Cedar is a preferred choice among people. It is used for many projects like cladding, fencing or decking. Below we have provided much information on how to treat this gorgeous timber and take care of it perfectly.
Being native to Pacific coast of North America, Western Red Cedar is also called Thuja plicata. Of course, there is no need at all to tell you how amazing cedar looks because you already know it. The colour of cedar is a beautiful pinkish-brown with warm red hues. This means that cedar suits almost all exteriors. There are various finishes available, thus it can suit any architectural design. Not only does cedar look excellent, but also performs superbly. Due to high resin content, Western Red Cedar can resist natural rot and insect. As a result, you will enjoy its durability and use it for a long time.
In order to help your cedar look at its best and perform excellently, you should consider the tips listed below. We ensure these methods can maintain your cedar easily.
Best Oils, Finishes and Treatments
We can divide cedar wood treatments into 4 groups:
- Opaque
- Semi-transparent
- Transparent or untreated
Finishes are held quite well by cedar wood but they need to be applied before starting the weathering procedure. Opaque treatments bring great protection and give a more natural appearance to the wood. There are some transparent treatments including natural stains and water-repellent preservatives which enhance the natural beauty of timber yet provide less protection. It’s worth mentioning that if Western Red Cedar is smooth then it has excellent exterior finish-retention qualities. Thus, if you are looking for durability, just opt for planed cedar.
- Opaque
Opaque coating is considered to be be far the best protective finish in the market. Due to this coating, the timber will be protected from moisture but the wood’s colour and grain will be concealed. Therefore, we advise you to buy your desired paint colour. You can also find different opaque stain finishes that help to preserve the original texture while providing really strong protection against weathering and other external elements. Thanks to solid-colour finishes, you can easily upgrade the appearance of the wood. Those finishes generally last for 8-12 years.
- Semi-Transparent Stains
Besides opaque finish, you have plenty of other choices to make your Western Red Cedar look at its best and be protected. One of the best choices is a semi-transparent stain. It will only offer great protection but also being some subtle colour changes to the wood. Note that semi-transparent finishes can be either oil-based or natural.
- Oil-based protection can penetrate into the deepest layers of the wood. Thus, it can change the colour drastically. However, it also brings much protection against different elements.
- Natural protection, on the other hand, doesn’t penetrate into the wood so deeply but still delivers a lot of protection. This is a more environmentally friendly option.
- Transparent Preservative And Oils
Opt for a bleaching oil if you need a transparent finish that comes with modest protection. This type of red cedar wood can keep the wood’s warm tones for a long time. However, this product doesn’t provide a good UV protection. Also, remember that the cedar will turn to a grey color over time but the process will happen slowly and you can keep the wood’s natural beautiful tones.
Which Cedar Treatment Is The Best?
You may ask now whether you need to paint or stain cedar weatherboards, or just leave them untreated. We should say that no answer is right or wrong. All depends on what kind of design you prefer as well which level of protection you are looking for. While selecting the product in order to protect your cedar cladding, you should retain a balance.
- What do you like most? If you want to keep the beauty of your cedar and protect it as well, then a semi-transparent stain is the right choice. If you want to reach the weathered appearance slowly, opt for the transparent oil. However, if you want to retain the wood’s colour along with excellent protection, choose the opaque finish.
- How much protection are you looking for? The lifespan of the finish can be shortened because if sunlight and rain hitting your wood regularly.
- How much maintenance are you ready to provide? There are cedar projects which are difficult to reach. Thus, you should select a finish which doesn’t require to be reapplied so often. However, your cedar can be reached easily, so it can reapplied every two years without any hassle.
What Will Happen If You Leave You Cedar Untreated?
Yes, you can pay no attention to your cedar maintenance and forget about Cedar Coating Auckland. This is one of the best things about durable timber species. In general, Western Red Cedar resists rot perfectly and it will perform for a long time even without any kind of finish.
If you leave Western Red Cedar untreated, it can fade because of sunlight. However, if you like the weathered cedar look, you can apply no treatment at all and enjoy this beautiful silvery-grey finish. But if you want to protect your cedar against cracking, we advise you to apply a water-based preservative. Your wood colour will change, but it will be done slowly.
Though when you treat your cedar, it looks amazing, you can be sure that the grey color will also look nice because it is now a trend. Many people leave timber in their natural state and reach a rustic beauty. In New Zealand, the climate is moist so it can cause the weathering process happen quickly. Thus, be patient if you notice that these grey signs appear quickly.
At Cedar Solutions, the professional cedar experts offer Cedar Coating Auckland that can help avoid all the issues you have got through time. They offer personalized Cedar Oiling Auckland and make sure your demands are taken care of. Just contact them anytime you need to upgrade your timber and let these experts provide you with quality Cedar Oiling Auckland so you can enjoy your cedar for a long time!
