea didn't work.
I figure I'm either a complete idiot or a veritable genius. We'll all know tomorrow! LOL I'm headed outside to do some experimenting now and I'll be sure to let you all know if my crazy idea is do-able.
smartashblonde
Original Author
16 years ago
This is a fantabulous cheat!!! I did one entire side of my house today. The only reservation I have is that this side does not get direct sunlight this time of year so I will have to wait and see how the next side of the house looks in the morning sun. The 'faux factor' may show up then.
Regardless, this is a relatively easy process that would be fantastic for outbuildings (outhouse, tool shed, garden shed, etc.), or a bait shack, or a vegetable stand, or a kid's playhouse, roadside antique store, rustic cabin on the lake....anything not too tall with wood siding.
After I get the back of the house done I'll post a 'How To' and comment on the faux factor in direct sunlight.
richardkittyhawk
16 years ago
You cannot put an oil based stain over an acrylic, it will not adhere and it will not look good either. The solid stain is the way to go. If the semi-solid adheres and stays adhered to the solid body stain, you will be lucky. Remember that stains have to penetrate to be effective. Stain cannot penetrate over other stain. The real test will be in a few monts or a year if it is coming off. By the way, I hope you were careful around the creosote, it is a known carcinegen.

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