Whitewashing is a method of painting wood that allows users to view the grain of the cedarwood.
It gives a lovely look and adds the final touch to any woodworking job or furniture piece and at the same time protects from sunlight and moisture.
It’s a simple procedure that anybody can complete with easy tools you can get at the neighborhood hardware shop.
When it comes to whitewashing/ painting or staining the cedarwood, you need to follow some points to make it shine for a long.
How Do You Whitewash Cedar Siding?
For whitewashing Cedar siding, first, clean the cedar with a bleach mixture, then after it dries, you can apply an oil-based primer, and lastly, whitewash by mixing paint with water.
Apply the whitewash mixture of any consistency you want, but mostly we do not need too runny or too viscous.
Steps for whitewashing the Cedar Siding:
01. Shingles that are clear of debris – Step #1
Examine the whole home, particularly the lower floors, where the shingles are most likely to collect water.
Apply a 1-to-3 bleach-water combination to any mildew you detect, scrub it in, and let it soak in for 20 minutes while keeping it moist.
02. Allow drying after rinsing – Step #2
Rinse the bleaching solution well with a garden hose set to a moderate spray. Allow for thorough drying time, which might take up to two weeks.
03. Surface for brushing – Step #3
To eliminate old and weathered wood fibers, recondition the whole surface.
Start working the bristles into the overlapping edges at the bottom of each course and pulling the brush down the face of the shingle using a firm scrub brush. With an old 4-inch paintbrush, remove the dust.
04. Apply Primer Before Painting – Step #4
Apply an oil-based stain-blocking primer with a 4-inch brush. Brush the overlapping edges and the gaps between the shingles with the brush.
Allow the primer to dry completely before painting with high-quality acrylic latex house paint.
And If you’re using a roller to apply primer or paint, back brush to ensure that all surfaces are covered.
05. Shingles of the highest quality – Step #5
Prime the shingles with a stain-blocking primer within two weeks after their installation.
Starting along the overlap and painting a length of roughly 4 feet, apply the primer with a 4-inch brush.
06. Whitewashing – Step #6
Paint the row’s face after priming a piece of the overlap, working the paint in both directions and between the shingles.
Smooth the application with downward vertical brush strokes, repeat on the next piece, move toward a moist edge, and finish it.
Whitewashing and Painting the Cedar Vs. Staining it for final finishing:
Cedar siding is a durable and attractive option, but you must protect it from the sun and moisture.
- As a result, flawless finishing coatings on cedar siding are essential. Paint and stain are the two most frequent ways to finish wood siding.
- However, you will almost always use stain rather than paint in a few circumstances, such as on cedar siding.
- One reason is that a solid color stain will remain longer on a cedar ceiling than paint.
The following are a few of them:
01. The stain is more water permeable: Water gets absorbed by the untreated wood underlying the cedar siding.
And then, stain aids moisture evaporation from the cedar siding via the coating, and this also keeps the cedar siding from decaying due to moisture trapped within.
02. The stain is long-lasting: Color lasts longer than paint on cedar siding because it can withstand foot activity.
Foot traffic causes more abrasion than regular paint designs to withstand. Stain preserves wood better than regular paint because it is more durable.
If moisture is let into the wood, a solid stain preserves it better by escaping water.
03. Paint and solid stains protect siding from moisture and sunshine, making them easy to maintain.
They differ, however, in terms of the level of protection they provide. Furthermore, stains require more frequent application than paint and as a result, maintaining their attractiveness requires less effort.
Oil-based dyes also enter the wood and are porous, so they will not blister or peel with time.
Some recommended tips for increasing the life of Cedar sides:
Primer and Paint Selection –
Cedar is a highly porous material that soaks the standard paint quickly.
It means that a thin layer of paint will remain on the outside of the wood, and it will be more susceptible to cracking and decay by the elements.
- To apply your topcoat, you should use 100 percent acrylic-latex paint.
- It is a robust weather-resistant paint that completely covers the cedar and fills in any imperfections or pores within the timber.
How to protect? Professionally trained painters can choose the appropriate type of acrylic-latex paint based on the state your siding is in, which means you could achieve up to 10 years of use from one painting job.
Proper Application –
If you want to apply the paint to the siding of your cedar, you can employ a sprayer, brush, or roller.
- Professional artists usually spray and return roll their paint.
