How Often Should You Stain Cedar Siding?
16 Jan 2020 Painting Services
Knowing how often you should stain cedar siding will help ensure that you are properly maintaining the exterior of your home. At Dunbar Painting, they understand how important it is to maintain the wood elements around your home to keep them looking beautiful for years to come. That is why they offer a selection of wood staining services for cedar siding and other wooden elements.
Inspecting & Maintaining Stain
A professional will first inspect the wood to see if a new coat of stain needs to be applied. If the cedar siding only has a stain, the wood will need to be restained fairly frequently, as stains do not provide the same longevity as paint; however, if the stain used on the cedar siding has a clear coat, a professional may only need to maintain the clear coat.
To help the stain on your home last longer, make sure to keep the wood as clean as possible to prevent mildew from building up and breaking down the stain.
How to Know When to Restain Cedar Siding
Some of the common signs that the cedar siding on your home will need to be restained include:
- Water is being absorbed into the wood instead of beading on the surface
- The wood is warping, rotting, or damaged
- Stain is gone on some parts of the wood, signifying a break down in protection
Preparing Siding to be Restained
Before restaining the cedar siding on your home, a professional will take the time to clean off any mildew that has built up. If the current coat of stain on the cedar siding is still in good shape, the wood will be lightly sanded and a new coat of the same product that was used last time will be applied. In some instances, depending on the level of damage to the stain, a professional may choose to strip off the previous coating to ensure an even distribution of the new stain coating.
How to Choose the Right Stain
While most professionals will often recommend using the same staining product that was used on previous coats (especially for maintenance coats) to help ensure that there won’t be any issues, it is important to ensure that quality products like Sansin products are being used. In the event of stripping the surface down to bare wood, a professional will often apply a foundation coat, stain coat, and then an optional two clear coats for ultimate protection.
If you would like to learn more about how often you should stain cedar siding, or if you are interested in one of their wood staining services, please contact Dunbar Painting at 604-788-3382 or by filling out a contact form on their website.
