I was told I should use stain outside my house but I want a painted look. I don want a brown colour with the grain showing. Should I use paint instead?
There are two kinds of stain for exterior use on wood houses. One is called Semi-Transparent and the other is Solid Colour. Solid Colour stain looks like paint and comes in lots of colours. That is what you should use on your house if you have wood siding. Semi-Transparent is the kind you were originally thinking of. It gives a thin covering and you can see the woodgrain showing through. It looks nice if you want a natural look and comes in a lot more than just “wood” colours too. Unfortunately, semi-transparent may only last 1/2 as long as the solid colour. It fades quicker due to UV (sunlight) exposure and doesn’t give as much protection from rain. In Vancouver you are better off with solid rather than semi. If you want the natural look of semi-transparent you should be prepared to re-coat every 3-4 years.
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