Staining Cedar Clapboards

KJ asked 10 years ago

I have cedar shingles primed with a solid stain (in some areas over old paint). I want to try staining, no priming.

Can I stain a gray color (light or medium gray)? Will I see tannin bleed through the stain? Does the stain have to be a dark color? Also I will use acrylic stain. Have tried the advice of oil primer /acrylic solid stain and all I get is mildew. Mildew loves the oil.

1 Answers
Crowder Painting answered.

A good acrylic solid stain won't show tannin bleed from Cedar. The most important part is the prep. Try to get rid of as much of the old paint as possible. Stain is best used over raw unpainted wood. Do a good washing and scraping to remove everything that is loose.

The stain color can be light but it will take 2 coats in most situations. This is fine as 2 coats of solid acrylic stain is better than 1.