At Absolute Painting we often get asked many questions about exterior painting. One of the most popular questions is should you back roll the paint when painting your siding? The answer is sometimes but not always. Back rolling or back brushing helps the paint soak into some surfaces but not all of them. Some types of siding are actually made for the paint to sit on top of and not actually soak into the surface.
With any type of wood siding we do suggest back rolling or back brushing the paint into the siding after it is sprayed onto the surface. We suggest applying the paint with an airless spray application using two coats of paint and back rolling between coats. In some cases it will be hard to get the paint into grooves in the siding so you may need to brush into the grooves. Popular types of wood siding in the Portland area include many types of cedar and T 1-11 which is similar to plywood with grooves cut into it.
LP type siding is still on many homes in the Portland area. We do prefer to back brush the underside lips of LP siding or any areas that are cracking from water damage as it can extend the life of the siding. In many cases we apply a waterproofing primer to the underside lips to make them even more moisture resistant.
Another popular type of siding that we paint at Absolute Painting is Hardie Plank which is very popular the last 20 years. It is essentially made of a concrete material and is shaped like wood. It rarely gets damaged by our Oregon weather as it allows moisture to go away easily without doing damage. This type of siding is one we suggest not back rolling as the paint sits on top of the siding or previous paint. Back rolling tends to take the paint off instead of helping it to soak in.
In some cases we paint buildings that are metal or concrete but these are usually commercial buildings. Again we prefer to apply paint only with an airless spray application and not to back roll for the same reason as Hardie Plank.
If you are thinking about having Absolute Painting paint the exterior of your home or if you are doing the work yourself this season please feel free to ask us all about the process and how to apply paint for the best results.
