MDO or Breckenridge Thinline Siding- which 2 choose?
We are going to slowly begin to replace all of our existing Thinline siding. Since all of the siding will eventually be replaced, we have an opportunity to begin and finish the project with whatever siding we want.
Our home has Thinline siding (from Eichler Siding) which we like, however we now need to decide if we should go the MDO or Breckenridge route. Can fellow Eichler owners comment on their experience with both?
Aesthetically we think the Breckenridge siding looks much more authentic and feels more substantial then MDO, however I read a post from Jeff Nichols of Eichler Siding from last year which states that the Breckenridge siding has poor wear characteristics and also has greater variability/problems when compared to the MDO (which I always thought was originally designed for interior, not exterior, use). Cost is also a key consideration given the scale of this project.
Please share your observations, experiences and recommendations with us. Thanks!
I replaced all my siding last summer with paneling from Mills Siding. It's a high quality product and takes stain well.
I had Breckenridge siding installed on half of my house 4 years ago (the half with the least overhang that gets direct rain and wind). I chooose it because I was going to stain it, not paint it (you can't stain MDO it won't absorb it) and I liked the look of the grain showing. Overall I'm satisfied with it so far. A few months ago I stained it for the second time. The biggest issue I have with it is that some panels have voids showing in a thin horizontal line, and one panel has an edge that was never really right, it's kind of ragged.
As I've written about before (and can be found on this website in the House Doctor section) the advantage of staining siding with a semi-solid stain is that the grooves will always stay crisp and sharp. With painted siding, over time the paint builds up in the grooves and they become indistinct. Stained wood is more work to maintain, but it's worth it to me to keep the "look". I figure I will re-stain about every five years. The MDO siding looks to smooth to me and the grooves seem a bit shallow.
Barry
As I have stated before Eichler Siding from Jeff in Marin is Terrific.
Great for Paint and will last for a LONG TIME if prepped right.
We have used alot of his siding and are very Happy. We have tons
of people ask "What did you do to your House" and all we did was replace the front siding and change trim color.
The grooves will stay "Clean" if you don't oversand them in your Paint Prep.
Make sure to Prime all edges and both sides before painting.
We paint our siding before we hang it with rollers and then brush the grooves
It is a Ton of work but maintainence is next to nothing.
Enjoy!
gturetzky - Thanks for the response however you didn't specific the exact type of siding you went with. Can you please let me what version of siding from Eichler Siding you purchased/installed. Thanks!
p.s. sorry for having to post this vs. ask via e-mail but you didn't have contact information included in your profile/posting.
We use the Thin Line from Eichler Siding.
Again, it works great for us with the prep
that we do. We want this to last. It is worth
the investment in Time and $$ to do it right.
Good Luck with the project.
GT
We have added two additions and replaced several panels using the MDO panels. We paint them (after priming) with a good thick coat of paint using a roller, then stoke them with a brush to get a nice texture and make sure the paint is in the grooves. When finished, they look like other originl panels that have had several coats of pain applied over the years.
