cedar and redwood siding refinishing

[rabela 14]

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

[JFife 14]

First, DEFINITELY strip that finish off, and you'll need to hire a contractor. This is an EXTREMELY difficult removal, and many pro's cannot do it. For siding, I recommend a penetrating oil stain, such as Sikkens SRD or TWP. I don't like waterbase finishes on wood siding, and I don't like the Sikkens Cetol for wood siding. They have new product out, Sikkens Log and Siding which looks promising, but again, you are definitely in the realm of the professional, and not a homeowner app. And not to scare you, but 95% of pro's won't know how to strip your house and properly prep it for Sikkens. I'm not trying a hard sell of my service; but unfortunately I am correct in my assertions. Good luck, let me know if I can help more,

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

I agree with Jon, this is a must strip. You will need a contractor for this job. If you really want to do some portion of this yourself, let a pro strip the wood, and prep the wood for sealing, then you can seal it. An improper strip job followed by improper prep, is a recipe for disasterous results that can do more harm to your wood.

We did a job similar to this one recently, using Cabot's Australian Timber Oil: http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4120

See this thread to see the Sikkens SRD on a cedar home we did this season: http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3672

Hope these help.

Beth

[rabela 14]

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

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Am I correct in assuming that Sikkens will generally outperform Cabot's Australian Timber Oil in these areas?

No. We like both, both have gotten us excellent results.

Any opinion on the Behr oil-based "Premium Weatherproofing Wood Finish" product? Are there any other product I should be seriously considering?

I don't know of even ONE professional who will apply this to a deck much less a house. No Behr.

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?

Ask them what their process is, and check back with us here. Be selective and educate yourself. You might do well to consider one of the many folks who are online here as well.

Beth

[James 625]

If you are going to maintain the house your self- the easier way to go are products by TWP , Ready Seal , or ABR. These preservation products don't form a film and are much better to re- apply. If you strip a product off why put something back you have to strip again ?

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

If you strip a product off why put something back you have to strip again ?

You don't have to strip the Cabot's or Sikkens in order to reapply a maintenance coat....assuming it is correctly installed, and prepped for in the first place. This would be true of any product however, prep is everything. Scheduled maintenance makes a world of difference. Follow the schedule for the maintenance and you are fine.

Personally, I can't see tackling this job as a homeowner - too large, too many areas for potential problems.

Rabela, do you have any photos you can post so we can get a better idea of the conditions?

Beth

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Aside from the advice others have bid on stripping, maintenance and regular care of the sealer to keep up its integrity is the best treatment for the wood as you are protecting it and avoiding the damaging effects of chemicals that can add to the woods age and degeneration.

Rod~

[Everett Abrams 501]

rabela,

You should take the advice of the folks who have commented here. No offense to you but you did put a product that no professional would have applied previously. Now you are asking about a product from the same manufacturer. This in itself leads me to recommend that you let a professional do this work. Further, as Jim alluded to, I would not recommend a Sikkens product to a homeowner because of the maintenance factor, which is that a homeowner rarely keeps up with this properly. Granted I do not know you and you may well keep up, I am merely stereotyping. By not following manufacturer's recommendations you void their guarantee. These folks will ask that you followed all of their instructions and if not, you lose. The other side of this is that you do not perform the work correctly and it now(or later) becomes a bigger and harder project to either restore and repair, or even to maintain. When this happens the contractor will charge you more to fix it if they are good at their skill. If not, as Jon alluded to about some pros, they won't know and will either damage or start the job and either not finish and possibly even worse compound the problem later by other means.

I would think that a contractor, if they got the job, would explain to you how to maintain and keep up with the home after they have left. In this way you could pick up some savings down the road and have a beautiful looking home without worries. These are merely my views and opinions.

Best of luck to you on this project!

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

To clarify my earlier post...I would agree that some Sikkens products should not be applied.

We would not install:

Cetol DEK

Cetol 1 & 23

We would as an option install:

Cetol SRD

Cetol SRD and Cabot's Aussie Oil both have alkyd oil in them.

Hope this clarification helps.

Beth

[rabela 14]

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

[rabela 14]

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

[Jarrod 22]

Both Sikkins & CWF-UV are terrible products. I have had great luck with TWP over the last 5 years. DON'T use Behr!! Also, use a tinted or semi trans sealer - lasts much longer.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Richard,

You should also look at Wood Tux. www.esproducts.net or give Russell Cissell a call.

I agree with the comments about CWF-UV and Behr, you should steer clear of those. However, I do not agree with the comments on Sikkens SRD.

Beth

[Jarrod 22]

Beth, is Sikkins SRD just as hard to strip off as the rest of the Sikkins products?

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

It's about as hard as any other alkyd.But it is not as difficult to remove as some of thier other products. At least not in our experience.

Beth

[Jarrod 22]

I guess that's why I don't recommend it, if I can't get it off easily, I won't apply it.

[rabela 14]

Does anybody know if Sikkens SRD contains Carnuba wax?

Does anybody have an opinion about Sherwin Williams Woodscapes for cedar/redwood siding?

Richard

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Does anybody know if Sikkens SRD contains Carnuba wax?

To be safe, call Sikkens Tech support. I am sure there is a toll free number. There are things that will not be listed as ingredients that the professionals here will not necessarily know about, with regards to if they are in the product.

As for S&W Woodscapes, have not used it, have heard both good and fair about it, but we would not apply it.

Beth

[rabela 14]

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

[James 625]

Anything with tung, linseed or all long oils create a film of some kind. The more porus your wood is the more problems you have in the furure with these type of products. If the wood is new they function better because it can't penitrate . Then you can control the product at the surface.

[rabela 14]

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

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Rabela,

That is a very tough one to answer. The reason being that recent voc law changes have caused many manufacturers to reformulate. The new formulations are barely a year old for the most part and the jury is still out amongst many wood restoration professionals who evaluate their performance in stages. The first years evaluations will start this spring and more info will come out as feedback (positive of negative) starts to trickle in from customers who have structures these new formulas have been installed on and also -vs- old formulations compatability with new.

As a rule though, it has been a practice to remove the previous finish if any segment of it has failed because of the UV exposure that darkens most products and the exposed wood. In relation to the new product, it would be an uneven color result because of this factor.

On the other hand, if the product is still intact and has good integrity, then it is feasible to just clean and re-coat. An experienced Wood Restoration professional would be able to give you an answer after an inspection.

Rod!~

[rabela 14]

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

[James 625]

Aussy Timber oil will not hold up to harsh climate's. I do ocean front stuff . Was there yesterday. I have a builder that stopped using it.

It does not hold up and turns black. I counted 20 houses in a two mile stretch. Future strips jobs all Cabot's and Sikkens products.

Go with a Ready Seal, TWP, ABR, Baker's Grey way. These products will out perform and are easier to maint.