Painted Cedar Siding (Red vs. White)
I need to re-side the south wall of my house which is severely cupped and dried out. North side is in good shape (painted). Front and back walls were re-sided with pre-primed white cedar a couple years ago (and still need paint). The house will be painted with different colors for bottom vs. upper floors to match the Craftsman Bungalow house style. (Natural weathering is not an option.)
The house is in the Boston area (actually Cambridge).
Since the house will be painted with a quality paint, I was wondering if white cedar would be acceptable/preferred. I recall seeing/hearing somewhere long ago that red was better for unpainted siding, but white had benefits if painted (in addition to lower cost). Or… would red be better/worth-the-cost because it’ll be on the south face?
I tried searching the archives, but the cedar discussions were mostly regarding unfinished siding. Any help, particularly from those in New England who see white cedar more often?
thanks,
—mike…
Madison Renovations
Cambridge, Mass.
Replies
if you are going to be painting then i'd recommend a factory painted shingle... and field paint any cut edges
Maibec makes a nice painted WC...
and red cedar is commonly available in factory primed....
red cedar likes paint more than wc.. and is a more stable material
but both have good results if they are factory finished
some try to pre-paint on site before they install.... but they usually spend way more on paint and way more on labor for lesser results than they would have acheived witht he factory product
here's a sample..... say you could buy a box of rc #1 for $100.... you could get that same box in a factory primed finish rc for $120..... you can hardly buy the paint for that
>if you are going to be painting then i'd recommend a factory painted shingle... and field paint any cut edgesThanks, Mike, but the right shades of the two colors 1) are guaranteed to be uncommon and 2) more than likely do not exist in any manufacturer's palette. Don't ask me why - paint shades choices are one of those things I've just come to accept. <sigh> And it doesn't matter that the original color will probably fade a bit by the sun shortly after application.>some try to pre-paint on site before they install.... but they usually spend way more on paint and way more on labor for lesser results than they would have acheived witht he factory productI would have liked pre-painted, but I was planning to settle for pre-primed (all sides). I was advised against site painting before installation for the reasons you mentioned. Would it make any sense to by pre-painted in a close color, then top-coat with the final "official" shade? The pre-primed WC I have doesn't give full coverage; a factory-painted finish might be a very solid base for a top coat.So... being that I hate re-doing things, I take it you recommend going with red vs. white (noting that the south side failed miserably while the north side is still in good shape).---mike...
yes... rc over wc.... and any kind of factory finish is a great base coat for field applied after they're up
Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike,
Ya'll throwing around the term paint.
What about the solid body stains; Olympic and Cabots.
Are they not more suitable than paint because they penetrate better?
I have not been involved in such work in a while, so I'd like to know for my own knowledge.
Eric,>What about the solid body stains; Olympic and Cabots.
>Are they not more suitable than paint because they penetrate better?Stains, even solid, are less durable than paint. And the idea that stains won't flake may not apply to solid stains, which are almost like paint and can form a layer. I think that since I will prime over the old painted shingles and pre-prime the new, then the stain can't really penetrate much anyway, so I might as well go with paint which will form a full weather-proof layer.btw, I want to pre-prime to get a coat on the back and sides, even though they're not the main weather side.My question was more to the point of whether red cedar, which is more costly (in part because it has to go cross-country to reach me) is that much better when under a sealed layer of paint. I guess if it's not factory painted, however, not the whole shingle gets the paint layer. I was also concerned about bleed-through and the higher mold susceptibility of red (in case moisture gets past and is trapped by the paint).---mike...
paint is more durable than stain...especially the new 100 % acrylicsalso check out SW DurationMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
You're talking about shingles, not claps, right?
>You're talking about shingles, not claps, right?yes, shingles.---mike...
Front and back walls were re-sided with pre-primed white cedar a couple years ago (and still need paint).
Especially in an urban environment, primed wood should be painted as soon as possible, since primer is porous and will absorb dirt and soot.
Be sure to power wash it with TSP or equivalent before painting.
Solar & Super-Insulated Healthy Homes
Yeah, but is it an adhesive ? (G)..Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
Riversong commented:
>Especially in an urban environment, primed wood should be painted as soon as possible, since primer is porous and will absorb dirt and soot.that was the intent... Since that didn't happend, I was going to sand and reprime the exposed areas.---mike...
I've looked at the whites from Maibec and they are a nice product but I ordered from a small mill in Maine where they cut them 1/16" thicker. I took 20 sq, and they run about $200 a square for clear R&R's. If you want contact info, let me know.
Edit: I seem to recall that Maibec will apply any type of color-matched stain or finish that you want.
Edited 1/5/2009 7:04 pm ET by shearwater
shearwater wrote: Maibec will apply any type of color-matched stain or finish that you want.sure, just go ahead and give me more options when I'm trying to narrow them down. I need about 15 squares at 5" exposure. Maibec estimated $250/square for pre-primed, and $300/square for color-matched Cabot stain. These are white cedar and pre-stained carries a 15-year warranty on finish (including 5 years of labor).I recall that red cedar is about 60% more than white, so say $400/square.Would a fully pre-STAINED white cedar shingle match a pre-PRIMED red cedar shingle with paint only on the exposed surfaces?If I wanted to paint over the stain to match the rest of the house (with the old shingles being painted), would I need to prime then paint?I would have the shingling done in the cold when business is slow, then paint in summer, so there would be a delay before a pre-primed shingle gets its top-coat. Maybe I could hold off to just before painting season. It seems a factory finish coat would be superior to a pre-primed and paint on only the exposed surfaces, but then there's the white vs. red issue...any thoughts?thanks,
---mike...