How Soon Should You Stain Unfinished Siding

7 tips painting or staining cedar wood siding walking into a paint store can be overwhelming trying to decide which paint or stain coating you wish to provide your exterior cedar wood and siding as there are many varieties.

How soon should you stain unfinished siding. Type of stain matters. The upside is that solid color stains will block most damaging ultraviolet light. Staining cedar with a solid color stain. Here are some helpful tips that you should know when deciding how to paint your lp smartside siding options.

Work in the shade while staining. The wood s structural integrity will remain unless the wood is exposed to excessive moisture which can cause curling cracking and wood rot. If dampness rain or snow is a concern choose a stain that will seal well and be resistant to moisture. If the house is exposed to excessive sunlight heat and ultraviolet light choose a durable stain that won t fade.

For best results fresh siding should be pre primed on all six sides with a stain blocking primer and top coated with 100 percent acrylic latex paint. What you get is a very uniform opaque color. To protect the product and to save you time the front and edge surfaces of lp smartside siding and trim are primed at the factory. Sometimes as the products are cut on the job site it leaves the wood substrate.

Solid color stains have solid particles but not nearly as many as paint. Left unstained cedar s red hue will fade to gray within about a year. While cedar stands up to the elements fairly well on its own putting a seal or a coat of paint on it can enhance the color and protect the wood from inclement weather. First let s talk about the type of stain.

Here s a quick answer for you. Thus solid color stains let some of the cedar s grain show through but none of the color. Most importantly pick the highest quality stain even if it costs more. The stain should be matched to the needs of the siding.

If the wood has weathered some you may have to do some surface preparation such as sanding before you can apply stain. If you work in the shade when applying deep penetrating stain to siding it will dry more slowly enabling the stain to sink more deeply into the wood surface. After you have washed it wait for it to dry before applying any stain to the cedar. The following outline is intended to prepare you before buying any such products knowing exactly which type fits your final outcome.

Alkyd oil primers are recommended but one may choose a high quality latex primer as long as it contains stain blockers. Transparent to semi transparent and a solid body stain if i m using a semi transparent stain i find a good maintenance coat if done from day one is every three years with a one coat application then let s say you go a little bit beyond that and you want to change the color of the house.