Left untreated, cedar shakes — individual planks of one of several varieties of cedar — will discolor and begin to soften, with a possibility of rot after about five years, depending on the climate. There are several options for covering cedar siding, including stain, a clear treatment or paint.
If you leave cedar wood untreated, it will not succumb to the devastating effects of mold, rot and insect damage. However, it will lose its typically golden-brown color.
Lifespan with Zero Maintenance
The cedar's natural defenses towards rotting will be diminished, which will reduces the lifespan of an unmaintained deck to 10 to 15 years.
Cedar offers a durable option for exterior and interior building projects with natural resistance to rot and decay, so a protective finish is optional. If you want to enjoy the aroma of varieties such as Western Red Cedar and incense cedar, leave the wood unsealed.
What happens if Western Red Cedar is left untreated? Of course, it's possible to leave your project without any treatment at all — one of the glories of durable timber species like this. With all its resins, Western Red Cedar is naturally rot resistant and still performs well without a finish.
Cedar should be stained as soon as it will accept the stain. This is easy to determine with penetrating semi-transparent stains. Apply the stain, if it soaks in its ready. If it pools on the surface, do it later.
Rot, premature aging, and warping can occur from the weather and elements when the boards aren't sealed. Finishing off your newly-installed cedar deck with a sealant or wood stain will help to prolong the life, beauty, and appeal of the deck for years to come.
When used indoors, cedar is most often used to line closets due to its aromatic and insect repellent properties. However, the wood has many other uses, including furniture, wood paneling, accent beams and trim.
The best clear Cedar finish stain for outdoors is Linseed oil, hands down. Linseed oil is the primary ingredient in any oil finishes, which dries clear. You can find other clear water-based stains, but will not last nearly as long as a Linseed oil based stain will.
For outdoor use, cedar furniture is widely viewed as a good choice. Less expensive than teak and lighter than oak, cedar possesses many major advantages that make it suitable for outdoor placement. Keep the benefits of cedar in mind when deciding which type of furniture to add to your garden or patio area.
Is cedar pressure treated? No, cedar lumber is naturally resistant to moisture damage, insects, rotting, and decay, so it needs no pressure treatment.
Don't put cedar where it's in direct contact with the ground or set it in concrete. It may last for a while, but eventually it will rot and deteriorate.
Durability/Strength
Cedar is stronger and more durable than pressure-treated lumber. Pressure-treated lumber can warp and weather within a few years if left untreated, while cedar is more capable of naturally keeping its shape. However, cedar is more susceptible to cosmetic damages, such as dents and scratches.
You can purchase cedar hangers, cedar blocks for moths, and sachets for your clothes and bureaus, but they will be effective for about 3 months.
In outdoor structures that are not in contact with the ground, such as decks, gazebos, pergolas and fence boards, cedar may last 30 years or longer. When in contact with the ground, such as when it's used for fence or support posts, it can last between 15 and 20 years.
Introduction. Cedar has a reputation for durability, but unless a few guidelines are followed, cedar posts can fail in as few as five years. Three factors contribute to this early failure: poor drainage, low-quality wood and poor protection against insect damage.
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.
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.
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.
Occupational exposure to cedar and pine woods and pine resin (colophony) can cause asthma and chronic lung disease.
The Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata) and Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana), also known as aromatic Cedar. Caution- Eastern Red Cedar is actually quite toxic if ingested. Be sure to know the difference between the two trees if you're planning to use for medicinal purposes.
However, the mechanism by which exposure to wood dusts increases the risk of cancer is not clear, and it is possible that other tree species are also carcinogenic. Consequently, all other tree species are assigned the A4 classification, Not Classifiable as a Human Carcinogen, which includes Western red cedar.
That aroma is pleasant for people, but unpleasant for moths and insects, so cedar is an ideal choice for lining chests that hold blankets, linen and other fabrics. The aroma comes from organic compounds in the wood called thujaplicins, and it fades after a few years, even if you keep the chest closed.
Cedar Naturaltone is a Transparent Exterior Wood Stain Color from our Brown & Tan wood stains color family.