Liquid Siding

[BroJack]

This sounds like the best thing since sliced bread. Any experiences? Is it too good to be true? Pros and cons, please. Thanx.

Jack

[Billy D]

It's crap! There I did you a favvor macaroon. Use hardiboard!

[Robert Morein]

I use sliced bread all the time.

[Richard J Kinch]

Boob bait. Don't be a sucker. Ordinary paint at twice the price or worse. Useless thickeners added to make it seem true to those who must believe. Sold by crooks with hearts of stone to widows, the elderly, etc.

[bill a]

if it did "work" (forming a seal coat), you would have big problems caused by a vapor barrier on the cold side of the wall. See Dryvit system.

Bill

[Harry K]

Let me guess, sold at the same time they sell the 'spray your roof' sucker bait.

Harry K

[EL]

Don't do it! check this out:

Edgar

[Terry]

I'd be cautious!

This sounds something similar to the stuff that my neighbour (he is the second owner) has on his house and it is flaking and peeling big time!

My recollection is that the original owner of my neighbours house had this faux stucco applied (I can't recall if it was sprayed or brushed) onto the original lap siding which was some sort of wood composition prefinished product, (probably around 1980-84) some 10 to 15 years after the house was built.

After a few years a problem was that the lightly textured stucco surface got dirty, spraying it down with a hose, even scrubbing one area didn't etc.didn't work. (And how would you scrub a whole house? A high pressure washer of the type now commonly available would probably peel the applied finish right off! In fact my current neighbour may just do that!)

The 'stucco' looked grimy and my original neighbour talked about painting over the textured surface to clean it up. I'm not sure if he did and if so whether he used a type of paint that would 'breathe'; or possibly an oil based 'paint' that would seal the surface and probably contribute even more to the peeling/flaking problem my newer neighbour is having! It still looks slightly grimy in addition to the peeling, although my neighbours maintain well and are 'neat as a pin'.

The peeling and flaking problem is apparent around the house and particularly prevalent on a section of an attached second garage with an unfinished interior which was added; also on some eave edges subject to drips from the roof edge. This strongly suggest that it is moisture accumulating behind the stucco, from interior of the house and other moisture; the garage for example has no interior vapour barrier to prevent warm air from percolating out through its limited insulation walls. This garage is occasionally winter heated because of some wood working done out there.

This experience seems to confirm what others have found here in our maritime somewhat similar to, say, Boston climate. i.e. If you use paint or anything impervious on the house exterior, no matter how good your interior vapour barrier (and or air exchanger systems) at preventing warm house air moisture from getting out through the house walls you will most likely get some condensation under the exterior finish and hence its peeling and flaking. Sixty to one hundred years ago the fishermen/farmers here used lime-wash, which ultimately built up a whitish finish on barns, fishing sheds and houses; although I believe colouring might have been added in some cases? Also in the 1950/60s some people installed small ventilating plugs at intervals into their painted lapboard siding. Interior moisture control and vapour barriers were not quite as well understood then?

This is obviously partly my opinion; but this our house right next door which has pine lap siding with 34 years ongoing use of 'breathable stain' (not paint) has no peeling/flaking problems, except where a small amount of moisture got into an eave edge board, now repaired, despite the fact that the basement is not finished or vapour barriered at all! It appears also our life styles, ventilating while cooking and showering etc. opening a ventilating chimney after a rainy damp period ensuring adequate maintained attic ventilation etc.are similar to those of our neighbour?

Maybe these comments help? Summary; whatever product you choose, don't seal up the outside of your house, in most climates anyway. The moisture, even if it's only from our human breathing and perspiration, HAS to get out somehow. Cooking and showers add to that. If you've ever woken up in an unheated lodging room on a cold morning the moisture and even frost on the window, provided the room has a window! shows that.

Terry. Eastern Canada. (Maritime climate similar to say coastal Scotland or coastal Maine etc. but not excessively cold and dry.)

[m Ransley]

Liquid siding is thick paint, It will fade, it will peal. Spend your money elsewhere.