Painting Cedar Shingles Siding

The key to a successful application of paint is surface preparation.

Painting cedar shingles siding. Test results from the forest products testing lab run by the usda for the forest service show that after 12 weeks of exposure to sunlight cedar siding has lost half of its ability to hold a film forming coating system like primer and paint. Cedar shakes are cedar shingles that naturally weather and are resistant to decay. This experience strengthens all other reasons not painting new cedar shingles sidings or roofs. Cedar is a popular material for shingles and siding because natural oils in its heartwood the dark red wood at the center of the tree make it resistant to the weather and hungry insects.

Cedar siding shingles provide beauty for any home but they must be properly coated to ensure a long life. Allowing fresh siding to weather for as little as two weeks negatively affects coating adhesion. The natural oils present in cedar make it safe against damage from weather and insect infestations. Having an unfortunate experience several years ago gives me a great lesson learned i will never forget.

Painting cedar however calls for some preparation. Whether siding is new or old same reasons not to paint roof cedar shingles goes for siding. During the 1950s 1970s builders and siding manufacturers sometimes used a shortcut installing traditional cedar shingles. Your freshly painted cedar siding looked so good after it was completed.

The paint will begin to peel and the shingles may become stained and they will need to be repainted. Cedar shingles contain extractives that bleed to the surface when the wood becomes wet and then darken as the wood dries. Certain areas are peeling and lifting and the color has faded. Even unpainted cedar will last for years.

In fact painted cedar shingle sidings can easily last for decades if they are professionally done. And while a number of homeowners like using unpainted cedar however painting cedar shingle sidings are just as popular. But over time the elements have taken their toll and the finish is starting to look weathered.