Painting Old Cedar Clapboard Siding

Basic maintenance repair and painting of cedar wood siding using gardner flex n fill and behr premium plus exterior paint.

Painting old cedar clapboard siding.

How to prep for painting. Exterior western red cedar surfaces only need to be refinished when the old coating has worn thin and no longer affords the wood protection. Even then the paint is not expected to last long. While extremely old cedar can be painted it requires heavy preparation.

This is necessary if for example the old finish is severely cracked or is peeling. From a distance the house in winchester mass site of the 2002 this old house tv project was a picture of yellow siding and white trim. From traditional to contemporary options most home improvement stores have a variety of paint books and brochures outlining available colors and finishes. The following outline is intended to prepare you before buying any such products knowing exactly which type fits your final outcome.

Surface preparation is the key to success when dealing with weathered wood. I warranty all my restorative exteriors for 10 years which means if there is any peeling paint failure due to poor preparation workmanship or materials i will provide labour and materials to amend the problem. The majority of the siding is western red cedar and because these homes are 50 years old the siding is from old growth. A diyer or a novice painter might attempt to achieve a cleaner look by caulking the siding nails but the nail is guaranteed to push the caulking material out within a few months.

Closer inspection revealed a craggy clapboard landscape of cracks chips and flakes where 10 coats of paint applied during the 80 year life of the house were failing by degrees. The nails holding up the siding should not be caulked. Siding nails should not be caulked another item that needs room to play is siding boards themselves. Choosing paint colors for your wooden clapboard siding is one of the more exciting parts of home improvement.

Rollers are available in many sizes and various widths from 3 to 12. A 1 4 to 1 2 thick roller nap is good for clapboard siding. Loosened photodegraded surface fibers and. Be sure to remove any caulk where the siding overlaps as old houses need to breathe.

In refinishing painted or solid color stained siding and trim removal of the old coating may be required. 7 tips painting or staining cedar wood siding walking into a paint store can be overwhelming trying to decide which paint or stain coating you wish to provide your exterior cedar wood and siding as there are many varieties. Pull out loose nails and renail using stainless steel siding nails. 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.