# Just sold a Boral job.



## Easy Gibson (Dec 3, 2010)

I just sold a small exterior job painting some Boral casing and siding.
Naturally the first thing I need to do is run to CT to learn how to perform the job I just told the GC I was more than capable of performing. Classic.

Anyways, I've only ever been on the installation side of Boral before. Enjoyed working with it, but never painted with it.

Wanted to hear the thoughts of the group here, specifically in regards to hole-filling product recommendations. Boral's website is light on specifics, only citing use of "a variety of caulks and sealants" as acceptable. 
Their site did say though that priming was not necessary. Have you guys found this to be the case?

Any input is appreciated. Thanks


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## MarkJames (Nov 25, 2012)

I would think 3M patch + primer to be a good bet. Superseal mentioned that stuff at one point. It's deceptive in that it works like ultralight interior spackle at first, but dries nice and solid.


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

Boral pictured. 

Caulk with Shermax.

Fill holes with Probond. Get the tub, not the tube. The stuff in the tube is terrible. 

http://www.elmers.com/product/detail/P9891

You must sand the entire surface after filling. The Boral has a slight texture, if you don't sand the entire piece you'll get flashing.

Prime with Preprite Problock. Sand first coat (240), reprime, I like to sand the second coat also. 

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/ho...erior-exterior-latex-primer-sealer-pl-9527647

Top coat on these is BM Aura exterior. 

Tom


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## Tom M (Jan 3, 2007)

Think I used water putty and just a low luster Benjamin Moore. No problems.


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## Easy Gibson (Dec 3, 2010)

Thank you, gentlemen. 

I'll see what patching products my supply is carrying. I think I have a Boral scrap laying around actually. Maybe I'll drill some holes in it then fill those holes. Something to do, right?


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

Easy Gibson said:


> Thank you, gentlemen.
> 
> I'll see what patching products my supply is carrying. I think I have a Boral scrap laying around actually. Maybe I'll drill some holes in it then fill those holes. Something to do, right?


No gentleman in my family....

Tom


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## Easy Gibson (Dec 3, 2010)

I'm gonna be honest. I like your method the least. Sand, paint, then sand, paint again? Ugh. I might as well go get real job. Such monotony.


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

Easy Gibson said:


> I'm gonna be honest. I like your method the least. Sand, paint, then sand, paint again? Ugh. I might as well go get real job. Such monotony.


It's all about the results. The sanding is the easy part.

Tom


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## Easy Gibson (Dec 3, 2010)

That's what I'm going to tell the guy I'm going to make sand it.

"Good. Now sand it again. No back talk. Because a guy on the internet said to, that's why."


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

You'll find out how easy the factory Boral primer sands. That's the problem with trying to spot fill and sand it. The flashing is horrendous. 

SW Multi Purpose primer powders easily.

Tom


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## Easy Gibson (Dec 3, 2010)

I'll be honest with you. There's one part that's a dormer that can only be seen by a passing airplane, that I'm painting black. I'm probably going to sand that part once.


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

Nice thing about Boral. Dark colors have no affect on it.

Tom


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## Easy Gibson (Dec 3, 2010)

Other than being a wee unkind to saw blades, I have found no downside to Boral. Cool stuff.


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## Tom M (Jan 3, 2007)

Very very dusty


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## Easy Gibson (Dec 3, 2010)

I'd take dusty over working with PVC. I can't stand that crap.


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## srexteriors26 (Apr 13, 2017)

i have done a bit of boral and its very environmentally stable which is nice, cuts nicely even though its dusty as hell and it paints pretty well if you know what you are doing. major down side is i get varied thickness in trim boards all the time which is a pain in the ass.


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

Easy Gibson said:


> Other than being a wee unkind to saw blades, I have found no downside to Boral. Cool stuff.


Use PCD blades.

First of 4 or 5 videos showing how I fabricated the exterior trim pictured in a previous post. Very little dust.






Tom


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## Easy Gibson (Dec 3, 2010)

Ok, I'm back with the review of the Tom Method. I will warn you now that I was merely a sub on this job and will not be posted any pictures, as it's not my place. Deal with it.

There was a dormer on top of the house(well duh) that is only visible to passing aircrafts, so I used the 3 sides of it to experiment a little. 
Side 1 I sanded only the filled nail holes, and not the rest of the siding.
Side 2 I sanded the whole thing and primed once.
Side 3 I sanded the whole thing and primed twice.

First I would like to note that the architect on the project left instructions to simply paint the siding without sanding, priming, or even filling the holes. Classic architect stuff right there.

Hole filling - Took the 3M Patch + Primer recommendation and really liked it. The stuff is nicely workable, dries hard and pretty quickly, and it didn't shrink at all. It also sanded very well with a pole sander with 120.

Sanding - Sanding the entirety of the surface takes virtually no more time than spot sanding, since the nails are close enough together anyway. You really wouldn't save any meaningful amount of time by skipping this step, so do this step.

Priming - Here's where the camps are going to divide. Tom's method of priming twice does actually help a bit. Not a whole lot, but a bit. If I were dealing with the absolute pickiest customer on Earth, I might consider doing this, assuming they were ok with the bill for the job being inflated 25% to cover the extra lap around the house. 
I was not dealing with the pickiest customer on Earth though, and I did not have room in the job to inflate the budget by said 25%, so I only primed once, as I've been doing my entire life. This is still one more time than the Boral spec sheet says you need to prime it, so there.

Painting - Painted with MooreGuard Low Luster, like always. Very minimal flashing with one coat of primer and two coats of finish. If you go seeking the nail heads, you'll find them, but they don't jump out and the whole thing ended up smooth and even.
"Absolutely gorgeous" exclaimed the satisfied homeowner. Swish.

End notes - Boral absorbs zero paint. ZERO. I bought a 5 gallon of both primer and finish. Used MAYBE 2 gallons of each. Oops. 
Also, in case anyone else runs into this, I was doing T&G run vertically with about an 1/8" gap between pieces. Large roller was completely useless. I painted the entire damn thing with a 4" whizz. Anything larger than that and the paint gummed up the cracks, which were so small that even to get one drip out I had to pull out a flathead or knife and scrape it out. Absolutely awful. Maybe a larger foam roller might have worked or a really smooth 1/4" nap. I don't know. I didn't feel like stopping and going back out so I just used the Whizz. Honestly didn't take as long as it probably should have for what a jackass hack maneuver that is.
Used a thin artist's brush for the grooves. Normal cutters couldn't get in there. 


Ok, I think that's it. Boral. Fun. Would paint again.

Thanks Mark and Tom for product recommendations. The 3M filler and the ProBlock both worked great. ProBlock has incredible open time. I loved it.


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

Told you it sands easily. Mention sanding and most get worried, I find it a very easy and necessary step.

Tom


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