Painting Old Cedar Shake Siding

Be sure to remove any caulk where the siding overlaps as old houses need to breathe.

Painting old cedar shake siding.

Be careful when painting very old cedar siding. Loosened photodegraded surface fibers and. You ll have to remove the mildew and prime the wood with a stain blocking primer. Step 4 let the cleaner sit on the cedar siding for 15 to 30 minutes.

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. This discoloration is most likely caused by a combination of excessive tannins leeching from the wood and mildew growth. Exterior western red cedar surfaces only need to be refinished when the old coating has worn thin and no longer affords the wood protection.

Painting cedar however calls for some preparation. Cedar shingles contain extractives that bleed to the surface when the wood becomes wet and then darken as the wood dries. Pull out loose nails and renail using stainless steel siding nails. Some sections of old unpainted shingles and siding may look darker than others.

Even then the paint is not expected to last long. Those extractives can even bleed through many types of paint. Apply the wood cleaner to the cedar siding using a paint brush or roller. Surface preparation is the key to success when dealing with weathered wood.

The siding must be free from mold mildew and dirt. Cedar shingles whether being shake or regular thickness new or old same painting recommendations fits all types across the board. This is necessary if for example the old finish is severely cracked or is peeling. 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. Cedar shakes are cedar shingles that naturally weather and are resistant to decay. 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.