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wrote:
What works for me:

1. Scrape off all loose/cracked/chipped areas thoroughly. As
necessary, strip areas.
2. Fill cracks with caulk compatible with paint and exposure.
3. Sand everything smooth.
4. Prime all exposed areas; alkyd may work better here.
5. Paint, 2 light/moderate coats, at dry, moderately warm time of day
(differs by side of house, even).

Emphasis on prep, for adhesion of paint.

HTH,
John

What John said, plus what I do is add:

1a. Wash all surfaces by hand with a commercial cleaner and hose off
with a garden hose (not pressure washer, pressure drives water into the
wood and does more harm than good.)

1b. Allow to dry for several days to make darn sure the wood is
completely dry.

Plus I modify step 5 to be first coat of paint just covers the primed
areas, second coat covers everything. You don't need to add two new
coats to areas where the paint is already adhered well. A thick coat
of paint is actually bad because it will crack easier in the future and
require scraping and repainting more frequently.

Ken