Refinishing Painted Cedar Siding

Exterior western red cedar surfaces only need to be refinished when the old coating has worn thin and no longer affords the wood protection.

Refinishing painted cedar siding.

In refinishing painted or solid color stained siding and trim removal of the old coating may be required. It is not all about protection. Rinse the surface with a second damp cloth and pat the siding dry with a dry cloth. Do not soak the wood.

Solid color stains have solid particles but not nearly as many as paint. What you get is a very uniform opaque color. What you do before the finish goes on makes the most differenc. Apply this to the entire surface of cedar siding making sure that the wood is completely saturated with it.

If you do not intend on priming brand new cedar or redwood for that matter a high quality stain paint should be used as 50 of volume soaks into the wood other 50 is left on top as a dried paint mil. Clean the siding with a mixture of 1 part bleach and 4 parts water. Step 4 let the cleaner sit on the cedar siding for 15 to 30 minutes. Staining cedar with a solid color stain.

The upside is that solid color stains will block most damaging ultraviolet light. Thus solid color stains let some of the cedar s grain show through but none of the color. Use the wood cleaner according to instructions on the product s packaging. Choose the correct type of paint for the cedar.

First painting freshly milled cedar requires a paint stain unless a 100 acrylic exterior primer is used first thereby allowing a 100 solid acrylic paint to be used as final finish coats. Wash the entire surface with a dampened cloth removing any traces of dirt and revealing the wood finish. Although quick and easy sandblasting and pressurized water spray are not recommended unless extreme care is taken to avoid damage to the wood s surface. Remove any old caulking as well and replace it with new caulking.

Apply the wood cleaner to the cedar siding using a paint brush or roller. Watch this quick tutorial on what you need to do to prepare wood house siding for refinishing. For many owners painted cedar siding is a particular style. Use a paint scraper to remove any peelings or coatings so that the paint will adhere to the surface of the cedar more easily.

The type of finish selected is driven by style preference. Finishes can be removed by sanding wet sandblasting pressurized water spray electrically heated paint removers and chemicals. Reach the high areas or apply cleaner to the less dirty areas using a roller with an extension pole which doesn t allow you to apply as much pressure or elbow grease as a paint brush. This is a cleaning solution specially designed for removing any stubborn stains or greasy marks on the wood.