Cleaning And Sealing Cedar Siding

Special techniques are necessary for cedar and redwood home maintenance because the wood is soft and can easily be damaged.

Cleaning and sealing cedar siding.

If necessary use a paint removing product to remove an old layer of paint. Then using low pressure power wash your home. Begin by sweeping off dust and cobwebs. It s important that cedar and redwood siding as well as cedar shingles and shakes are cleaned using a two step method prior to sealing the wood with a semitransparent oil based finish.

Department of agriculture s forest services laboratory recommends cleaning cedar shingles with an oxidizing bleach as opposed to a household bleach to avoid damaging the wood. When you begin the process of cleaning your cedar siding make sure to remove any old sealer stain with a stripping solution. Wash part of a wall and allow it to dry thoroughly before applying the sealant. The siding must be thoroughly cleaned and old layers of paint or sealer must be removed before you can apply a new coat.

Inspect the siding for rot or damage. The oxygen bleach comes as a granular powder that mixes with water. Pressure washing can damage cedar so if possible wash by hand. Cedar shingles can also grow moss and algae or develop iron staining which requires periodic cleaning.

It is non toxic to trees and vegetation and will not remove natural color from the siding. How to seal cedar siding if you re applying sealant to siding that is already installed it is essential to throughly clean the wood surface being sealed. The safe and effective way to clean the wood is oxygen bleach. The side of the house with the least sun exposure can be the worst spot with the cedar developing mildew or mold that looks black.

It is highly toxic to vegetation. The wood cleaner will remove dirt gunk and grime that could be contaminating the surface of the wood. While you can use household bleach to kill mold and algae it tends to make the cedar shingle s surface fuzzy because of the excessive pulping reaction when using it. Have any damaged pieces replaced.

Surface preparation to prepare the surface of rough cut cedar siding wash the siding down with a good wood cleaner and follow that up with an application of wood brightener.