Is it better to paint or stain cedar shingles?
The fundamental difference between paint and stain is the way it adheres to the cedar. Paint is a pigmented, opaque (solid color) coating that comes in almost any color, and acts as a coating applied over the shingles. It completely covers the old wood and lets less grain of the wood grain show through. Stain has less pigment and is more translucent. It allows some of the wood’s original color and grain to show through. If the shingles are porous, the stain will soak into the wood rather than coat it, making it last longer than paint.
