rabela

After over a year of research, I need to make a decision on what to apply on my bungalow's cedar/redwood sidding once the contractor has stripped and conditioned the wood. The contractor will most likely apply the initial coat, but I'd like to keep the option open for doing the maintenance coats myself down the road as the contractor has quoted me $6000 for a 5 year mainteance program with ATO (this quote does not include the initial strip/coat job). My understanding is that WoodTux may last longer than ATO and works well on older wood, but that Ready Seal is easier to apply than either of them. Looks, durability in Canadian weather (cold winters, humid summers), and resistance to mildew are important features for me. If I were to try out Ready Seal, would it be possible to easily switch to WoodTux or ATO down the road. My reasonning is that since Ready Seal does not create a film/barrier, there is nothing to strip. Would this mean that WoodTux or ATO can simply be applied over aged Ready Seal? I suspect that going in the opposite direction would be much more complicated. What is the mainteance procedure with Ready Seal? Richard

I'm looking for advice/feedback on the available products for providing a natural finish to the cedar and redwood siding of my house, located in Canada. At this point, I haven't decided whether to do the work myself or hire someone to do it. I do intend however to do the maintenance, therefore I would like a product that lasts more than a couple of years, is easy to maintain/recoat, and is resistant to mildew. Four years ago, I stripped the siding and applied a Linseed oil based Behr product. I understand that this product has been discontinued and that the recommended replacement by Behr is Premium Weatherproofing Wood Finish. Unless otherwise told, I suspect that I need to strip the old linseed oil based Behr product prior to applying any new product, and therefore am open to other products, such as the Sikkens Cetol1/Cetol23 combinations. Does anyone have an opinion concerning the above products or any other product recommendations? Thanks, Richard

A wood restoration professional is recommending that I go with Australian Timber oil on my cedar siding instead of Sikkens SRD. His reason is that Australian Timber oil will last longer than SRD in our extreme environment (eastern Canada, cold winters, hot humid summers). Can anyone comment on this? My understanding is that Timber oil contains linseed oil, which both creates a film and promotes mildew, which is why I've avoided this so far. Can anyone confirm this for me? Finally, I've accepted that my cedar sidding requires stripping. Will stripping also remove the existing mildew or does a bleach solution still need to be applied after the stripping process? Thank you all for your help and advice, Richard

In your experience, what products do NOT need to be stripped off before applying a maintenance coat? Does it matter whether it has a color stain or not? Richard

Well, it seems to be quite the challenge to find a qualified professional for this job. One question about Sikkens SRD. Their website's faqs section mentions the following (faq #25. How often should I maintain the Cetol SRD system?): When reapplying Cetol SRD, the surface should be back to bare wood; otherwise the wood may look dark, blotchy, or shiny. I thought that a reason for using SRD was that it did not create a film and therefore did not require previous coats removed prior to reapplication. Am I missing something and would I need to strip off previous SRD coats during maintenance application as their website seems to imply? Regards, Richard

Does anybody know if Sikkens SRD contains Carnuba wax? Does anybody have an opinion about Sherwin Williams Woodscapes for cedar/redwood siding? Richard

I'm about to request quotes for stripping and finishing with a clear coat the cedar/redwood sidding of my house. I was leaning toward the TWP product, but I haven't been able to find in my area (Ottawa, Canada) either a dealer or a contractor familiar with this product. One product which has been recommended to be on more than one occasion is CWF-UV. Can anyone comment on the quality of this product (look, mildew resistance, u/v resistance) and its ease of use/maintenance? The other product which I'm considering is Sikkens SRD (clear). However, I've been told that Sikkens products contain Carnuba wax which is to be avoided for maintenance/re-application reasons. Is this true for Sikkens SRD? If so, how can SRD be considered a penetrating oil? (wouldn't wax create a film?) Finally, what questions and what answers should I expect when interviewing the contractors for the job (i.e. stripping process, finishing process, etc)? Thanks, Richard

Thanks for all the feedback. I will investigate the options and get a few quotes for the job. I'll post a new thread once I'm ready to proceed and need more information. Regards, Richard

Thanks for the feedback. Here are a few follow-up questions: 1) Sikkens seems to have many products for sidding. What differentiates SRD from Cetol and from Log & Siding? Again, I'm concerned about look, mildew resistance, UV resistance, durability, and maintenance procedure. Am I correct in assuming that Sikkens will generally outperform Cabot's Australian Timber Oil in these areas? 2) Any opinion on the Behr oil-based "Premium Weatherproofing Wood Finish" product? Are there any other product I should be seriously considering? 3) Assuming I go with Sikkens, what questions should I be asking a pro and what answers should I expect to ensure that he or she is capable of properly stripping and preping the siding? Thanks again for sharing your insights with me. Richard