Thanks for giving us input. We do want to stain - we have a stain on the house right now. I read a few places on the web that if there is a paint type stain on the house already, then you can't switch stains without a lot of work. Is that wrong? It is definitely cedar, and it is pretty smooth. There are places where it is already peeling...not too badly, but we don't want to let it get any worse.

There really is no paint type stain. It's one or the other. Duration is a paint, so you would throw that out as an option if you were staining. The benefit to using a paint is that it will form a skin on top of the coating which will serve as a protective barrier from moisture and provide a certain degree of washability. The drawback to using a paint is that it will peel. Stain will be much more resistant to peeling, but will not be as washable. Stain is also easier to apply and has better lapping properties. You can really change colors to whatever color you like. The only time you may be limited with color choices is if you are painting aluminum siding.

After the power wash, you will want to scrape and sand any loose and peeling paint. You probably won't need an electric sander, but people do use those if peeling is widespread or they are trying to remove paint down to fresh wood quickly. There are scrapers that you can buy, but I always have had the most success with stiff putty knifes. After you are done scraping you will want to feather sand edges of peeled paint with 150 grit and then prime the raw areas of wood with a high quality exterior oil based slow drying primer.

I use 2.5" brushes for pretty much everything but 3" brushes are also good for painting wide boards. You can also roll the paint on with a small 4" roller and then backbrush. This may be faster. Try not to work in the sun, and only tackle as many boards as you can to keep the edge of your paint wet. You want to do 1-4 boards at a time (depending on how fast you are) and then do the next set. What you don't want to do is stop in the center of a board, unless it is at a seam.

Thank you - this is why I'm looking for help on the web! :) When I talked with the gentleman at Sherwin Williams, he told me to wait 24 hours after pressure washing, use 80-100 grit sand paper, and not to bother with any oil based primer. Bad advice is why it took us a month to stain our deck last year!! You're right, we don't want Duration - that's what we used inside our house. haha - I'm not an expert. Sherwin Williams recommended their woodscapes latex. Should I be looking to buy from a different place? Or is that line easy to use and long-lasting? I'm willing to go somewhere else, just not sure where to look.
Thanks for your time, I REALLY appreciate it. I've learned that depending on advice from salespeople, as sincere as it may be, can be misleading. Are there other helpful sites I should be checking out as well?
Thanks so much.

I don't buy much from SW, so I don't know the products by name, but if it is a 100 percent acrylic stain and it is their top of the line, then I'm sure it will be fine.

Not to confuse the issue, but you may want to consider a solid Sikkens siding color.

It's a "Hybrid" latex/alkyd product.

Sikkens products are usually well-received, and top-notch quality.
We go thru a LOT of it here in Fargo.
* If ya check the website link, you'll get a lot of Sikkens info.
* Click on "Application Guide" to get a nice pdf.

Note however...they mention waiting 3 good drying days after pressure-washing. Depending on humidity, etc., I'd wait a week!!

Faron

Here is a link that might be useful: Sikens Rubbol Siding finish...&pdf-link