Painting Weathered Cedar Siding

Surface preparation is the key to success when dealing with weathered wood.

Painting weathered cedar siding.

Uncoated weathered western red cedar siding or trim can often be restored to its original color by applying commercial products called cleaners brighteners or restorers. Before weathered wood can be painted it will require extensive prep work to ensure that the paint stays on for more than just a couple of years. In case you have the underlying paint that is dark in color it s essential to choose the primer that matches your paint color for better coverage. Once the surface is clean and primed you can start applying the paint.

Be careful when painting very old cedar siding. If your siding s fresh color lays buried under a gray weathered surface and mold buy a bleach based cleaning solution or mix 3 4 cup of bleach with 1 gallon of water to restore or salvage the. The siding must be free from mold mildew and dirt. Paint or stain dimensional cedar wood siding having cedar lumber wood siding such as 1 x 6 1 x 8 1 x 12 or two inch thickness can be painted with a solid paint stain not requiring primer but still not recommended painting cedar if you can help it.

Even then the paint is not expected to last long. Prepare the surface with old buildings such as my 130 year old barn water blasting the loose paint is not a recommended practice. 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. Step 4 let the cleaner sit on the cedar siding for 15 to 30 minutes.

Loosened photodegraded surface fibers and any loosened remaining finish must be removed prior to re finishing. Apply the wood cleaner to the cedar siding using a paint brush or roller. When painting or staining seasoned cedar older seasoned cedar wood and siding is where your painting skills are evenly matched. Although intended primarily for restoring horizontal wood surfaces such as decks these products generally work almost as well on vertical surfaces.

6 start painting your cedar siding.