exterior stain or paint for victorian?

[Tunaboy]

My wife and I have an 1892 Victorian in dire need of a paint job.

The painter suggested painting the siding with a self-priming solid color stain (made by Flood). The trim will be painted with regular paint (Duration).

Are there any advantages to a stain over a paint? Is the expected lifespan the same? Will it adhere to both bare wood and existing paint? Does it peel like regular paint?

Any experiences or advice would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Tuna

[HayZee518]

Any paint (painting) depends on the base. Applied to a humid surface will blister and peel off. Stains have a habit of soaking into the wood which is good. I'd put my two cents in with solvent base stain as opposed to water based stain.
Latex paints dry too fast into a skin. Again I'd go with solvent based paints or oils.