We are about to paint the exterior of our house and I was wondering if there is anything that I can spray on a metal louver to stop or slow down the rusting. I'm just trying to preserve the new paint coating for as long as possible from the rust marks. Thanks

We have T-111 siding on our house. Yes, I know it isn't the best but it is what we have. When it was installed 9 years ago, it was coated with Clear Thompson's Waterseal. I suspect that the Thompson's is pretty much gone by now; it seemed lose its coating fairly quickly, especially on one section that gets water splattered on it from a basement roof that is connected just below it. Overall however, the siding still looks pretty good thanks to the 3' overhang we have on 2 sides and 8' porches on the other 2 sides. We realize we need to coat the siding with something and I am struggling to make a decision on what to use. I prefer a clear or light color stain. I've read that oil-based stains can give the best protection. I've also read that using oil-based stains on T-111 plywood can cause it to delaminate. (Our T-111 is plywood and not the OSB version of T-111.) That being said, I've read numerous posts from people who say they've used an oil-based stain on T-111 with no mention of delaminating of the surface. So my first question is, just how common is it for oil-based stains to delaminate T-111 plywood. Has anyone here had any experience with this? I have also considered using a semi-transparent acrylic stain. I've researched two brands, Cabot and Olympic but in looking at the reviews for both there are a number of customers who have used their products and had the stain start peeling in 6 mos or less later. They post pictures and the result looks terrible. Given that my husband doesn't want to do a great deal of prep for our stain job, I am worried that putting a color on the wood that might start peeling would look a lot worse than what we are starting with. Hence, I'd rather go with a transparent coating that would let the natural wood (albeit plywood) show through. (I realize that many people don't like the natural wood of T-111 but “to each his own.”) So if anyone has a suggestion for a transparent/clear or lightly tinted stain that will work on T-111 I'm open to suggestions. If there is a water-based clear wood sealant, I haven't found it. Please share if you know of one.