My home has Cedar Shake siding; previous owner painted the house about ten years ago and now the paint is peeling and chipping off.

The siding surface is vertically textured, like a ruffled potato chip, making it difficult to scrape down in the ridges. So I don't see a way to get back to plain wood surface. Is it possible to apply stain without removing completely all paint?

Or, if I must use paint, what type paint is recommended for this siding?
ANy recommendations on the correct primer to use; any tips on surface preparation?

Thanks for any advice or insight someone may have.
Janet

I looked it up because I am not good at explaining painting procedures
Basically the stain will not stick to paint chips. You might be okay if it is just bits in the grooves bu I would get as much off as possible.

Paint Finishes
Paint finishes must be removed if the old surface is severely peeled, blistered, or if cross-grain checking has occurred because of excessive paint build-up. The removal of a film-forming finish is also necessary if a penetrating stain or water-repellent finish is to be applied to a previously painted or solid-color stained surface. Note that changing from a film-forming to a penetrating finish sometimes does not give satisfactory results because residual paint inhibits absorption.

Finishes can be removed by sanding, wet sandblasting, pressurized water spray, electrically heated paint removers and chemicals. Although quick and easy, sandblasting and pressurized water spray are not recommended unless extreme care is taken to avoid damage to the wood's surface. Special precautions to ensure worker safety must be taken if the old paint is lead-based.

This same thing happened to me, I power washed and scraped as best I could then painted the whole house with a solid color stain. It is holding up great. I do occasionally have to scrap and touch up a spot here and there but I think I would have spent a lot more time trying to get all of the old paint off.