Hardboard siding is fine-grained sawdust and wood waste product combined with resins (glue) using high heat and pressure. Although this material has been manufactured since the 1940's, the bulk of the material was installed on properties from 1980 to 1998. These properties include, apartments, townhomes, condominiums, manufactured homes and single-family homes. Most manufacturers have discontinued manufacturing hardboard siding. Most recently was the Masonite corporation in March of 2001.

Fortunately for the paint manufactures, and unfortunately for you, that's something you have to find out yourself. Different guns tend to like different paint. Other factors such as the weather, how fresh the paint is, etc., can all effect how well your paint performs for you. There are a few brands which are well known for their high quality, however they still may not perform in your gun as well as a less popular paint.

No! Vinyl siding is virtually maintenance free. The most you ever have to do is give your home a wash down with soap and water once or twice a year.

Although we use the best products possible for our siding, the life of your new siding depends greatly on the paint job it gets. You must use a good quality primer/sealer and a high quality top coat that is compatible with the primer to get the best results. Make sure the edges are primed/sealed BEFORE installation. Once your siding is installed it is impossible to seal the edges properly. The prime coat is the most important coat. Oil/alkyd primers are recommended; latex primers also work well.

That will probably seal them in. It may solve your problem, but will give a pebbly appearance to your paint job. Each repainting will seal in the artillery fungus even more. There are no fungicides legally registered (by EPA) against the artillery fungus. Bleach, if it worked, would be very temporary, as it leaches out with each rain. We tested 14 different fungicides in the laboratory, but have to take the experiment to the field.

The available historical evidence shows that Eichler used stains, not paint, on his homes, inside and out. One can speculate that, at least for the vertical-grooved siding, stains were employed so that the grooves stayed crisp and clean (the edges weren't softened by the paint), and some of the grain of the wood showed through (redwood siding was used throughout the 1950s). It is also possible that Eichler used stains because labor and materials costs were lower than for paint.

We recommend, when starting out, that you use a kind of opaque watercolor paint called gouache. Gouache can be found in several different brand names, including Windsor & Newton, Schminke, and Holbein.

Keep in mind that no matter what paint you use on wood it won't hold up forever when exposed to the elements. Just look at an old painted wooden house ? that's what you'll get in time: Pealing, cracking, discoloring, etc. There are lots of different opinions about painting and you can always ask a professional painter or someone experienced at your local paint store if you want a second opinion.

Many manufacturers offer proprietary lithium ion battery systems with their cameras. These are very sophisticated batteries with very long life. Sony's Infolithium battery system is perhaps the best example of this technology. In addition to offering very long life, this system can give an accurate measurement of the amount of operating time left on a charge. The negative side of lithium ion battery systems is that these proprietary systems tend to be very expensive.

Signs Plus signs are finished with a Spraylat 95 acrylic urethane coating made exclusively for outdoor signs. Signs Plus provides touch up paint with each new sign purchase. The urethane coating is formulated to reduce the effects of exterior weathering and will not peel, crack or fade. Some sign companies are utilizing powder coating. As the process has not been perfected for outdoor use, signs with a powder coating have been known to fade, crack and peel and cannot be touched up.

For interior jobs, most of the paint I use is regular interior latex house paint. I use some artist's acrylic paints for small details and special colors or effects. But be careful, they are often shinier than latex wall paint. So unless you plan to finish with a clear protective coat (which will make a uniform shiny finish), you will see a difference. An inexpensive clear finish coat is Future Floor Polish. It is a colorless acrylic liquid that can be applied with a soft, lint-free cloth.

Many shops are using automotive finishes today, mainly because they are chemically activated and require less time in an unstable state. For the average restorer, the equipment required to apply these paints and the experience necessary, isn't worth the investment or training. Many suppliers will not sell to the general public because of these factors. It is even questionable whether this approach to painting is acceptable. To many interested in authenticity, it is not.