Can Cedar Siding That Is Painted Be Stripped and Stained?

Prepping

• If the paint is starting to crack and chip, part of the hard work is already done for you since this makes removing the existing paint a little easier as well as gives you access to the wood underneath. To get started, you’ll need a power washer, along with some mild dish washing detergent and laundry bleach. Simply fill a paint sprayer with water, add a few drops of dish washing detergent and a cap full or two of bleach. This mix not only cleans the surface, but the bleach softens stubborn painted areas while the detergent suds up and allows you to keep track of where you have and haven’t sprayed to ensure an even coat. Cedar is softer and more porous than other woods so don't use a paint scraper; otherwise, you could damage the wood by cutting into it.

Blasting it off

• Spray over one wall of the home’s exterior with the detergent-bleach solution, working from the top of the roof line to the bottom at soil level. Coat the siding well and, if you need to, mix up more solution for additional applications. Check over your work to make sure all of the areas are well-coated and sudsy then wait several minutes for the paint to soften up. When you’re ready, fire up the power washer and again work from top to bottom, making slow and even passes with the nozzle about 3 feet from the wall surface.

Drying Time

• By this point, the cedar wall should be stripped of the existing paint job, and you’ll be left with the natural wood underneath. Allow time for the wood to dry completely; depending on how much paint was on the wood, how long you worked and the weather, this may take a couple of days to a week. Periodically check the drying progress; and once the wood is dry to the touch, you’re ready to stain.

Staining

• With the hard part out of the way, now it’s on to staining. According to the experts from the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association, you don’t want to wait too long between removing the paint and the staining process, or a weathering effect will occur that reduces the cedar’s ability to take the stain. Once you’re ready, choose an oil-based stain that includes both an ultraviolet chemical additive to ward off sun damage and mildewcide to inhibit mildew. Stain the wood with as many applications as necessary to achieve the desired finish.