Painted Cedar Shake Siding Maintenance

Genuine cedar siding is going to require washing and staining sealing or painting on a regular basis.

Painted cedar shake siding maintenance.

This will avoid problems such as mold mildew rot and water damage. Like most wooden shingles however especially when painted they require care and maintenance over the course of time. Power wash every two to four years. With proper care cedar siding should last many decades.

Even species of wood that have a natural resistance to rot such as redwood cypress and cedar may decay if not properly protected from the elements. 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. Cedar siding maintenance must be a regular task so that you can avoid permanent damage to your home s exterior. 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.

From the outside the cedar siding is a major part of the aesthetics. Left unprotected paint will chip and crack putting stress on caulked seams around windows and doors. It was painted probably 15 20 years ago so we decided to paint it. What does that care look like.

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. The painter that we hired had his crew use brushes to paint the shakes. The original color was a light grey. The paint will begin to peel and the shingles may become stained and they will need to be repainted.

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. 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. You have several options for covering cedar siding including stain a clear treatment or paint.

Allowing fresh siding to weather for as little as two weeks negatively affects coating adhesion. If the caulk separates and fails to keep out moisture water can seep in and rot the siding. A mild non phosphate detergent is recommended. 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.

Your climate and landscape will determine how often these processes are required. How do you maintain or stain cedar shake siding. Cedar shingles can also grow moss and algae or develop iron staining which requires periodic cleaning. This summer a sundeleaf painting crew has been pouring love and sweat into this spectacular portland home.