# Masonite Siding Preparation



## stlpainter (Jul 12, 2010)

My parents inherited an old house that was sided with what I believe is masonite siding that is probably around 20 years old.

The siding is in pretty bad shape in a few areas where it is brittle and cracking.

What is the best way to prep this out?

The house will eventually get resided with vinyl, but I need to paint it in the meantime to stop it from being such an eyesore.

Any advice would be much appreciated.



(I found this picture on google and this is sort of how it looks, although mine isn't as severe.)


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## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

replace it or just paint over it and it wont do any good. take your pick


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## Rcon (Nov 19, 2009)

Best way to deal with it is to hire a painter. 

If you want to do it yourself, go to the DIY chatroom.


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## hammerheart14 (May 29, 2010)

Hmmmm, can't really sand masonite much. So, best way to do it is powerwash it, let it dry 3-5 days. Then go over eveything and make sure there is no more peeling paint, if there is, use a good ol' putty knife to get remainder of flakes off. Mask everything that needs to be masked. THEN, use a good quality mutli-purpose stain blocking primer, like this one:http://www.prattandlambert.com/pdf/product-data-sheets/1001.pdf. Apply one coat (spray and back-BRUSH with a good corona chinex bristle brush). Next day do all your caulking with a good quality caulk like big stretch: //www.sashcosealants.com/Content/Files/bigstretch_brochure.pdf. Folllowing day you're ready to apply finish. A good quality, 100% acrylic, exterior eggshell, like this: http://www.prattandlambert.com/pdf/product-data-sheets/4200.pdf Spray and back brush first coat, wait for four hours, then spray second coat on.Back brushing second coat is optional. If you can't do this OR your house is two or more stories, hire a professional who has ladders and scaffolding. It's worth it!!!


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## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

It looks like some replacement siding is in order. If your problem is mostly the bottom six or seven boards you could get by with just replacing the worst of it and repainting the entire house. If your project looks like that picture then it is rotting away and needs to be taken care of before it gets to bad behind the siding. 

My problem with vinyl is that unless you take care of all the moisture behind that rotten siding then you are simply covering the problem up without taking care of potential structural problems.


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## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

Thank you for clearing that up StlPainter, feel free to post an intro so that we can get to know you better. 

http://www.painttalk.com/f3/


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

stlpainter said:


> My parents inherited an old house that was sided with what I believe is masonite siding that is probably around 20 years old.
> 
> The siding is in pretty bad shape in a few areas where it is brittle and cracking.
> 
> ...


Thats funny, prep work on that stuff. I would say just back up the dump truck and load it up.


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## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

that is no longer produced. Closest you will get is beaded Hardie Board. I was looking for that stuff last year. No go. Reside.


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## VanDamme (Feb 13, 2010)

A little spackle and caulking and she'll be good as new! :thumbsup:

If it's just a couple of small areas, a 2-part wood epoxy would probably work.


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## stlpainter (Jul 12, 2010)

Thanks everyone for your advice.

I am a full-time professional residential painter here in st. louis. 

We mainly do repaints, but we currently are working on a renovated house which is a 3-month job.

I'm only 29 and don't know every trick in the book and looking to learn as much as i can.

I know this house needs residing, but cash is a little tight for my parents right now and I just need to fix it up a bit.

Needless to say, Masonite siding is junk!


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

Hit it with a power washer.


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## NCPaint1 (Aug 6, 2009)

No point painting it. That would be like painting a car after a collision but not fixing the damage. Its still going to be an eyesore, just a freshly painted one. 


Maybe, just reside the most obvious visible side now, and wait on the rest.


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## 6126 (May 9, 2010)

Welcome to Paint talk. This site has been priceless for me. I havent seen that stuff in years. Post some photos of the actual house instead of an example off the web. The stuff in the picture is beyond hope of any kind. I wonder if that photo is from Texas? I used to paint a lot of that stuff down there in the early 80s. Simular to the LP siding that went bad in the 90's up here. The problem with the siding in the photos (other than the stuff is junk) is they didnt keep it painted. You have to keep that garbage siding painted. Once it starts to fail, there is no turning back. I have done several LP siding paint jobs where I scribed the bottom lip of each board with Elastmeric to seal it. On my old house in Oregon I had the defective batch of LP siding and caulked the bottom of each board (usually a no no) And it held up for another 10 years.


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## 6126 (May 9, 2010)

johnpaint said:


> Hit it with a power washer.


LOL Or a bulldozer :yes:


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## aaron61 (Apr 29, 2007)

New siding....or a match


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## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)




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## NaeGan (Jun 16, 2010)

Too bad you can't burn it. Have you ever tried? Smolders like a mother. 

There's a reason they don't make it anymore. It was supposedly supposed to be low maintenance. It is because once it needs maintained it's trash. Masonite has a resin coating on it. Once the resin is compromised it just begins to bubble and the glue holding the sawdust together fails. It will never be the same. Everything either soaks in or deteriorates quickly because all that is under the resin is sawdust with a little glue in it.

Once the resin is compromised with a nail, screw, or you cut an edge it automatically begins to deteriorate. There's no surface prep because there is no surface left. It's the same reason many roofers either won't use USB on the edges of a roof or at all, and why you USB makes poor sub-floor for kitchens and baths.


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## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

There was a component (chemical) in the original composition of the masonite that would react with water (the found out) so what they did was take that component out and add in another. There is also an issue with the drying of the masonite once produced. They can heat the outside and bake it, but the interior was sometimes not all the way "cooked". The new stuff is different. If you have ever used Miratec or Extira masonite products, they actually shoot boiling crazy hot steam into the center of the product, so they are able to evenly cook the product AND get a greater thickness because of it.

Like anything else you have to maintain the exterior of a home otherwise it will just go to nothing.. Get some of that hardie board and piece it in.


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