Why Solid Stain is Better for Cedar Siding than Paint?

Cedar siding is widely popular due to its durability and it is mostly used as an attractive siding material. However, it requires protection from sunlight and moisture. There are mainly two common options for finishing cedar siding: paint and stain. If you compare solid stain and paint, which one is better depends on several factors. These factors include your preference for appearance and maintenance and the current condition of the siding.

How does it depend on the Coverage and Appearance of the Cedar Siding?

If you apply paint on a cedar siding, it completely covers the wood grain. However, paint doesn’t entirely penetrate into the wood’s pores. Although the paint coat is thicker than stain, it may be beneficial in case if the cedar siding is very old and discoloured by weathering. On the other hand, stain penetrates the wood pores. Apart from that, solid stains have a high concentration of pigments, so they work well on the cedar siding.

Level of Protection:

When it comes to the protection of cedar siding, both stain and paint protect your cedar siding from moisture and sunlight, but they differ how much protection they offer. You need to apply primer before applying paint on a cedar siding and two coats of paint can offer up to 10 years of protection. On the other hand, you can only apply stain on the cedar siding once the surface preparation is done. Two coats of penetrating stain can offer up to 10 years of protection. Also, subsequent coatings of stain will likely last longer than the first coat.

Less Time consuming:

It’s true that stain requires more frequent application than paint, but it is less time consuming to keep them looking attractive. As time passes and the stain fades slowly, you can give it a refreshing look by simply washing the surface or by applying a new coat of stain. On the contrary, paint starts to crack or peel as it weathers, and this can make your cedar siding look old and unappealing. To refinish a painted cedar siding surface, you first need to remove the loose and peeling paint with sandpaper and then you can apply a fresh coat of paint. This is time-consuming and requires a lot of effort.

You can also apply oil-based semi-transparent stains that penetrate the cedar surface and porous in nature. Therefore, they won’t blister or peel.

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