Cleaning And Sealing Cedar Siding

Pressure washing can damage cedar so if possible wash by hand.

Cleaning and sealing cedar siding.

The safe and effective way to clean the wood is oxygen bleach. Then using low pressure power wash your home. Inspect the siding for rot or damage. Department of agriculture s forest services laboratory recommends cleaning cedar shingles with an oxidizing bleach as opposed to a household bleach to avoid damaging the wood.

When you begin the process of cleaning your cedar siding make sure to remove any old sealer stain with a stripping solution. It is non toxic to trees and vegetation and will not remove natural color from the siding. How to seal cedar siding if you re applying sealant to siding that is already installed it is essential to throughly clean the wood surface being sealed. Cedar shingles can also grow moss and algae or develop iron staining which requires periodic cleaning.

Get rid of that grunge by cleaning your cedar siding with an. If necessary use a paint removing product to remove an old layer of paint. Have any damaged pieces replaced. The siding must be thoroughly cleaned and old layers of paint or sealer must be removed before you can apply a new coat.

Removing the the wood mold with oxygen bleach. It s important that cedar and redwood siding as well as cedar shingles and shakes are cleaned using a two step method prior to sealing the wood with a semitransparent oil based finish. While you can use household bleach to kill mold and algae it tends to make the cedar shingle s surface fuzzy because of the excessive pulping reaction when using it. The side of the house with the least sun exposure can be the worst spot with the cedar developing mildew or mold that looks black.

Begin by sweeping off dust and cobwebs. The wood cleaner will remove dirt gunk and grime that could be contaminating the surface of the wood. Surface preparation to prepare the surface of rough cut cedar siding wash the siding down with a good wood cleaner and follow that up with an application of wood brightener. The oxygen bleach comes as a granular powder that mixes with water.

Make sure you use low pressure because high pressure can damage the wood.