# What is the best exterior solid stain for New England?



## jodebg (Apr 18, 2013)

Wondering what product is the best exterior solid color stain to apply to v-groove, smooth face, cedar siding in New England.

Want a stain to be durable product to last many years, ease of application, and to not attract mildew in shady areas.

Appreciate your advise, thanks.


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

I would recommend ZAR solid stain. It an alkid modified acrylic. Especially on smooth lumber where you won't get a lot of penetration. Zar has excellent adhesion, at some of the displays they have two pieces of wood that have literally been glued together with just the stain and you can't pry them apart. 
I've been using it for 4 years now and it's doing great. 15 year warranty on siding.
Also bonds well to properly prepared concrete,brick, vinyl, all sorts of surfaces. Very sticky stuff


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

FLOOD is also a good oil modified stain. It has a satin finish where ZAR is more of a true stain, Zar dries flat and shows wood grain. 
I would stay away from 100% acrylic stains, I have seen them do ok on siding but overall the oil modifieds are holding better.


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## Red Truck (Feb 10, 2013)

Sounds like a good idea to use an oil modified, espeally on smooth sided cedar. That stuff can become such a nightmare with failure if not protected and ventillated right. Zar product sounds really nice. Have you used a lot?

What about selling them on a semi solid oil? You can still get this in a full oil, and it covers pretty well. I feel like any chance you get to use semi, if it looks right, is good. Less chance of peeling on that cedar. What is condition of siding/coating? Good luck with it


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## Stonehampaintdept (Jan 10, 2013)

Storm System Stain is becoming more popular. It was developed in New England with our weather conditions in mind. Their are 2 solids for siding, both 100% acrylic, one has their Enduradeck formulation which can be reduced 10% and used as prime coat. I especially like their wood stabilizer/conditioner for new decks to prevent it from splitting. Put a topcoat of clear, semi or solid over it for desired look. Put up a new pressure treated deck last fall and going to use that with a toned hardwood oil this spring. They did away with their solid oils last year but I still have a few gallons left for small projects and touch ups. http://www.stormsystem.com/

I have never tried the Zar ext stains. I do like their int products though.:thumbsup:


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## jodebg (Apr 18, 2013)

Questions regarding the Zar stain.

How is it work with? We have some large walls and in the past have used Cabot's oil based products which dry slowly and help us from getting lap marks.

I also understand that some of the new products don't allow the painter to put down their brushes and the stain is setting up on the brush causing application problems.

Mildew resistant? Better than oil base?

Peeling?

How long does it last?

One coat application?

Thanks again.


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

Any stain will lap of course. Zar is gonna dry a little faster than straigh oil. But it does seem to me to not be as lap prone as acrylic. I've done one coat with success , especially if you like the true stained look. But I think you need two for the warranty. I'm not sure on that though
One advantage over oil is that the acrylic in Zar will not oxidize, and therefore has better color retention.
From what I understand, the oil modifieds combine the best aspects of oil and acrylic. You get the toughness of oil and the flexibility of acrylic.
It's warrantied for 15 years against peeling and blistering. I've been tracking it on a deck, this is the forth year with one coat and no peeling. Very little sun fading. Not sure about mildew resistance overall but its doing good in my case.
I have been told by more than one paint supplier that oil modifieds are the new best thing, and I am sold on it after many disappointments with acrylic stain


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## jodebg (Apr 18, 2013)

What is the best produdt to use to fill splits in the cedar, missing knots, etc. before the stain application? I tried using cedar toned caulk yesterday to do some filling-seemed to work good, but application was slow. Will the Zar stain adhere over the calk filled areas?


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

Yes, it will bond and cover caulk without flashing. However, caulked knot holes/splits could appear "slicker" than the wood. With smooth lumber, I wouldn't think it would be a big problem. I think caulk is better than wood filler because it Will stretch with the natural movement of the siding. Any hard drying fillers will crack out


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## kdpaint (Aug 14, 2010)

I have used Storm Stain on about 25 jobs. Hundreds of gallons. It is the best acrylic stain available. If you are in New England, like me, check it out. I like ZAR stuff, but SS is my go to exterior stuff.


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## Joeb3rg (Feb 13, 2013)

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/...min-moore-premium-exterior-stain#advs=0&tab=2. Good stuff.... flows nice, insane adhesion(bring hand cleaner), should hold up nice over time. Been through 50+ gallons in the past 3 weeks..so far so good.


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## jodebg (Apr 18, 2013)

Ok, what type of brush for these new modified oil solid stains? Love to be able to use my good/old bristle brushes!

Is clean up with soap and water or mineral spirits?

When mildew begins to appear in our shaded areas, what do you advise using to eliminate it?


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## thinkpainting/nick (Dec 25, 2012)

joshmays1976 said:


> I would recommend ZAR solid stain. It an alkid modified acrylic. Especially on smooth lumber where you won't get a lot of penetration. Zar has excellent adhesion, at some of the displays they have two pieces of wood that have literally been glued together with just the stain and you can't pry them apart.
> I've been using it for 4 years now and it's doing great. 15 year warranty on siding.
> Also bonds well to properly prepared concrete,brick, vinyl, all sorts of surfaces. Very sticky stuff


Zara stain for exterior ???????


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

where about in NE ? Coastal ? Inland ? North? South?

How many other houses have you stained and with which brand?

Do you spray?

what size are your "good/old bristle brushes"


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## Joeb3rg (Feb 13, 2013)

Corona Excalibur(chinex) . Pretty rediculous brush if you ask me, cuts razor sharp..plus the versatility.


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## Joeb3rg (Feb 13, 2013)

jodebg said:


> Ok, what type of brush for these new modified oil solid stains? Love to be able to use my good/old bristle brushes!
> 
> Is clean up with soap and water or mineral spirits?
> 
> When mildew begins to appear in our shaded areas, what do you advise using to eliminate it?


Corona Excalibur (chinex) . Pretty rediculous brush..versatile and cuts razor sharp.


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

All the oil mods I have used are water clean up, you just need a final rinse in thinner to remove the oils. The first time I used BM advance (oil modified interior paint) I hadn't read the specs very good and tried to clean in thinner, ha ha stupid me. 
I recommend frequent washing to all my ext customers, mildew seems to grow no matter what you do. It's easy if you do it often enough, every 18months -2 years. A weak bleach solution sprayed on with a garden sprayer or DSI and rinsed off with a hose will kill mildew and not damage anything. The goal I set with maintenance is to avoid pressure washing by not letting mildew get a foot hold in the first place. Don't wait for the mildew to get bad, knip it in the bud


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## jodebg (Apr 18, 2013)

Red Truck suggests using oil based semi solid on this smooth cedar siding.

Who makes oil based semi solid? Want to look at those, as well. thanks


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## jodebg (Apr 18, 2013)

daArch-
NW Ct...inland
have not stained a house in many years.
4-5" bristle


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## jodebg (Apr 18, 2013)

What is a DSI?


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

jodebg said:


> What is a DSI?


Down Stream Injector, like most pressure washers have or a bottle that goes on the end of a hose. Ads chemicals to a stream of water


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