- A hand-held brush allows for the most substantial coat of paint.
- Cedar exposed to sunshine, and weathered won’t retain the coating the same way as new cedar.
How to protect? A professional should be hired when your siding made of cedar is old.
They’ll be able to remove any dirt or mold and how to handle loose wood fibers
Climate-related Concerns –
Cedar is highly susceptible to the sun’s rays. If exposed to many suns, the siding turns grey and then dry and hard.
How to protect? A good primer coat and 100% acrylic-latex paint will aid in preserving the siding from sun damage and help keep the wood beneath it in good shape as it gets older.
Some other questions,
Related Questions and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Q1.) Can you paint cedar siding with white color?
Answer: For painting an old cedar, you need some initial preparation, and the paint is not going to linger off for long still, and here surface preparation is critical.
Q2.) How can I whitewash wood with conventional whitewashing?
Answer: Buy the masonry lime and mix salt and warm water. Then, paint or apply with some roller and let it dry for some time.
Q3.) What kind of paint is best for whitewashing wood?
Answer: First, mix some white latex paint in water for 1:1 to get a transparent look and let it test on some scrap wooden pieces. Lastly, you can adjust it.
Q4.) Which is better out of staining or painting the cedar siding shingles?
Answer: It all depends on your home’s current Cedar conditions because the stain is natural-looking and lasts long, whereas the paint will provide more protection in general.
Q5.) Which is durable for a cedar siding from staining vs. painting?
Answer: Stain will beat paint on durability and handle a lot of traffic in general because a stain is going to lock the moisture of wood and not allow it to escape from its grip.
Q6.) How often does the cedar siding need the painting work?
Answer: It needs to get repainted every five or six years, but some individuals have managed to get over a decade’s worth of proper maintenance.
Q7.) How to weather the wood?
Answer: Use a grey wash technique where you need to get some black tea bags/ 1 cup of water and allow to steep.
Then brush the mixture onto the board and after it gets dried, apply vinegar.
Q8.) Is it possible to whitewash raw wood?
Answer: In fact, whitewash is best to apply on raw wood to remove any pre-existing finish like paint/ stain.
Use sanding or a power sander for this.
Q9.) Can the whitewash be successfully done over a rough surface?
Answer: Yes, you can do it, but again it can be somewhat tricky to apply on wooden material like a wood stain.
Q10.) What is the recommendation regarding sealing before whitewashing?
Answer: Yes, the recommendation is clear that one should adequately seal before any whitewashing. Just apply some coats, and it is the sealer that will assist you in using the whitewash.
Q11.) How to apply whitewash to wood with a small roller?
Answer: First, make sure that everything protects from your whitewash, sensitive to paints.
Then try to apply an even whitewashing over any wood, sanded prior.
Q12.) How to seal the whitewash in cedar?
Answer: Using a water-based sealer to seal any whitewashed wood floor is the best idea and way to get ahead.
Q13.) How to stain my cedar white?
Answer: Begin by sanding all sides with 80-grit sandpaper, which will open the wooden pores, which means more stain can enter it.
Q14.) How can I lighten my cedar walls?
Answer: Most cedar walls come off as too dark or heavy, but you can quickly lighten them by applying a wood bleaching solution.
PS – The fumes of bleach might choke you, so take proper precautions.
Q15.) Should we apply a primer before whitewashing wooden objects?
Answer: Don’t prime if you are looking for a wooden grain partially showing itself and do vice versa for a conventional piece.
Q16.) How to make the traditional whitewash?
Answer: We know that making a whitewash is almost inexpensive. We need to mix the paint with water in a desirable ratio.
Q17.) How to make whitewashes?
Answer: To make whitewashes, mix around two cups of salt with a gallon of warm water and stir them to dissolve a pinch of salt.
Lastly, mix the mixture in approx. Six cups salt with a gallon of warm water and stir well.
Final Verdict
Cedar is a wildly popular wood choice for siding on homes. You can paint Cedar siding at least every 5-7 years.
However, when you take specific steps, you could enjoy more than ten years’ worth of use from just one coat of paint.
To do this, however, you’ll be required to ensure that you have adequately prepared the surface and consider all environmental factors.
If you’d like to be sure that the siding paint you choose to use lasts if it can, there are a few steps that you can follow, but a stain is also a popular option.
Thanks For Reading!