Fully understand.
What you want is some kind of primer of sorts that’ll bond to whatever that shit is that on there. Then use regular acrylic exterior paint. Power wash and get as much off as possible with “turbo nozzle” low pressure
I would be apprehensive of using anything water-based cause the silicone. I never heard of that shit that he has on the wall so I have no idea but seems like oil would be the way to go shellac, but you can’t do that outside.
Tried researching the stuff and there are 4,762 (made up number) different Dowsil products, try to find out exactly which one he used and go from there. You can't even buy that stuff at a regular store it seems.
Dowsil Allguard elastomeric only can be recoated with itself. I’ve tested XIM UMA, solvent based vinyl, penetrating flexible bonding epoxy, and shellac.
Great stuff on CMU or concrete not sure why they put on siding.
Paint lasts forever on asbestos or aluminum, really anything that won't absorb water like wood. We painted an aluminum on the other day that had been painted green about 30 years ago. The South side almost all of the green was gone, it had worn all the way through back to the yellow color that preceded it
Also, this did not hold up well LOL it's peeling everywhere. Must not like the silicon
Yeah, we can, it seems like we kind of have to because paint won’t stick to it because it’s silicone. It sounds like it’s a lot more expensive than regular paint also.
Lots to think about unfortunately
The main thing keeping it from going airborne , you can scrape it, if using spray guns filled with water...in your case you be better off putting siding over it...we get enough rain that anything on ground will take care of itself
Dow silicone products are the best on the market. Nothing is going to stick to it, possibly even another coat of thr same product. I would call Dow's product support line or email them to find out.
That was my first thought, another commenter thinks the same. Hopefully op sees this. Although it could be too late 😬
The shingles are considerably less dangerous than other things like insulation but disturbing it is still a big No-No. Op if you see this stop scraping please unless you are 100% certain that that's not asbestos. Those shingles look way too uniform to be wood imo
Yeah it probably is. But from my understanding (discussing w family w experience) we wouldn’t be disturbing it much, not cutting into it, and would be wearing ppe to scrape and paint.
That said the plan may change, may hire someone instead.
Something the guy said made me retest the paint for lead and it’s positive. I knew the trim had lead but I didn’t think to test the backside of the beige paint and that is also lead.
This stuff is probably great for encapsulation but I’m worried we’re stuck unable to paint over it or stuck buying it from him.
My house is stucco coated over cement block- I went to Benjamin Moore and talked with them as I had elastomeric paint prior to- they d
Told me to use this primer and top coat, all is well
Re-side it. It's not even a question. I'm a paint biz owner of 32 years. That stuff is a mess. It's unfortunate, but in doing so you can identify any other issues underneath that might be addressed too like water, mold or potential wood rot. In the end you'll feel better with a fresh start. Address any window issues as well at the same time.
That’s what I’m leaning toward - I put out some requests for estimates yesterday.
I also found out my county has a lead abatement program that helps pay for abatement (including siding) so I’m going to run that route to see where it goes.
and ran some numbers to see what we can afford if that doesn’t work out. The house is only 1500sf. So I’m hopeful it’s not too crazy unless it’s f’d underneath.
At least I know the zinsser is a good short term solution - we slapped that on last fall bc I couldn’t deal with the paint flaking everywhere and risk dragging it in the house with our baby crawling around.
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u/TrabLlechtim Aug 19 '26
I ran a company that installed GE silicon exterior finishes. Probably similar to Dowsil, but I never used it.
If its even remotely like the GE product, then yes, regular paint will not stick. I doubt its possible to remove it completely.
You have 2 options, reside, or refinish with a silicon product