Re-Staining Cedar Shingle Siding: How We Bring the Color Back

The short version: faded cedar is usually still sound cedar. Clean it, let it dry, replace split shingles, and work a penetrating stain into the grain. Stain lasts longer on weathered, textured wood than on new, smooth wood, good news for old shingles.

Cedar shingles are warm-looking and easy to let slip: sun and rain pull the color out, south- and west-facing walls first, until the house looks patchy and gray. This Home Preservation series post shows how we bring it back.

The Numbers Behind a Stain Job

Rain

Days with rain in a normal Palo Alto year, month by month (1991-2020 normals)

Month	Days with rain (days)
October	2.5
November	6.2
December	9.7
January	10.0
February	10.1
March	8.2
April	5.2
May	2.5
June	0.7
July	0.0
August	0.2
September	0.5

Source

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, Palo Alto station 046646. A day with rain means 0.01 inch or more.

In the source list: 3

Did you know?

• Gray, weathered cedar has usually lost color, not thickness: bare wood wears away only about 1/4 inch per century. USDA Forest Products Laboratory
• From June through September, a normal Palo Alto year has about 1.4 days with rain in total (our math from the monthly normals). That is staining season. NOAA NCEI
• January and February are Palo Alto’s rainiest months by day count, with about 10 days of rain each. NOAA NCEI

Why Stain, Not Paint

Paint forms a film; stain soaks in. Re-staining keeps the grain and texture visible, and penetrating stains tend to wear away slowly instead of peeling, so there is no film to scrape later.

Paint does last longer in the chart above (10 to 20 years vs. 4 to 8 for semitransparent stain), but switching stained shingles to paint is a one-way door. For most stained cedar, we recommend staying with stain.

Redwood siding? Our post on redwood siding, preservation versus replacement covers the differences.

What the Prep Looks Like

Stain only looks as good as the surface under it. We clean the siding so dirt, mildew and loose fibers are not sealed in, let it dry fully, cover trim, windows, lights and anything else that should not be stained, and lay drop cloths over decks and walkways.

Split, cupped or missing shingles are replaced with new cedar before staining, as on our Victorian shingle restoration, so the new wood takes the same finish as the rest of the wall.

Applying the Stain

Rollers get stain onto the wall quickly; brushes work it into the grain, the butt edges and the gaps between shingles. We work one manageable section at a time, top to bottom and edge to edge, to avoid lap marks where wet stain overlaps dry.

Weathered walls may need a second coat (on rough wood, two coats may last up to 10 years). We follow the manufacturer’s directions on drying time and weather.

The Result

Planning the Next Coat

Stained cedar does not fail all at once, so it is easy to wait too long. Walk around the house once a year and look at the sunniest walls first. Start planning when the color looks noticeably lighter than on the shaded sides, or when water no longer beads on the surface after rain. How long a stain looks good depends on sun, exposure, the product, the prep and upkeep. The sunny side of a house can need attention well before the shady side. This is general guidance, not a McDermaid warranty or guarantee.

Shingles faded or patchy? See our exterior painting page, then request an estimate or call us at (650) 961-7415.