Painting Old Cedar Shake Siding

Some sections of old unpainted shingles and siding may look darker than others.

Painting old cedar shake siding.

Cedar shingles whether being shake or regular thickness new or old same painting recommendations fits all types across the board. Cedar shingles contain extractives that bleed to the surface when the wood becomes wet and then darken as the wood dries. The paint will begin to peel and the shingles may become stained and they will need to be repainted. Cedar siding shingles provide beauty for any home but they must be properly coated to ensure a long life.

Those extractives can even bleed through many types of paint. This is necessary if for example the old finish is severely cracked or is peeling. Painting cedar however calls for some preparation. Strip the old paint go to our paint stripping page we decided to strip the paint to give us the best chance of producing the longest lasting paint job.

Be sure to remove any caulk where the siding overlaps as old houses need to breathe. Exterior western red cedar surfaces only need to be refinished when the old coating has worn thin and no longer affords the wood protection. While extremely old cedar can be painted it requires heavy preparation. Like most wooden shingles however especially when painted they require care and maintenance over the course of time.

Step 4 let the cleaner sit on the cedar siding for 15 to 30 minutes. Loosened photodegraded surface fibers and. This discoloration is most likely caused by a combination of excessive tannins leeching from the wood and mildew growth. You ll have to remove the mildew and prime the wood with a stain blocking primer.

Apply the wood cleaner to the cedar siding using a paint brush or roller. Reach the high areas or apply cleaner to the less dirty areas using a roller with an extension pole which doesn t allow you to apply as much pressure or elbow grease as a paint brush. Surface preparation is the key to success when dealing with weathered wood. Be careful when painting very old cedar siding.

Pull out loose nails and renail using stainless steel siding nails. Even then the paint is not expected to last long. Correctly painting new or old cedar shingles having several requests per year painting cedar shingles i feel an important need to clarify some misnomers regarding this subject.