Hi folks –
I’m new to trying this forum but am turning to you for some expert advice. I’ve read Fine Homebuilding for years as a homeowner who finds construction fascinating. My issue is this: we are about to have a second floor added to our raised ranch. The existing exterior is sided with red cedar shingles that were once painted and then apparently sand-blasted (or pressure washed?) by a previous owner. You can see a little paint along the bottom edges and the surfaces are fairly pitted and rough. I don’t know if a stain or anything was then applied, because they are pretty natural looking with a huge variation in color from weathering – reddish under the eaves all the way to near black on the more exposed faces. So… 3 questions. First, do cedar shingles need to be painted or stained at all, or can they be left untreated? Second, if we do stain them (and I would opt for a semi-transparent because I like to see the grain), how should the first floor shingles be treated first to minimize the difference? Lastly, should the shingles be dipped before applying to coat all sides, or is it acceptable to shingle first and stain after (seems problematic to me but I want to hear what you all think…). Sorry for being so verbose but necessary to thoroughly explain. THANK YOU for helping!!!
Replies
Not overly verbose at al. I found it a concise and thorough wayt of deliniating the need and asking several quaestions.
It is possible to buy cedars predipped and it is betterbecause the individual pieces can shrink back after staining in place, leaving the raw natural colouyr playing peek-a-boo with you until it fades. The dark colour you have now is mildew staining and UV aged lignan fibres. In six or seven years the new might blend in pretty well. Or you might be able to easily take an orbital sander to freshen the old. Try it in a hidden location.
But if you want them to all look identical, tear them all off and replace new or paint/stain with solid colour.
Cabot's is probably your best bet.
Hi, and thanks for the suggestions. I can't justify (or afford) tearing off the old, but cleaning them up with an orbital sander sounds like a tantalizingly good thing to try. Anytime I scratch 'em by accident (like wielding a rake too close to the house), it leaves a nice fresh colored mark ... argh.
I'm glad to see you recommend Cabots's, as I'm about to test out their oil-based stains on some spare shingles. I was thinking that it would be a good choice given our climate, since we and they are both Massachusetts based.
What is a good source for pre-dipped cedars? Can you get the same wide range of colors that you can from the stain companies? Thanks again for responding!
Maibec is a canadian based company that markets in New England through lumberyards. They do white cedars in three grades, squre butted and resanded predipped in several standard colours. They use Cabots and will do any Cabot colour as a special order if you order a minimum ten squares. Of course there is waiting time on that. Actually, I think they will do it for any # of squares but you'll nearly pay the minimum anyway so figure the cost.
I've also bought pre-painted clapboard siding with Cabots on it. I was very impressed. I think that company actually used #4 punk pine and counted on the Cabots to hold the wood together. LOL
Naturally the factory applied is best because they can control the weather in the shop better than you can on the coast.
Excellence is its own reward!
piffen: are you going to go to recko's ?
piffen knows his coastal new england products ... sounds like good advice to me.. here's a little different opinion...
maibecs are good.. but they are a white cedar... you can get factory dipped red cedar for about $120 / box... say 2.5 box for 5" exposure..the white cedar , even the factory dipped , are just not quite as stable as red cedars .. so they don't have quite the same appearance as a factory dipped red...
your existing shingles may not have enough meat left on them for another reduction in thickness.. ( since you said they were already sandblasted ? pressure washed ? )
red cedars can be left unfininished with the results you have..they will gradually erode and become paper thin so they have to be replaced...this could take from 20 to 50 years...
if they are painted / stained , and maintained.. tehn the pain / stain becomes the weathering surface and they will last forever...or real close to forever...just watch out for paint buildup over the years..
my favorite product would be a 100% acrylic stain over a factory dipped red cedar shingle.. unless i could talk you into Fibercement clapboards....
Mike Smith
Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 4/26/2002 4:48:18 PM ET by Mike Smith
The advice you're getting so far is good and correct, but another thing you might consider is a weathering stain. What this does is act as a sealer for the wood while gradually (6 months or so) turning all the wood silver. The objective is to get a natural silvering like you'd get from an untreated shingle but with an even coloration.
If allowed to weather naturally, shingles exposed to the sun will bleach, but up under eves and on porches or other shady spots they will maintain their color longer, giving an uneven appearance. With a weathering stain, you get even color and the wood is sealed.
Dipping shingles or getting them pre dipped is the way to go, whatever you do.
Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with a piece of chalk and cut it with an axe.