Identifying Red vs White Cedar Siding


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Old 05-16-22, 03:54 PM
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Identifying Red vs White Cedar Siding

My house has unstained cedar shingle siding. I have owned the house for 3.5 years and, as far as I know, the siding has never been cleaned.

It currently has the weathered grey look of aged cedar, that we like, but we are looking into having it cleaned
since there is some algae/moss in some areas. Before doing that, I am trying to figure out if I have red cedar or white cedar (since that will dictate the color of the cleaned shingles and impact our decision to move forward).

Is there an easy way to tell which type of cedar I have before agreeing to get it cleaned?
 
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Old 05-16-22, 04:34 PM
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Makes no difference what it is. You know how it looks now, and that's how it will look again in a few years again after it's washed.

No, there is no easy way for us to tell you what kind of siding you have when we can't see it, you haven't washed it or sanded it, and there are no photos.

If you want to sand down an inconspicuous area (behind a bush or something) to get down to the original wood, you could use this photo to see for yourself which it is most similar to. Keep in mind, no two boards are going to look the same, even of the same species. So this is just an example.


Image credit: siding authority dot com.
 
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Old 05-17-22, 07:12 AM
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Thanks, XS.

I was hoping there would be some trick to tell. In some areas, where the siding is sheltered form the elements, you can still see the original tone of the shingle. Unfortunately, some of these sheltered areas look white while others look red, making me wonder if previous owner used two types of shingles when building extensions.

I will try to take a closer look at the shingles this weekend and get some pictures.

I am getting a quote from a company that wants to clean and then protect the siding with either Cedar Tone Oil or a "Nantucket Grey" oil/stain/paint(?) that preserves the wood but gives it that aged grey look. They said they do not recommend washing only, as that opens the cedar shingles fibers and can cause them to degrade or be damaged. They recommend Nantucket grey for those that like the weathered look, however, it looks too clean / not natural for us. They said the cedar tone oil will preserve the color of the clean shingle.

That said, we are okay doing the cedar tone oil, as long as the underlying look of the shingles is red and not white/yellow. They said, after inspecting, we have red cedar, although I am skeptical given what I said above.

I am also getting a quote from a second company that wants to "soft-wash" the siding but does not apply any oil/protectant to the shingles afterwards. He said the "opening of fibers" from washing isn't a concern with soft-washing. Is this true?

Thanks for the help; I appreciate all the feedback. I clearly don't know much about cedar siding and its maintenance.
 
 

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