Staining a Cedar Siding Home

Questions & AnswersCategory: Staining Siding And TrimStaining a Cedar Siding Home
Tom asked 10 years ago

I am restaining our house with Behr solid stain. I am going darker (brown) and doing the usual prep of washing. The previous owners put new cedar siding on but stained only what they could reach. So now I have a aged cedar and stained cedar to cover. Any thoughts about that situation and the end result?

Also I want to go lighter with the trim, now it is a faded Adirondack green stain and I want to do a light sage. Do I have to prime and if so what type?

4 Answers
Crowder Painting answered.

There could be a difference between the new cedar and the old stained cedar when all is stained. To lessen this difference, stain the new unstained cedar siding. Allow this to dry overnight, then stain the entire house. This will lessen any differences between the two.

Another way to lesson the color difference is to use a wood siding stripper/brightener when you powerwash. This will increase the overall material cost, but could help if the 2 coating with stain doesn't work.

You have two choices with the trim, prime and paint or apply two coats of stain in the lighter color. If you want to paint, prime the wood with a good oil based wood primer, not the quick drying type.

I would buy a gallon of stain for the trim and test a easy to stain area. See if two coats will cover. Why prime and paint, which is two times around the house anyway, when you could be staining.

Anonymous answered.

May I suggest using Cabot's OVT for your project. It supposedly has self-priming characteristics. Though I am a skeptic on these claims, it can't hurt and it is far superior to Behr. And like mentioned before, you'll probably need to coat the bare section and then the whole side for it to match up.

California Storm Stains and California 2010 (paint) for the trim are also highly recommended.

Anonymous answered.

Thanks and Another Question

Okay,it all sounds logical I will try the two coat on the old vs new. I did have an old timer tell me that skipping the primer will only bite you in the you know what, any thoughts. Also, if I prime for the stain do I use anything special and is it tinted or like Kilz white?

Crowder Painting answered.

Using a primer on the trim is necessary if you plan on painting the trim. Since the trim has a stain on it now, you could restain it with a new color. It will take two coats. Never use a primer before staining an item, it defeats the purpose of a stain. Stain is designed to penetrate into the wood and a primer would stop this from happening.

If you paint the trim use a good standard exterior wood oil base primer. The quick drying primers won't penetrate into the wood as well. Kilz oil base can't be used, it is an interior use only product. Personally, I recommend two coats of paint over the primer. So tinting is unnecessary in most cases.

Applying a stain to the trim is easier to do, but won't last as long as a paint. On the other hand, two coats of stain is less likely to peel as a paint and is easier to maintain.