Cleaning And Sealing Cedar Siding

How to seal cedar siding if you re applying sealant to siding that is already installed it is essential to throughly clean the wood surface being sealed.

Cleaning and sealing cedar siding.

Surface preparation to prepare the surface of rough cut cedar siding wash the siding down with a good wood cleaner and follow that up with an application of wood brightener. It s important that cedar and redwood siding as well as cedar shingles and shakes are cleaned using a two step method prior to sealing the wood with a semitransparent oil based finish. The siding must be thoroughly cleaned and old layers of paint or sealer must be removed before you can apply a new coat. If necessary use a paint removing product to remove an old layer of paint.

Begin by sweeping off dust and cobwebs. Special techniques are necessary for cedar and redwood home maintenance because the wood is soft and can easily be damaged. It is non toxic to trees and vegetation and will not remove natural color from the siding. Pressure washing can damage cedar so if possible wash by hand.

Then using low pressure power wash your home. Make sure you use low pressure because high pressure can damage the wood. Inspect the siding for rot or damage. Removing the the wood mold with oxygen bleach.

The safe and effective way to clean the wood is oxygen bleach. When you begin the process of cleaning your cedar siding make sure to remove any old sealer stain with a stripping solution. Wash part of a wall and allow it to dry thoroughly before applying the sealant. While you can use household bleach to kill mold and algae it tends to make the cedar shingle s surface fuzzy because of the excessive pulping reaction when using it.

Department of agriculture s forest services laboratory recommends cleaning cedar shingles with an oxidizing bleach as opposed to a household bleach to avoid damaging the wood. The oxygen bleach comes as a granular powder that mixes with water. It is highly toxic to vegetation. Have any damaged pieces replaced.

Get rid of that grunge by cleaning your cedar siding with an.