A Guide for Getting Great Results Painting Cedar Siding

Cedar siding is valued for its durability, insect resistance and natural beauty. But when painting it, the requirements are not the same as for hardwood siding.

As a licensed contractor, I’ve painted or repainted several homes with cedar siding, including my own. Even when doing it yourself, painting your home is expensive. Avoid costly mistakes with the wrong products or techniques, and get great results with my tips, tricks and how-tos.

Gather Tools and Materials

The tools and materials you need depend on the condition of your siding and your application method.

Tools

• Pressure washer;
• Dropcloths;
• Ladder;
• Paint scraper;
• Paint removal tool;
• Hammer;
• Paint can opener;
• Stir sticks;
• Painter’s tape;
• Masking paper;
• Paintbrush for alkyd paint;
• Airless paint sprayer;
• Paintbrush for acrylic-latex paint;
• Nine-inch paint roller pad with a 3/4-inch nap;
• Nine-inch paint roller frame;
• Paint tray.

Materials

• Rags;
• Cedar wood cleaner;
• Alkyd-oil primer;
• Exterior acrylic-latex paint;
• Replacement siding for repairs;
• Latex gloves.

Prepare the Cedar Siding

Replace any rotted or broken cedar siding. Fill any holes with wood epoxy, then sand them. Use a hammer to secure any loose fasteners.

For previously painted or stained siding, scrape and sand all loose paint. If there are several coats, try a paint removal tool like the Wagner Spraytech Painteater for a smoother surface and better-looking results.

All cedar siding except newly installed should be washed with a detergent, then rinsed with a pressure washer. Nate Church, owner of Outside Cleaners, a house cleaning company on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, recommends sodium percarbonate, a versatile and inexpensive household cleaning agent.

“It’s effective at killing and loosening organic growth but quickly degrades into harmless components so is considered a green cleaner in the industry,” he says. It can burn shrubs, he says, so make sure to wet down bushes before and during work times.

Another option: Wash Safe Cedar Wash. After applying the detergent, rinse thoroughly with a pressure washer, taking care to not damage the wood.

You can use bleach on especially stubborn stains, but Church warns against using it exclusively. While it may brighten wood and make it look new, it doesn’t remove dirt, mold or mildew, critical for long-term paint adhesion.

“We use detergent to clean our clothes, not bleach,” he says. “Bleach works to brighten or to remove tough stains but does not clean clothes. That’s the detergent’s job.”

Also, bleach can cause a reaction in galvanized nails that creates rust stains on the siding, so use it carefully. Allow siding to dry at least 48 hours before applying primer. For newly installed siding, wait at least two weeks and no more than 12 for best results.

Prime the Siding

Choose a high-quality alkyd-oil stain blocking primer, which offers the best protection from knots or leaking tannins prevalent in cedar siding.

An alkyd-oil primer like Benjamin Moore’s Fresh Start Deck and Siding Primer, manufactured for tannin-rich wood like cedar, does a great job sealing the wood. Rust-Oleum’s Zinsser High Hide Cover-Stain Alkyd Primer is an excellent tannin blocker that seals bare cedar.

Apply either primer to the surface and sides of the siding with a brush, roller or airless paint sprayer. If using an airless sprayer, cover windows, lights and doors with masking paper and painter’s tape before priming.

Aim to apply prime to as much of the siding surface as possible, including the bottom and sides. While it’s tempting to use a paint and primer in one product to save time, don’t. These aren’t recommended for cedar siding.

Paint the Siding

Though an alkyd-oil primer is recommended for cedar, don’t use an alkyd-oil paint as a topcoat. Instead, go with a high-quality acrylic-latex paint for exterior applications. Benjamin Moore‘s Aura and Regal exterior lines are great products, and Sherwin-Williams’ Resilience, Emerald and Duration lines offer great coverage and varying prices.

A brush delivers the most paint, but it’s time-consuming and best left for touch-ups and small areas. If possible, use an airless sprayer to deliver an initial coverage coat, then back brush or roll to push the point into the surface thoroughly.

If using an air sprayer, you’ll need several coats to thoroughly cover the siding boards. If using a roller, choose a 3/4-in. nap roller pad, which will deliver a lot of paint to the siding surface. A brush should be used in conjunction with a roller for the best coverage in corners and edges.

As with priming, take care to cover all exposed areas of the siding with paint, including the bottom and sides of each piece of siding.