Finishing Board and Batten Siding

Q: How can I finish the wooden board and batten siding on the new timber frame house I’ve just built? My preference is for a blue “milk paint” look, but I know this isn’t suitable for exterior use. I’ve also heard excellent comments about a product called Sikkens, but don’t know anything about it. Can you give me some direction?

A: Besides appearance, the main thing to consider when it comes to an outdoor wood finish is durability. The exterior of a house is a large area, and a failed finish will be expensive and troublesome to deal with over the years. If you're interested in a solid colour, consider an exterior latex paint. Some formulations come in pastel colours that have the old-time look of milk paint. 100% acrylic latex is the longest lasting type on the market. Sikkens is a company that makes durable, transparent wood finishes that I've been using successfully for 15 years. One of their products, called Cetol, is intended for walls such as yours. It's a tinted formulation that lets wood grain show through. Regardless of what you choose, it's essential that you sand wood before finishing. Planed lumber isn’t absorbent enough to properly grip a new finish. Use an 80-grit abrasive on a random orbit sander before installing the battens. That way you'll have a flat surface to work on for all the sanding.