How to paint a plywood shed?
July 18, 2019 11:06 AM Subscribe
I've acquired a plywood shed built by my neighbour. I'd like to paint it to protect it and make it match my house (required by bylaw but not really enforced). I'm also busy/lazy and would like to invest a minimum of time, money and effort. Questions abound!
The internet tells me I need to sand it first, but do I really need to do this? Does it make the paint stick or something? I don't care if it looks bumpy.
The internet also says to use a primer and then paint, and this sounds like a good idea to me, but is this something I could cut corners on to save time/money?
Is there a special paint I need to use? Does it need to be mildew-resistant?
Is there anything else I need to know?
Thanks for your tips!
The internet tells me I need to sand it first, but do I really need to do this? Does it make the paint stick or something? I don't care if it looks bumpy.
The internet also says to use a primer and then paint, and this sounds like a good idea to me, but is this something I could cut corners on to save time/money?
Is there a special paint I need to use? Does it need to be mildew-resistant?
Is there anything else I need to know?
Thanks for your tips!
1. Sanding not only helps the look, but with plywood, which is layers of thin sheets on top of each other, anything that's pulling up can continue to kind of pull back up after you paint. So the smoothness can keep the paint from peeling up with the plywood, because you have a larger, smooth surface area of mostly the same layer of plywood under the paint. An electric sander can make short work of it, and it doesn't need to be super-picky, just a good going-over.
2. You can get primer and paint in one. I would do two coats at least of that, just to make sure you get good coverage. Get the cheapest brand you can at whatever store you're at, because it's going to wear and fade from being outside anyway.
3. Outdoor use paint is fine.
posted by xingcat at 11:31 AM on July 18, 2019
2. You can get primer and paint in one. I would do two coats at least of that, just to make sure you get good coverage. Get the cheapest brand you can at whatever store you're at, because it's going to wear and fade from being outside anyway.
3. Outdoor use paint is fine.
posted by xingcat at 11:31 AM on July 18, 2019
You either want to sand it or clean it really well so that the paint is sticking to the wood and not any dirt or grime that is on top of the wood.
I have read that you should paint/stain both sides of your wood as otherwise moisture can come through the unpainted/stained side and ruin the paint from the inside.
I think any kind of exterior paint should do the job. I used to think that glossier paints were more durable than matte ones but I have been told that isn't the case anymore.
I prefer the look of stain to paint. For my shed I stained the floor and painted its walls because they were hardie board and didn't have any grain to speak of. If the walls were plywood I would have stained them. I guess if you wanted it to be a really bright or strong colour then paint would be the way to go but most people's houses aren't brightly or strongly coloured. My shed is 8x12 feet and I don't remember either the painting or staining to have taken all that long but part of that was because you don't need to be that careful in painting a shed.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 11:33 AM on July 18, 2019
I have read that you should paint/stain both sides of your wood as otherwise moisture can come through the unpainted/stained side and ruin the paint from the inside.
I think any kind of exterior paint should do the job. I used to think that glossier paints were more durable than matte ones but I have been told that isn't the case anymore.
I prefer the look of stain to paint. For my shed I stained the floor and painted its walls because they were hardie board and didn't have any grain to speak of. If the walls were plywood I would have stained them. I guess if you wanted it to be a really bright or strong colour then paint would be the way to go but most people's houses aren't brightly or strongly coloured. My shed is 8x12 feet and I don't remember either the painting or staining to have taken all that long but part of that was because you don't need to be that careful in painting a shed.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 11:33 AM on July 18, 2019
I'm not aware of any type of paint that will make plywood stand up to weather as exterior siding. Even PT plywood will degrade when exposed to the weather over time. Unless this is a product specifically designed for use as siding, I would put real siding over the plywood, using the plywood for the purpose it's actually suited, which is sheathing. If it's a small shed this will probably be cheap and honestly may not be that much more effort than painting it.
The product I'd probably use would be engineered wood siding panels, which are a type of coated cellulose (it's kinda extruded sawdust and glue, feels sorta halfway between plastic and wood, because it is) and come pre-painted if you buy them that way. You can cut them with a plain ol' circular saw and put them up with nails. You've probably seen the stuff without realizing it; typically it has a simulated "board and batten" texture with vertical seams. (There are other exterior patterns but that's always the pattern on the cheap stuff.)
Basically you cut the stuff to size, nail it to the sheathing, and then seal the edges and nails with caulk. If it's pre-painted, you're done. For a really proper job you'd then want to do soffits and trim and whatnot, but you could probably get away without it on a shed.
