Painted Cedar Shake Siding Maintenance

Power wash every two to four years.

Painted cedar shake siding maintenance.

Left untreated cedar shakes individual planks of one of several varieties of cedar will discolor and begin to soften with a possibility of rot after about five years depending on your climate. How do you maintain or stain cedar shake siding. It was painted probably 15 20 years ago so we decided to paint it. A mild non phosphate detergent is recommended.

Genuine cedar siding is going to require washing and staining sealing or painting on a regular basis. Like most wooden shingles however especially when painted they require care and maintenance over the course of time. This will avoid problems such as mold mildew rot and water damage. While this material is beautiful long lasting and tough like all other types of wood you must be up to date with the care and cleaning of cedar siding.

Left unprotected paint will chip and crack putting stress on caulked seams around windows and doors. Test results from the forest products testing lab run by the usda for the forest service show that after 12 weeks of exposure to sunlight cedar siding has lost half of its ability to hold a film forming coating system like primer and paint. Cedar siding maintenance must be a regular task so that you can avoid permanent damage to your home s exterior. The painter that we hired had his crew use brushes to paint the shakes.

This summer a sundeleaf painting crew has been pouring love and sweat into this spectacular portland home. From the outside the cedar siding is a major part of the aesthetics. Cedar shingles can also grow moss and algae or develop iron staining which requires periodic cleaning. The surfaces of finished western red cedar decks siding and trim boards exposed outdoors inevitably become dirty and can also be discolored by mildew algae and moss.

Allowing fresh siding to weather for as little as two weeks negatively affects coating adhesion. We chose a darker shade of grey. What does that care look like. Your climate and landscape will determine how often these processes are required.

Cedar shakes are cedar shingles that naturally weather and are resistant to decay. The original color was a light grey. With proper care cedar siding should last many decades. 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.

You have several options for covering cedar siding including stain a clear treatment or paint. These natural elements slowly erode the finishes and as a result all finishes applied to cedar require regular cleaning and maintenance to perform. Dusty climates will require more frequent washing. The paint will begin to peel and the shingles may become stained and they will need to be repainted.