Should I paint this cedar shake, stain it light, or keep as is?
I am in the process of purchasing this 1905 Arts and Crafts style home in the Philadelphia area, and while I love the character of the home, I am not a huge fan of the very dark brown cedar shake siding. I am not sure it is original either - I would guess they used regular wood siding - a 2005 picture I found seems to be wood siding. I like the idea of lighter cedar shake, but I am not sure how difficult it would be to restain a lighter color. If I did this, I would be interested in making the trim a dark green or something like that, but unfortunately I don't know if that is possible because of the vinyl windows they installed. So the final option would be to paint the wood siding, though I am not sure about what color. Would the painting require more maintenance than staining? Any and all advice appreciated!!
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You would need to remove the darker stain first before re-staining using a lighter color in regular stain. That's a big (and difficult) job that would include things like power washing, sanding, etc. You might want to consider a solid stain that will cover the previous stain color. It is opaque, but will allow the grain of the wood to show through.
To me, it doesn't have the characteristics of an Arts n Crafts home from the exterior but here are some pictures and ideas.... https://www.oldhouseonline.com/house-tours/how-to-spot-an-arts-and-crafts-house.
As to the shingles, you can't stain something lighter unless you first remove the old stain. I've never tried it on cedar shingles, but oxalic acid (wood bleach) is what I have used..... this would be very time consuming on a building that big. And if those shingles are really old, they may disintegrate, so for sure do tests on the shingles. First I would power wash it, then use a garden sprayer starting at the top.
Painting, you could do a wash technique perhaps with a light golden brown to achieve a lighter color. I would mix the paint 50/50 with water, and use a mason's brush to apply, then rag off the excess.
Alternatively, I would paint all those window frames a lighter, brighter color like a pale golden yellow with a bright yellow door, along with the underside of the porch overhang, and add a couple small shutters on the lower floor windows next to the door. You could also go with green, but I would make it a pale blue/green like arts n craft period..... https://www.google.com/search?q=arts+and+crafts+exterior+paint+colors&client=opera&hs=NzX&sxsrf=ALeKk02Ee7Hdrxj4kFgkjuOawotJLnLH-Q:1601681425743&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=BaLqaA4HXmS-qM%252CAp7eoKjW9ouDYM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kQH-ZVZyHj0ISHPaxRdlWZmfGaCBg&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj1yrKjiJfsAhVVqp4KHT5LD8oQ9QF6BAgREE4&biw=884&bih=418#imgrc=2BvihOgCVySEuM
Nice house, beautiful.
You certainly caught my interest in your question, it is a good one.
A quick back story, our house was built in 1950 and you guessed it...cedar shaker shingles, they were med/dark brown. Over the years they wore thin with weather, we never gave the color a thought. They also allowed interested hornets and wood bees shelter. We decided to replace them with cactus green vinyl siding and it looks great with the red brick accents.
Ok, now to your question...these shingles contained lots and lots of little nails. And later come to find out they are very flammable and give off a noxious odor when burned.
I would think twice about the intensive job of re-doing them in any way other than to replace their charm with another product.
Best to you and enjoy your house.
Painting the cedar shakes will be a ton more work - both now and every couple of years forever. I would let them weather naturally in a couple of years they will be a beautiful light grey-brown and will require almost no maintenance.
Beautiful house~. I would simply do what is easiest --- and Mother Nature will choose a color~
Painting would require more maintenance than staining.
Hi Bill. As a rule, when you start out with unpainted cedar shingles, you would be better off using a stain and, sticking with it in the future. Stain preserves the texture, and the grain of the cedar. You would not have that if you paint the shingles. Painting would require much more maintenance as it weathers and chips thru the years. Good luck Bill.
Hello there Bill,
If the Siding is stained, it will fade with time. Cedar naturally goes a Silver colour if left unstained. Just leave it and see what happens naturally would be my suggestion! Best wishes.
Here's a post that might help - https://www.paintingdenver.net/uncategorized/painting-repainting-old-cedar-shingles/
Paint would give it a nice refresh
Please avoid power washing these shakes; you could end up doing much more damage than you ever intended. It's too easy to ruin wood with a power washer, especially a shake as they aren't very thick. That said, try altering what you can around it that's easier, you may find the color works well with other choices that are near it.
Hi Bill, here are a few ideas, hope they help,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l7tV-CTPYo
And this is to refinish,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9m1kBzOjhI
Thank you everyone for your very helpful suggestions! I think it is clear we should NOT paint the shingles. I may test out a lighter solid stain to see if it covers the darker brown, but if not, I will let mother nature do the work in aging to a nice gray.