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lakehouse_2010

can I varnish a house?

lakehouse_2010
13 years ago

I just spent many weeks scraping all the paint off my 1945 clapboard house in the Hudson Valley. I love the way it looks as is. Could I just stain this and varnish it? Or is that insane? It's simple clapboard, not cedar or something and altho I've repaired the places that were really too far gone, it's old and I need something to seal the house up a little like paint would do.

And if I could varnish it, how would I go about that.

I gotta decide quick. It's getting cold here!

Thanks!

Comments (7)

  • Faron79
    13 years ago

    Forget you ever thought of that!!!

    The closest thing to that kind of look would be Sikkens Log & Siding stain....IF all your wood is sanded completely clean of all previous finishes.
    * 2 coats...24 hours apart.
    * The stuff runs $75/gal at our store.
    * You might only get 200 s.f./gal on your first coat!!!
    * Maintenance-coats should be done every 3-5 yrs. on the S & W sides....NO longer gap than that!

    Faron

  • lakehouse_2010
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    lol. thanks faron. I was reading about this "circa 1850" siding varnish -- and I see "deck and siding" stain on paint websites -- and thought, why not? but I don't want to spend a fortune. that's for sure.

    but don't people paint their homes every 5 years? I have no idea. I've always lived in an apartment.

  • PRO
    Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
    13 years ago

    You should get 10 to 15 years out of a PROPERLY done paint job. 15 is pushing it.

  • Faron79
    13 years ago

    Oooops! I mis-read your siding-type!

    I thought it WAS Cedar...that's why I mentioned the L&S.

    >>> The FASTEST would be 2 coats of a Solid-stain.

    >>> Longest-lasting would be a full prime, then 2 finsh-coats of paint.

    This is all dependant on how much your older home exhales moisture! Old homes (unless remodeled/insulated), usually leak out LOTS of moisture-vapor, thus tending to push-off paintjobs sooner.

    Faron

  • lazy_gardens
    13 years ago

    Perhaps a penetrating satin exterior grade polyurethane, if such a beast exists.

  • Faron79
    13 years ago

    Lazy-G, & O.P...
    (sounds like rappers' names there!)

    No such penetrating-Poly exists. Yes, there ARE exterior Poly's, ususally called "Spar" Varnishes/Poly's. Again...these AREN'T meant for large exterior planes. Doors, trims...yes.
    Siding????...NO.
    Your house would look like it had a sheet of shiny plastic on it!

    Sikkens Log & Siding KINDA looks like an Exterior-Poly, but it's a completely different animal.

    Faron

  • lakehouse_2010
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    well, I wish I had a rappers money... this whole renovation is killing me.

    I absolutely don't want to have a shiny finish. So.. the whole thing is a dumb idea, right? BUT if I want to do it, I could put on two coats of solid stain (like Cabots?) and leave it at that? Cause I'm still kind of considering this...