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I have an old house where the side of the porch is covered with beadboard - which is rotting. We like the look, but from what I can find there is no exterior grade beadboard. So my understanding is that the best path is to epoxy it first. However it seems that painting it then becomes more of a problem. As such, I wanted to find out if this is my best option:

  • Use a 2 part epoxy resin to seal the wood
  • Use a light sander on the epoxy
  • Paint with a latex paint

As epoxy is not cheap would it possibly be better/easier/more economical to just buy the beadboard and coat it with a proper exterior paint? Then make sure to reapply every 4 or 5 years before it degrades too much?

FreeMan
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Justin Pihony
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2 Answers2

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You could replace the rotted bead board, then prime & paint it. Then, every couple of years, refresh the paint, just as people have been doing to wood siding for centuries...

The other option would be to get a molding cutter for your table saw, get a beading cutter of the desired shape, then purchase PVC panels and cut your own bead board out of it. Once installed, the PVC will, most likely, outlast the rest of the house.

Alternatively, cut the PVC panel into thin strips and use a beading bit in a router to cut the beads and install bead board the old fashioned way, but with new material.

FreeMan
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There are exterior rated beadboard products available, some even fiber cement - Allura comes to mind.

As far as epoxies go, you don't have to use a 2 part epoxy. There are precatalyzed epoxies available that can be sprayed or rolled that don't require mixing of any additional components.

A quality exterior grade paint is also suitable for this, however, even the best exterior paints won't help you if the substrate is rated for interior use only. Make sure you find something suitable for outdoor use.

matt.
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