A picture? I can't tell if you're working on T-111 or some kind of discontinued LP composite siding.

Can you sand instead of scrape?

Continue to clean it off, and use exterior wood putty for damaged areas, sand when dry, wipe dust off, then prime and paint. Lot of work but should turn out good.

Wow, learned something today. I wouldnt invest the time in it to fix that if it is indeed masonite and replace it instead.

http://propex.com/C_f_env_masonite.htm

Thank you all for your responses. No, it is not masonite. It is definitely plywood just put up on the walls as siding and cedar boards placed at intervals over top of that ... best described as a sort of cheap faux board and batten look. This is a cheaply constructed housing tract home built in the 70s. There are hundreds more just like it in my city! The problem with sanding is that the boards have a rough sawn texture and the plywood is rather rough looking as well. Short of trying to sand the entire thing smooth, attempts at sanding have just left me with smooth spots interspersed along the rough stuff.

I really didn't want this to turn into a big deal, but it is in such bad shape that we are considering covering over it with something ... maybe Hardi siding of some sort, though I'm not crazy about that look. I'm also not keen on taking on that sort of project at this time (maybe in the future?) and would prefer to just paint.

What really concerns me is the poor way the paint is adhering to the surface due to what I expect is a mix of neglect and poor prep on the last paint job. Unfortunately, it is sticking pretty well in other areas so I have a huge mottled mess. I know I am supposed to feather in the scaped areas, but it is difficult due to the roughness of the wood and the weird look of a smooth area next to a rough one. There is no way I want to invest in the time, energy, and money painting over existing paint that I'm not certain is adhered well. In some areas, the paint is really cracked, but it appears to be stuck down good. It must be compromised, though, because of all the cracks. I don't know what to do about that.

I know I need to do something quick before my neighbors have me run out of town on a rail!!

Options

1. Get a paint eater and grind all that off.

2. Get a sand blaster or hire someone to sand blast it all off.

3. Use stripper and scrape it all off.

Then,

Power wash it and let it dry

Then,

PRIME and Paint.

Thank you, Vith. I called three sand blasters (there aren't many in my area). One uses a wet-slurry type of blasting and he said he could do it. The other two advised me NOT to go that route because they said it wasn't a good idea to use it on wood since it used water. I have one guy coming to take a look at it next week, but he says that the condition of the wood is a factor. One guydidn't respond after I sent him pictures ... can't say that I blame him. I had considered the stripper, but was under the impression that power-washing bare wood was not a good idea ... ? Regarding the "paint eater" ... what is that exactly? I have also heard of a infra-red paint remover. Has anyone heard of that or had any experience with one?

Textured /abraded plywood was always a very low-performing exterior finish. The surface veneer has been greatly thinned in the abrading process, and weather-checks severely, exposing the next layer to rain getting in, and enhancing the checking; eventually it delaminates. Figure out whether it is 3/8" or 5/8". If thin, then you will need to rip it off, if it's the 5/8 material, it will make acceptable sheathing for new siding.
Casey

The only reason I recommended washing it is so you dont have dust on the wall before you prime. The paint eater is a sander. I am guessing the infra red you heard of is probably just a heat gun. I guess you could use a heat gun also, it bubbles the paint up and comes off in chips.

Vith, the infra red works like a paint gun but covers a larger area at a time. I may see if I can rent one at Home Depot. I am also going to try an area with stripper today and see how that works.

Sombreuil, I will check out the thickness, but I have a feeling it is 3/8 inch tongue and groove. Do they even make a 3/8 tongue and groove? It is not the T-1-11 siding, at least it doesn't look like the pictures in google images. It doesn't have the vertical grooves like those shown in those pictures but rather just looks like normal plywood. I'm not sure what is meant by "delaminating" ... is that what is happening when the paint comes up and it has a thin layer of wood stuck to it?

Looking at the entire project, ripping off the old plywood makes the most sense, but that will take convincing Mr. JT. There are two windows involved that I believe are nailed in to the existing plywood. So I have two questions at this point ...

1) If it is 3/8, would it make more sense to just leave it in place and install some other sort of siding over top of it ... Hardi vertical or lapsiding , Hardi shingles, or something of that order? It's not the most attractive house as is (single story with no architectural details or charm). And ...

2) Optionally, provided I can get the cracked paint off, if I repainted with a good quality primer and paint (BM Fresh Start Hi-Hide and Aura Paint is what I'm using on the rest of the house), how long could I expect the paint to last?

I really appreciate all of your comments and suggestions!!!

Look up cross section of plywood. Delaminating is when the layers come apart. As far as life expectancy on paint it should be said on the paint. The paint should be exterior grade (usually stronger smelling and more durable).

I do agree that new siding over top of that would be fine if it is not rotten and thick enough.

I tried the stripper today and that option is out. It didn't work very well on the paint and it soaked right into the bare wood. Even if it worked, getting the wood cleaned off afterwards would be a nightmare and likely impossible.

Home Depot did not have an infrared paint remover to rent but I haven't given up that idea just yet and will try more rental places.

No luck yet with an infrared remover and I'm not going to shell out $500.00 for a tool not knowing if it will even work.

My next attemtp will be sanding the painted areas with a Makita disc sander (already have that) and then trying Sherwin Williams Peel Stop clear primer. I hope they sell that in my area because normally I will go to the paint store intending to buy something I've seen online, only to find out that it isn't sold in So. Cal.

Does anyone have any experience with this primer? The only thing that concerns me is that it's clear, so should I use yet another tinted primer over top before painting? The current color is kind of a medium-deep gray and the new color is a medium sand.

no need for a tinted primer if 2 finish coats are applied

Thank you, Christopher. I'm a bit worried that it won't completely cover the gray, but I am not enthusiastic about painting on 4 coats of anything!!

it will not "cover" the grey but the finish coats will