I am scraping off years of lead based paint and shellac off of the exterior of my cabin in Maine with my heat gun, "Peel Away 6", and steel wool and soapy water. I am getting down to the bare wood now, and am about to sand. The cabin gets a LOT of weather- strong winds, lots of sun, rain, etc. After priming, what's better- stain (with color )or paint ? And if it's stain , does the primer in any way inhibit the stain ? The wood itself appears to be in pretty good shape- it's pine. The cabin was built in the 1920's. I am drawn to stain because it seems I can get it in any color I want and my local hardware guy told me it wouldn't peel or flake. I am drawn to paint because it's what I am used to working with. Thanks for your help !

I have an old oil tank in my basement. We recently painted the walls and floor, which were basic grey concrete and concrete block, and now the oil tank sticks out like a sore thumb. I don't need to make it beautiful but would like to put a coat of paint on it just so it doesn't look so awful. Can I do this? If so, how? Is there a cleanser I should use to cut through the oily grime on the thing (it's REALLY old), or should I just sand it? What type of paint? And spray paint or roller? Goodness, so many questions.... I can just see myself doing this wrong, though, and having the paint peel off and look even worse than it does now.