CEDAR IS A LEADER! Caring for cedar shingles on your home.
Cedar…smells great and offers a classic, warm and inviting feel to your home! It has natural antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, which allow you to leave the wood untreated without the worry of rotting, warping or cracking. However, as beautiful as cedar is when it is first put on your home, it can quickly turn grey. The rugged result is appealing to some, but for those who like the stained or painted look it can require regular maintenance .
However, because it is one of the most durable softwoods and is resistant to wind and all types of weather, it has been a popular choice on homes for hundreds of years. Luckily, cedar siding takes stain and paint well and when properly maintained, can look beautiful for decades. Paint and solid stains offers an opaque coating and can be applied over other coatings. Paint and solid stains can completely cover an old color, gives a monochromatic look and elevates dark and light areas on the cedar siding. Semi- transparent stain or semi-solid stain has much less pigment and is more translucent which allows some of the natural wood color, texture, and grain to show through.
Our rule of thumb is to keep the semi-transparent stain on cedar for as long as possible then as the years go by and the home darkens from multiple coats of semi-transparent stain, make the switch to a solid/opaque stain. The heavier solid stain will give the added protection your older cedar needs and bring out some definition and pop next to your trim boards, windows and gables features.
Helpful hints !!
• Look for “hot spots” on your home (areas that wear down faster such has roof lines, dormers, tops of gables and chimneys)
• Maintain hot spots every 2-3 years
• Re-stain the most exposed side of your home every 5- 7 years. The other three sides should be fine for 10-15 years except for areas of heavy water damage and/or problems arising from gutter issues.
• Keep the old can of stain even if it is empty !!!! It helps to match your product close as possible for future painting.
• And lastly…. Never go vinyl…. After 10-15 years it looks awful and costs a lot to replace…
If you follow some basic maintenance your home will look great for decades for a fraction of the cost!
To preserve the look you prefer, you will need to re-stain or re-paint on a regular basis.