Painting Old Cedar Clapboard Siding

Pull out loose nails and renail using stainless steel siding nails.

Painting old cedar clapboard siding.

The majority of the siding is western red cedar and because these homes are 50 years old the siding is from old growth. The siding must be free from mold mildew and dirt. Siding nails should not be caulked another item that needs room to play is siding boards themselves. Choosing paint colors for your wooden clapboard siding is one of the more exciting parts of home improvement.

Surface preparation is the key to success when dealing with weathered wood. A 1 4 to 1 2 thick roller nap is good for clapboard siding. Loosened photodegraded surface fibers and. Be careful when painting very old cedar siding.

Closer inspection revealed a craggy clapboard landscape of cracks chips and flakes where 10 coats of paint applied during the 80 year life of the house were failing by degrees. This is necessary if for example the old finish is severely cracked or is peeling. When painting clapboard siding apply the paint with a roller then brush it in using a brush this saves a lot of dipping with a brush. Rollers are available in many sizes and various widths from 3 to 12.

Exterior western red cedar surfaces only need to be refinished when the old coating has worn thin and no longer affords the wood protection. Be sure to remove any caulk where the siding overlaps as old houses need to breathe. Even then the paint is not expected to last long. Strip the old paint go to our paint stripping page we decided to strip the paint to give us the best chance of producing the longest lasting paint job.

From a distance the house in winchester mass site of the 2002 this old house tv project was a picture of yellow siding and white trim. While extremely old cedar can be painted it requires heavy preparation. The nails holding up the siding should not be caulked. How to prep for painting.

In refinishing painted or solid color stained siding and trim removal of the old coating may be required. The following outline is intended to prepare you before buying any such products knowing exactly which type fits your final outcome. 7 tips painting or staining cedar wood siding walking into a paint store can be overwhelming trying to decide which paint or stain coating you wish to provide your exterior cedar wood and siding as there are many varieties. I warranty all my restorative exteriors for 10 years which means if there is any peeling paint failure due to poor preparation workmanship or materials i will provide labour and materials to amend the problem.