Paint T-111 or install vinyl siding, which would be the better?

Question

Hello everyone,

I currently have an investment property that has T-111 siding currently.  The red stain is very faded/weathered and I'm trying to decide whether to paint it or install vinyl siding. I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes on resale.  Both would require about the same amount of labor (masking for paint sprayer, power washing etc. vs. trimming out and installing siding). The cost difference is pretty big. I'm looking at around $300 in paint/material versus $1600 for siding ($2600 for higher quality dutch lap). My buyer demographic is 75% retired and 25% working family.  I'm leaning towards the vinyl siding since it is pretty much maintenance free after its installed which would be a preference of the retirement buyers. However, my budget nearing the end is getting very tight. I'm torn between the two. Just looking for thoughts!   Thank you.

David Sisson · Answer

Balance cost vs reward - will the buyers pay a premium for vinyl siding? If not, then just paint and be done. Could you do siding on just a portion of the home, like the front, or 3 sides?

Account Closed · Answer

@michael s., does the community allow vinyl siding?

Some things to consider otherwise:

- Paint is likely to outperform stain (in large part due to the pigments) over the long haul

- Be cautious when power washing... a lot of damage can be done to the surface very quickly and water can get into places it's not supposed to... consider hand washing with TSP

- Be cautious if spraying outdoors... don't want to have the wind carry overspray onto the neighbor's houses, vehicles, or other property (it happens all the time - dryfall paint is one option).  Equally for a rough surface like T1-11, hand applying the coatings will create a better job (or at least back stroke the sprayed material to work it into the cracks and crevices)

Michael Shuell · Answer

i plan to live here close to forever!  I kept the t-111 because this particular home is done in Sea Ranch/Third Bay style.  To change to viynl would be a travesty. My only other consideration was ceder or another wood product

Mark Gallagher · Answer

@Michael S. I can't tell from your post if you're trying to resell it now, or you're keeping as a rental? If a rental, paint with solid color stain and skip the siding. If reselling, depends on your market, but vinyl siding can severely transform how a property looks.

Michael Shuell · Answer

Couple comments since I painted my own T-111 house last summer...

1) Expect to about half the specified coverage on the paint.  Your siding most likely has a strong texture and will really soak it up.  If you saying $300 I assume you're using pretty cheap stuff.  If you just want to cover it up that's fine for a short term solution, just be aware that you might be re-doing it in 5 years.  Sherwin Williams seems to have 40% off sales roughly every 60 days.  I used "super paint," but I hear A-100 is a decent budget option.

2) The texture will make spraying pretty hard, best option is to use rollers to get good coverage.

3) I rented a power washer and found that it didn't work very well.  It either gouged out the wood or did nothing at all.  It ended up being easier to hand scrap.  Yes, it wasn't fun.

Paint T-111 or install vinyl siding, which would be the better?

Most Popular Reply