Painting Cedar Wood

Sand the cedar siding if it has a smooth finish.

Painting cedar wood. This procedure will greatly increase the coatings performance but will not detract from a smooth finish. The best choice of paint to use for cedar wood is urethane acrylic house paint. Don t paint over bare cedar boards or the finish will fail. Surface preparation is not necessary for textured cedar.

Even then the paint is not expected to last long. The smoothness of cedar makes it a natural choice for furniture its lack of knots and raised grain is comfortable against the body. Choose your primer based on what the paint manufacturer recommends to use. You can paint directly over previously painted cedar but prime with a stain blocking primer before painting over bare wood.

Cedar wood naturally repels insects is aromatic and a very durable material. About wrcla the western red cedar lumber association is a non profit association representing 27 producers of the finest western red cedar lumber throughout. When working with cedar on craft projects you may need to paint the wood. Loosened photodegraded surface fibers and.

Be careful when painting very old cedar siding. Coating raw cedar with clear wax is the most unobtrusive way to finish. You will need approximately 1 gallon of each paint and primer for every 400 square feet. But be aware that it is notoriously difficult to mimic authentic wood color with paint.

Weathered new wood that has been exposed to the elements for longer than 2 weeks may have a degraded surface that is unsuitable for painting. You can skip this if the cedar is textured. Freshly cut cedar contains large amounts of moisture. The following outline is intended to prepare you before buying any such products knowing exactly which type fits your final outcome.

Because of cedar s large pores it is necessary to prime the wood before painting it. The siding must be free from mold mildew and dirt. While extremely old cedar can be painted it requires heavy preparation. Once done let the wood dry completely for approximately two weeks.

Don t use plain latex primer and paint on exterior cedar boards as they do not provide adequate elasticity in fluctuating temperatures. If you absolutely want some type of wood appearance paint is not a good alternative. Be sure to wait 6 weeks before painting or you may have problems with adhesion. 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.