Household paint tips: what to do when paint peels from hardboard siding

Tips on how to deal with paint peeling in places off your house's hard board siding.

Hardboard siding is a common wood covering on houses across the United States. It's actually stronger than natural wood because it is reconstituted. That is, hardboard siding is made from natural fibers that have been extracted from wood. The fibers are then mixed with adhesives and resins, and are made into panels. The panels are treated with heat. The heat tempers the hardboard so that it has a greater resistance to moisture. Because it is manufactured, hardboard siding is uniform and unblemished. It doesn't contain knotholes or a wood grain that aids in weakening natural wood. However, hardboard can be used just like natural wood in that it can be drilled, sawed, or painted.

If you have painted hardboard siding on your house, you may have noticed certain areas where the paint is peeling off. This failure of the paint is commonly caused by moisture getting underneath the paint. It also can be caused by inadequate surface preparation before the siding was originally painted.

Whatever the cause of the peeling, in order for you to "fix" the problem, you will need to repaint the entire house. To do this, you will first need to remove the peeling paint. You can do this in a variety of ways: you can either sand it, scrape it, or pressure wash it off of your house. Here is a tip that you will need to know, though: whatever means you use, you will need to be careful not to gouge, or otherwise damage the hardboard siding.

After the loose paint is completely removed - if you used anything other than a pressure washer to do it with- you will need to clean off any dirt, or other surface contaminants from the exterior of your house. You can do this with a pressure washer, or, with just a garden hose, a suitable cleaning product, and a screw - on scrub brush. Here's another tip: To ensure that the paint will adhere to the hardboard siding properly, you must rinse the exterior walls thoroughly. Any residue can / will prohibit the paint and primer from forming a strong bond with the surface.

The next step is to allow the siding to dry thoroughly. You will then need to prime it with a good - quality primer that is suitable for hardboard. Here's a tip: acrylic latex is always a good choice to use for the primer, as well as for the topcoats of paint. Follow the manufacturer's directions on the container in order to achieve the best results, but two coats offer the best protection. You can use a paintbrush to apply the primer to the hardboard siding, but using a paint spray gun would save you lots of time.

You will need to allow the primed hardboard siding on your house to dry thoroughly before you move on to the next step. However, here is another valuable tip for you: never leave the primed walls unpainted. The primer is a protectant and sealer, but it cannot take the place of a durable topcoat of paint. And, if you wait too long - in terms of weeks or months - before you apply the first topcoat of paint, you will probably create even more work for yourself. You may have to repeat the step of cleaning any dirt or other surface contaminants off of the primer coat.

A good - quality, exterior acrylic latex house paint is recommended for the topcoats on your hardboard siding. Be sure that you follow the manufacturer's directions on the container in order to achieve the best results. Again, you can use a paintbrush to apply the paint to the hardboard siding, but using a paint spray gun would save you lots of time. Be sure that you cover the hardboard siding on your house evenly with the paint. Avoid leaving bare or heavy spots of paint on the walls. Bare spots will, of course, be less protected from the weather, and heavy spots will cause runs in the paint.