Opaque Stain v. Paint v. Siding

[BrianR]

I hope I'm in the correct "forum". I'm buying a little Cape Cod style house in NJ. It has wood board siding (not shingles). Its currently got a light gray, fading something on there - looks like a stain once upon a time. I'm thinking of applying an opaque stain or paint to it. What the heck would the difference be? Visually, I'm thinking not much, right? And as for the paint - I'd need a primer, right?

I hate the thought of siding, but it sure is easy to maintain......

Your thoughts please.........

And thank you....

[rbgarr]

We had a large deck made of pressure treated wood that we applied opaque stain to on the horizontal surfaces and vertical staving slats. The deck had to be redone about every two to three years here in Maine, the vertical about every four. The painted white trim on the house lasts about five or six. IMO staining/painting shingles is a pain because of all the ladder work.

[BarnacleGrim]

Opaque stain, isn't that an oxymoron?

[Ron Williamson]

Benjamin Moore acrylic stain.
Ours is nine years old and the only bad spots are where the paint underneath had lost its grip on the pine siding and where the leaky eavetrough end spills water onto it.
R