I’m looking for real-world feedback and opinions on the so-called “liquid vinyl siding” products I’m seeing advertised.
I have a 180+ year old original clapboard-sided post and beam home in central Connecticut that really needs a paint job. I’d like something that will last for quite a while, and the claims made for this type of product seem almost too good to be true:
CHIC’s “advanced co-polymer technology” is supposedly breathable, UV resistant, flexible, low maintenance and weatherproof, and I believe I’ve heard of warranties as long as 50 years — interesting, since the product appears to have only been on the market for 20 years.
• Is this just thick paint, subject to all the same problems, or is it really something different?
• I assume most of the performance claims depend on the prep job being exceptional…
• One architect I spoke to commented that the stuff is so thick it rounds every sharp edge so reliefs are no longer distinct.
• Is it just the prep job that produces the high price, or is the material itself more costly?
• Will such a supposedly durable, solid exterior surface result in moisture problems inside walls, potentially causing insulation failure, interior rot or inside air quality problems?
• Are there similar products I should compare to? (I won’t consider putting regular vinyl siding on my house – no way, no how!)
• Bottom line: is it worth it?
• Bonus question: can this product be considered “green”? I’m told it’s non-toxic, but there’s more to it than that: is it manufactured in the US? Is the manufacturing process not terribly environmentally offensive? My understanding is that two liquids need to be combined to create the end product — can they be easily incorrectly mixed and result in off-gassing issues like urea formaldehyde foam insulation used to?
Any information would be appreciated!
Replies
I was just thinking about doing something like this today! Somebody always stole my idea 20 years ago. Here's a website that I found interesting, I would like to see some testimonials in there but couldn't find any.
http://www.permanentcoatingsolutions.com/faqs.cfm
bump
Just landed a bathroom/pantry addition gig and the customer passed a video on to me to take a look at which I haven't looked at yet...its about this new ceramic paint that gets sprayed on the house exterior with a 20 year or something like that warranty...she said a neighbor up the road had it doe and seems to love it (so far). Its called Rhino Shield.
http://www.rhinoshield.net/rhinoshieldfaqs.cfm
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Edited 4/18/2007 11:21 pm ET by andybuildz
We had to tear a metal roof off and replace it a year after it was "saved" by a similar ceramic product. The ceramic paint cost $25K - new copper roof was only $40K. I'd be pretty leery.http://grantlogan.net/
Any chance of a picture? (of the house)
I had a client pull the exterior paint out of a contract last year. They went with a "spray on siding" which in the end appeared to be a thick elastomeric paint. The crew that applied it did a great job at prep. They hit it hard with a huge pressure washer and scraped every inch of the 2800 sf ranch. The benefit to the HO was that they came back yearly and pressure washed and touched up for like $250. I was not that impressed with the product but the service was good. In your case anything you apply will of course be no stronger than the previous coating. In my opinion I would try a product by Pittsburgh Paint called Manor Hall Timeless. It is a cross linking polymer exterior latex paint that is nothing short of amazing. I use it on every project I can. It covers like nothing I have ever seen, it sticks like glue, it doesn't require a primer and looks like oil when dry. It is pricey at 60-70$ a gallon but I feel it is worth every penny. Although it is not recommended for doors and windows we often paint the front only and carefully avoid getting paint on the edges and in the jamb areas (due to the high build). I just completed an 1800sf hose that we painted the brick because of staining and previous paint slop. The body of the house, all the way around, red common brick to a battleship grey color in 1 coat with no shading or signs of the red visible anywhere (and only 7 gallons of paint). Try it out if available in your area. You won't believe the results.
PS: Lowe's offers a cheaper copy, DURAMAX by Valspar. It is around half the cost of the Pittsburgh product but you may end up 2 coating and it doesn't adhere as well either.
Good Luck,
Scott
Liquid Vinyl Paint System
What is interesting about CHIC is that since 1984 the owner of the manufacturer has also been applying the product to homes and commercial buildings. And the company that applies it has a steller reputation in Vancouver British Columbia. Their BBB rating is tops. I believe that if the product were ineffective, people who has they product put on their homes in the mid 1980's would n ot be testifying in 2014 that their homes looked like they had just been painted.
I wonder, isn't it possible that in light of the all the advances in coating technologies that there can truly be an exterior coating that could last for decades?
It seems to me that there is proof in the pudding with CHIC.
No, there's no chance of that at all. Every paint manufacturer in America sells elastomeric paint these days. It's a a nice product used in the right place but I would never paint a clapboard house with the stuff. Once elastomeric paint starts to tear or peel you're in trouble since it's so hard to sand and impossible to feather. In fact the duribility of the product is mostly due to the detailed prep that has to be done before applicatiuon. Most of the cost is associated with the prep labor rather than the product.
Permanent paint
There was just a mention of this by the Historic Commission in my town's (Roxbury) newsletter. They were relating a cautionary tale from the Litchfield Historic Commission, which had coated one of their properties (Perhaps the Harriet Beeche Stowe house? I don't remember.) with a "permanent paint". A few years later, they had to strip the house because, according to the HC, the paint was trapping moisture and causing damage.
That makes sense on the face of things, but it also suggests that there's a big, un-addressed interior moisture source in that particular building that probably needs to be fixed before any paint will work long term. I don't know enough about these new paints to have an opinion, except to suggest that each house is different and should be evaluated on a case by case basis.
CHIC LIQUID VINYL
As a CHIC Dealer for the past 10 years, I can attest to the fact that this product is every bit as good as claimed, if not better. It is very low VOC, water clean-up, as well as being fade, pest, and mold and mildew resistant. It is very water resistant yet breathable. It is even class A fire rated. The CHIC owners are a delight to work with and 100% stand behind their product. Their 30 year old jobs look like the day they were applied. My biggest difficulty with this product is convincing people it really is this fantastic! There is no downside to it. When you consider the savings not having future paint jobs or eventual siding replacement (because paint does a poor job of protecting), how can you miss? And a lifetime warranty no less. This is the only coating I want on my own house.