Paint or stain your cedar shingles and siding with these easy steps.
We show you how to rehab old materials or work with brand new planks.
Even unpainted cedar will last for years.
Painting cedar shake or shingles, however, calls for some preparation.
Some sections of old, unpainted shingles and siding may look darker than others.
This discoloration is most likely triggered by excessive tannins leaching from the wood and mildew growth.
You’ll have to remove the mildew and prime the wood with a stain-blocking primer.
Powerwashing old shingles is not recommended.
Rinse and Let Dry
Rinse the bleaching solution thoroughly using agarden hosewith a moderate spray.
Let the area dry completely.
This process can take as much as two weeks.
Brush Surface
Recondition the entire surface to remove aged and weathered fibers in the wood.
Brush off the dust with an old 4-inch paintbrush.
Apply Primer and Paint
Using a 4-inch brush, apply anoil-based stain-blocking primer.
Work the brush into the overlapped edges and the recesses between the shingles.
Let the primer dry and apply a high-quality acrylic latex house paint.
If you roll either primer or paint, back brush, so all surfaces are protected.
(If you wait longer, recondition the surface as shown in step 3 above.)
