Can You Stain Cedar Shake Siding

According to paul mackie at the western red cedar lumber association wrcla red cedar siding that has been finished on all six sides with a stain blocking primer and top coated with 100 percent exterior acrylic latex paint has the longest expected service life of any coating system.

Can you stain cedar shake siding.

Prepare your cedar siding by washing it with soapy water to remove any dirt or dust if any has accumulated. Second biggest factor is moisture. In fact you can pay extra for pre primed or pre stained shake products. Stains dry rapidly and fresh stain applied over dried stain will show lap marks.

Staining cedar siding differs from application of paint and other finishes. However you may need to reapply a clear coat stain every two years. Cedar siding shingles provide beauty for any home but they must be properly coated to ensure a long life. Although cedar is naturally resistant to rot and decay staining your siding promptly will help in the preventing of deterioration.

Staining cedar with a solid color stain. Oil based stain is a more durable product that will thoroughly penetrate the cedar when applied but it can be more prone to allowing mold growth if you aren t careful and don t use a solution containing a fungicide. Semi transparent stains require more maintenance with an additional application in between keeping wood protected than does a solid stain paint lasting typically 5 7 years. Wash wait for it to dry.

With a new installation of cedar shake siding which can cost around 5 a square foot you shouldn t need to do any prep work before staining or painting. Solid color stains have solid particles but not nearly as many as paint. Staining cedar shake siding not only offers you the chance to customize the color of your home but when you apply it carefully a good stain helps protect the wood and keep it looking new for. First remove any mill glaze a hard shiny surface on one side of the siding by sanding.

Those extractives can even bleed through many types of paint. What you get is a very uniform opaque color. Department of agriculture s forest services laboratory recommends cleaning cedar shingles with an oxidizing bleach as opposed to a household bleach to avoid damaging the wood while you can use household bleach to kill mold and algae it tends to make the cedar shingle s surface. Thus solid color stains let some of the cedar s grain show through but none of the color.

If you have intense sun on cedar wood siding you d be best served using a semi transparent stain not a paint. When putting up brand new cedar siding it is recommended that your first stain be oil based alklyd. Cedar shingles can also grow moss and algae or develop iron staining which requires periodic cleaning. Cedar shingles contain extractives that bleed to the surface when the wood becomes wet and then darken as the wood dries.

Factory applied finishes of this type are available in most.