While extremely old cedar can be painted, it requires heavy preparation. Even then, the paint is not expected to last long. Surface preparation is the key to success when dealing with weathered wood. The siding must be free from mold, mildew, and dirt.
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.
Cedar siding needs to be repainted every 5-7 years, but if you take some special precautions, you can get up to 10 years from one paint application. In order to do this though, you will need to ensure that you are properly preparing the surface and considering all the environmental factors.
Allow the washed surface to dry before recoating and apply primer paint to areas of bare wood. After the primer has dried, apply one or two topcoats of paint or solid-color stain. Two topcoats are always better over bare wood that has been primed. These may be applied to Western Red Cedar by brush, roller, or pad.
If your siding's fresh color lays buried under a gray, weathered surface and mold, buy a bleach-based cleaning solution or mix 3/4-cup of bleach with 1-gallon of water to restore or salvage the cedar's luster.
Answer is yes, you can paint over stained cedar, but with some testing, also long term commitments. You'll want to make darn sure stain has dried out, after using best deck cleaner, also great for cedar siding. Good way determining this is splash water on stained cedar.
While extremely old cedar can be painted, it requires heavy preparation. Even then, the paint is not expected to last long. Surface preparation is the key to success when dealing with weathered wood. The siding must be free from mold, mildew, and dirt.
Cedar can be painted with any color you want including white to dark brown. Cedar can be painted with custom colors as well.
If you would like to paint or stain your cedar siding, the cost ranges from $2 – 4 per square foot, depending on size, complexity, number of stories, type of siding, etc. Most homeowners report spending about $3,100-4,500 to paint 1,500 sq. ft. of cedar lap siding.
Power washing can be used to clean cedar as long as the sprayer is set at a low pressure to prevent damaging the wood's soft surface. Once cleaned and allowed to dry, the wood can then be painted using a urethane-acrylic house paint.
Acrylic-based paint is recommended when painting cedar siding as it looks great and offers the protection the natural wood needs. Acrylic paint also has strong adhesion abilities and is even mildew-resistant, making it a perfect fit.
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.
High-quality paint or stain, properly applied, should last five to seven years, and as many as 10, depending on weather conditions and if you maintain the siding. However, you may need to reapply a clear-coat stain every two years.
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. Maintaining your cedar's color is about choices, timing, and above all, the right type of treatment.
Cedar wood naturally repels insects, is aromatic and a very durable material. The smoothness of cedar makes it a natural choice for furniture – its lack of knots and raised grain is comfortable against the body. When working with cedar on craft projects, you may need to paint the wood.
If done correctly, painted cedar siding can also be long-lasting, around 12-15 years. Painting cedar siding is another way to protect the cedarwood, just like staining cedar siding. For the best results that will hold up and last a while: Choose high-quality primers and finishes that contain mold and mildew inhibitors.
Back priming helps prevent paint from peeling by reducing the amount of water vapor that passes through the wood. When back priming, be sure to prime the ends of each piece after it has been cut to fit, since end grain will absorb the most moisture.
Timber cladding can be left to weather naturally and will eventually mellow to a silver grey colour. If you prefer, you can choose to stain or paint your wood to change the look, nourish and enrich or slow down the weathering process.
The best way to restore your cedar siding or cedar fence to its original glory is with soft washing. Instead of the robust streams of high-pressure water used in pressure washing, soft washing uses a low-pressure technique with a special mixture of highly effective and biodegradable cleaning solutions.
The combination of water and UV exposure causes the cedar to lose it's scent and colour, turning it into a dull grey. The wood rot on the cedar creates an ideal breeding ground for mold and mildew, which is both unattractive and detrimental.
Most of us notice the difference between paint and stain when we open the can because stain is always thinner than paint. When you apply stain, you will notice that it tends to soak into the surface, whereas paint sits on the surface, coloring the substrate, or to become part of the substrate as color.
Cedar contains extractives that can discolor paint, so it is necessary to prime the siding prior to painting it. If the underlying stain is dark, have the primer tinted to match your paint color for better coverage.
Stained wood siding can be painted over either with exterior water-based 100 percent acrylic paint, or latex or oil-based solid stain, or some oil-based paints.