Um, the BLO and turps mix is NOT the reason for the problem. It's a standard, recommended, pre-treatment for extremely old, resinous, (i.e old growth pine, fir or cedar), partly weather-exposed, wood. Besides, that's what's under the still-sticking BM primer and top coats on the other buildings. In my case it is the unsatisfactoriness of the SW paint. The BLO component of the pre-treatment step has recently come into question in some quarters as a possible substrate for subsequent mold issues. However, again, it's under the BM paint with no problems seen. Some people have recently chosen to use organic BLO (it's quite pricey and I don't see a difference in other tests) or use a concoction made partly with Penetrol as recommended by the Forest Service. Old wood -and mine is more than 160 years old - is a very different from modern materials and requires different prep steps. Perhaps the difference between my experience and that of Olhousegal's is that my project preceded the Duration formulation, and of course, I am in a much more severe climate where temps of -25F are routine. The OP and I live in the same region, which is why I piped up with my experience. My steps were the same as OHG's: I painstakingly went back to clean wood, too. That's part of the reason I was so disappointed with the results. L.

It's easy to get confused because people take the word 'stain' to mean something that is loose bodied and semi-transparent, which means some of the texture of the wood still shows through the coating. Acrylic stain is a solid color coating, which means that it will behave much like a paint during application. It looks like a paint and is almost as thick as a paint which is what you want because then it will not splatter all over the place like a semi-transparent stain will. There really aren't any pros for using an oil based solid color stain, especially for dark colors as they will fade much faster than an acrylic coating. You will want to prime raw wood with oil based primer though.

1) With custom colors, it's a "best guess" scenario. No matter what brand you have, the color will react the same...or VERY nearly. 2) A color viewed in a store WILL ALWAYS "show" differently when applied and viewed in-situ. You have a different light source entirely, AND the stain does change color some when it soaks-in and dries. I always tell clients at our store..."If you apply ONE color in (or ON!) 6 different homes, you'll have 6 different colors..." BTW...we go thru a LOT of Sikkens here (Penofin too). Quite often, people are switching TO Sikkens...FROM Behr. >>> We do try to hammer home good prep. practices though! Faron

Choosing between board and batten versus the lap siding is a personal decision. Uncertain of the style you're leaning towards, I would want to keep the facade the same color, especially with the wood elements. Also, not sure how much you're able to change and this might be a moot point, but the three front exterior doors are throwing things off to me. Since the middle door is given the most prominence with the gable, this logically reads as the main entrance and where guests would enter. The one on the left, seems out of place. I would want two windows mirroring what is to the right of the gabled door space. The perception of the very far right door is of a garage/utility door, except that it has sidelights and a transom. The little window next to the garage looks a bit squished. Just my 2 cents :)