How to Stain Cedar Siding

Adding a warm, richly toned stain to cedar siding prolongs its beauty and helps it last longer on your home. Deep penetrating stains come in a wide range of tones and shades to bring out the depth and texture of your cedar siding. As well, proper staining helps preserve the natural oils in cedar, called thujaplicins, that give cedar its unique scent and keep the wood safe from fungi and insects. Follow the procedure outlined below to apply a wood stain to cedar siding

Step 1 - Apply Stain to Cedar Siding Before Hanging it

In order to achieve the most effective coating of the siding boards, apply the oil stain to the siding before you hammer up the siding on your home's exterior. This will enable you to coat both faces, the sides and the top and bottom edges. Be sure to use an oil stain that has both a UV protectant factor and a mildewcide in its formulation to preserve the siding. Avoid using stains that have latex or acrylic bases, as these do not provide adequate moisture resistance or UV radiation protection. Work on 2 planks at a time with your assistant doing one face of each plank while you do the other.

Step 2 - Apply Stain Before Wood Begins to Weather

Put the oil stain you have chosen on the cedar while it is fresh and new. It will absorb the maximum amount of protective, deep-penetrating stain when it is in this condition.

Step 3 - Where to Work While Staining

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. Set the boards on sawhorses to keep them up off the grass, soil, sand and gravel, and to make your task easier.

Step 4 - Keep the Oil Stain Well Mixed

Stir the oil stain frequently with a stirring wand to prevent separation of the oil base from the other ingredients.

Step 5-  How to Apply Oil Stain to Cedar Siding

The fastest and most thorough method to apply stain to cedar siding is with a thick, natural bristle brush. The brush bristles distribute the stain evenly into the wood grain, reaching into the small undulations on the surface of the cedar planking. If you apply oil stain to cedar siding with a roller or a spray unit, be sure to backbrush it while it is still quite wet, to help it penetrate the wood more effectively.

Step 6 - Prevent Lapping of the Stain

Apply oil stain down the full length of the plank to prevent lap marks. Be sure to backbrush cedar planks with a paint brush to prevent blotching as the stain dries.

Step 7 - Allow the Stain to Dry Slowly

Leave the stain in a shaded spot, sheltered from wind and rain, for 6 to 8 hours after putting on the first coat. Apply a second coat right afterward, so the wood will accept it.