Does cedar siding need maintenance?
Maintenance of cedar siding must be a regular task in order to avoid permanent damage to the exterior of your home. While this material — like other types of wood — is beautiful, durable and tough, you must be up-to-date with cedar siding care and cleaning. This will prevent damage due to mold, mildew, rot and water.
How do you keep cedar siding looking new?
How to Keep Your Cedar Siding Looking Like New
- Stain Soon After Installation. Staining your cedar siding will considerably slow down the siding’s change in appearance.
- Maintain Your Cedar Siding Every 3 to 5 Years.
- Embrace the Natural Weathering of Cedar Siding.
Does Red Cedar need treating?
When left untreated and exposed to the sun’s oxidising UV light, Western Red Cedar fades and bleaches to a beautiful silvery-grey finish. So if you’re after the weathered cedar look — perhaps some ‘silver fox’, distinguished weathered cedar cladding, for example — you simply don’t need to apply any treatment.
Is it better to stain or paint cedar siding?
The best answer is based on your home’s current cedar condition. Stain lasts longer and often looks more natural, but can only be applied if cedar is paint-free. Paint offers more protection and can be a good choice for badly worn homes with previous peeling issues from past painting applications.
What is the best cleaner for cedar siding?
A safe deep-cleaner for wood siding is oxygen bleach. It is a powder that mixes with water. It is non-toxic to vegetation and trees and will not remove any natural color from the siding. You simply keep the wood siding wet with the oxygen bleach solution for 15 minutes.
How many years does cedar siding last?
Longevity Cedar siding must be properly maintained at all times to reach its maximum lifespan, with many planks needing to be replaced after just 10 to 15 years, and even well-maintained cedar siding may only last around 20 to 30 years in some climates.
How do you keep cedar from turning GREY?
To prevent cedar from fading to gray, you need to seal cedar fence with a stain that blocks ultraviolet light and contains a mildewcide, according to Family Handyman.
Will linseed oil Keep cedar from turning gray?
Boiled linseed oil, despite not providing much water-resistance to wood when applied in the usual way associated with furniture, will do much to slow the weathering to that natural grey/silver colour if applied heavily and re-applied periodically.
Does Red Cedar turn grey?
But one aspect is that cedar’s lovely red turns a monotonous gray surprisingly quickly. Once cedar has turned gray, there is no natural way of going back. The only alternative at this point is to tone the wood with a stain or other coloring agent.
Should I clear coat cedar?
Caution. Transparent, non-flexible, film-forming finishes such as lacquer, shellac, urethane, and varnish are not recommended for exterior use on cedar. Ultraviolet radiation can penetrate the transparent film and degrade the wood.
How do you clean red cedar siding?
Thoroughly rinse with clean water and allow to dry completely. The use of a pressure washer is not recommended for cleaning Western Red Cedar or to remove old finish, as it may raise the grain and/or damage the Cedar which will make re-staining or re-painting difficult.
Why choose western red cedar siding?
So you can feel good about wood siding. Western Red Cedar is free of pitch and resin, which means it takes to stains, oils and finishes exceptionally well. So your siding color options are pretty much limitless.
How much maintenance does red cedar take?
The degree of maintenance depends on local climatic conditions, the type of finish and end use (deck or siding). Western Red Cedar enjoys a well-deserved reputation as a wood that takes and holds a range of finishes for extended periods.
Why is my western red cedar decking so dirty?
The surfaces of finished Western Red Cedar decks, siding and trim boards exposed outdoors inevitably become dirty and can also be discolored by mildew, algae and moss. These natural elements slowly erode the finishes and as a result, all finishes applied to cedar require regular cleaning and maintenance to perform.