That'll protect the underlying plywood and provide a weather barrier that should last years.
posted by Kadin2048 at 11:36 AM on July 18, 2019 [3 favorites]
The product I'd probably use would be engineered wood siding panels, which are a type of coated cellulose (it's kinda extruded sawdust and glue, feels sorta halfway between plastic and wood, because it is) and come pre-painted if you buy them that way. You can cut them with a plain ol' circular saw and put them up with nails. You've probably seen the stuff without realizing it; typically it has a simulated "board and batten" texture with vertical seams. (There are other exterior patterns but that's always the pattern on the cheap stuff.)
Basically you cut the stuff to size, nail it to the sheathing, and then seal the edges and nails with caulk. If it's pre-painted, you're done. For a really proper job you'd then want to do soffits and trim and whatnot, but you could probably get away without it on a shed.
That'll protect the underlying plywood and provide a weather barrier that should last years.
posted by Kadin2048 at 11:36 AM on July 18, 2019 [3 favorites]
I'm not aware of any type of paint that will make plywood stand up to weather as exterior siding.
This is true, but it really depends how long you're going to keep this shed and how much work you want to put into it right now. You mention wanting to put in a minimum of time, money and efforrt. So if it were mine, I would choose a combination primer/paint like Sherwin Williams Duration (pricy, but one coat might do it and it will last a very long time).
Then, if the plywood starts to get wonky you can always cover it with a better form of siding.
posted by beagle at 11:42 AM on July 18, 2019
This is true, but it really depends how long you're going to keep this shed and how much work you want to put into it right now. You mention wanting to put in a minimum of time, money and efforrt. So if it were mine, I would choose a combination primer/paint like Sherwin Williams Duration (pricy, but one coat might do it and it will last a very long time).
Then, if the plywood starts to get wonky you can always cover it with a better form of siding.
posted by beagle at 11:42 AM on July 18, 2019
The panels really do last. I made my shed 11 years ago using painted hardie board screwed directly onto my studs and the walls have stood up perfectly and still look exactly the same. But that's a bit more time and money than just painting the existing shed.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 11:51 AM on July 18, 2019
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 11:51 AM on July 18, 2019
Is it painted already with something?
If it is, just paint it the color you want with exterior latex.
If it's bare wood, the paint it with one coat of Killz exterior primer, and then exterior latex.
The only part of the internet telling you to sand a plywood shed wall is the section with people who don't know WTF they're talking about.
posted by humboldt32 at 4:21 PM on July 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
If it is, just paint it the color you want with exterior latex.
If it's bare wood, the paint it with one coat of Killz exterior primer, and then exterior latex.
The only part of the internet telling you to sand a plywood shed wall is the section with people who don't know WTF they're talking about.
posted by humboldt32 at 4:21 PM on July 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
They make all kinds of plywood. T1-11 is specifically made for exterior siding and shear wall structure. Even 1/2" CDX, painted would be fine. I have a small section of balcony on the first house I built that never got sided or painted and it's water-stained, but structurally fine 12 years later. Sorry Kadin2048, your information is incorrect and misleading.
posted by humboldt32 at 4:25 PM on July 18, 2019
posted by humboldt32 at 4:25 PM on July 18, 2019
If it's unpainted bare wood I'd get semi-transparent stain tinted to match your house. You don't need to go with out-of-the-box colours. Unlike paint, the semi-transparent stain won't need to be scraped the next time you want to go over it.
posted by kate4914 at 7:23 PM on July 18, 2019
posted by kate4914 at 7:23 PM on July 18, 2019
Uh, fairly certain I qualified my statement with Unless this is a product specifically designed for use as siding, which would include products like T1-11 / Plytanium and other engineered products that are exterior rated. (T1-11 would be a fine choice IMO for siding a shed, and a lot of prefab ones are, except you can get the prefinished stuff which is just less work.)
posted by Kadin2048 at 8:07 PM on July 18, 2019
posted by Kadin2048 at 8:07 PM on July 18, 2019
Response by poster: Thank you for the informative answers! Much appreciated!
posted by bighappyhairydog at 12:43 PM on July 24, 2019
posted by bighappyhairydog at 12:43 PM on July 24, 2019
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Sanding will knock off any loose material which would otherwise cause flaking. It'll also provide better mechanical tooth for the primer.
posted by Mitheral at 11:29 AM on July 18, 2019