How To Paint Redwood Siding

Choose an acrylic latex paint for exterior redwood surfaces and acrylic deck paint for redwood that lies underfoot.

How to paint redwood siding.

Redwood is more difficult to paint than some other siding materials but carefully following a step by step process is the key to success. One way to care for redwood siding is to paint it. We ve had some success in painting smooth redwood siding on a 50 year old home. Redwood is a beautiful increasingly rare type of soft wood used in siding.

Step 2 smooth the surface. Preparation remove all loose or peeling paint with a. Stripping down to bare wood oil primer not thinned at not too hot or humid temperatures followed by two coats of duration acrylic gives the best result so far. I have an unusual problem.

This means that most redwood siding is old and often in need of care. With regular maintenance redwood siding can last up to 30 years. My house is covered with redwood beveled siding coated with a light solid colored stain. If there is any existing paint on the redwood then scrape off the loose paint and fill any holes or cracks with wood caulk.

However they will not hold up on redwood subject to harsh weather and friction based duress. The usda forest products laboratory ranks redwood in the highest category among softwoods with regard to characteristics for painting and finishing. Work a paint scraper from every direction keeping the blade flat against the wood so you don t create gouge marks. Step 1 prepare the surface.

At any stage in the aging process it is possible to preserve the color you like by applying a sealer. Before sanding scrape loose and flaking paint from the siding. It is rarely used today because of its high price tag. A few weeks ago dark brown streaks began to stain the siding.

These same properties make it a durable wood for using in exterior siding decks and fences. Redwood requires re painting or re staining every 3 to 5 years. These stains appear to originate from behind the siding. In addition redwood siding gives good sound insulation for your home muffling the noise of rain hail and wind.

With similar warm tones yellow is an ideal option for the exterior for a home that features redwood. Another way to find colors that pair well with the red tones in redwood siding or trim is to look at colors that fall beside red on the color wheel. Guidelines to extending maintenance cycles properly specified and applied paint systems perform better on redwood than on practically any other wood substrate. Houses painted before 1978 may have paint that contains lead according to the centers for disease control cdc lead paint should be removed by contractors who are certified by the epa.