jakewojcik

We currently have a 10-year old house with cedar shake siding in Atlanta, GA. I can't seem to get a straight answer from local companies on how I should refinish our house. We definitely want a colored stain, so here are our questions: Should we apply a cleaner (such as EFC-38) before or after the house is pressure washed? There is beginning to be some black tint to shake. After cleaning we are planning to apply a oil-based primer. Should we caulk all crevises around doors and windows before applying primer, given that the house is cedar shake and there is not currently any caulk from previous stains? Should we use a oil-based or a latex-based colored stain on cedar shake??? I have asked a number of painters, and some say you should never use latex, and some say you definitely should. What is the best to use? Thanks for the help! Jake

Ken - So would you recommend EFC-38, and would you pressure wash before or after EFC-38 is used?

Thanks for the responses, and I can see oil is definitely the way to go. We will definitely plan to use an oil-based primer and a oil-based color stain! One more quick question. There is currently a natural stain on the house, and we would like to clean the cedar shake before applying the primer. Would you recommend pressure washing the house, and then adding a cleaner such as EFC-38? There is currently discoloration in the cedar shake, so what is the most effective way to prep before adding primer?