I want to paint the rails and balusters of my front porch a satin or semi-gloss white but I want it to fade like a stain over time instead of peeling and chipping like a paint. Should I go with Clear Skies matte Bright White or Mountain/Rainforest with white tint? Which one will last longest? Can it be used on powdery, old aluminum siding?
For your deck rails, it sound like Rainforest Pint of White will be your best bet. To increase the sheen, I would brush on a single coat of the Mountain XT Clear 00 over the Rainforest.
Clear Skies Eggshell works well on decks too but it will be a paint. I’ve never seen it peel but it would need similar maintenance as paint. It works on bare wood but is not a stain blocker, so if there is bleeding of tannins then a stain blocker is needed. I use Mountain XT Clear 00 for that but any stain blocker of your choice will suffice. Clear Skies is great on hardiboard. Powdery aluminum siding needs to be pressure washed and then painted. If for some reason it can be washed then I would use a product like Nano Tech first BUT that isn’t the best way. The best way is to pressure wash and remove any failing (powdery) coating. This will be the best recommendation for your project.
Best wishes,
Tom
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