Cedar Siding Repairs
Cedar siding comes in a number of types, smooth lap siding, wavy butt lap siding (gives a rustic look), and shakes and all require some maintenance and repair over the years. Cedar is soft and can crack or twist easier than other types of siding, but it does not rot.
The most common maintenance cedar siding needs is to be cleaned and sealed properly so that it does not turn black from mildew. The best way to do this is to power wash the siding taking care to be careful with the water pressure so as not to pit or scar the siding and then let the siding dry and put on a good protective coating. Pressure washing is a tricky business and can cause damage if done incorrectly. The water pressure and sweep of the pressure on the siding needs to be controlled, the pressure can actually rip the siding off, especially cedar shakes, professional contractors know how to power wash and one needs to be consulted before you try this yourself.
If cedar lap siding is badly damaged the best thing to do is replace the damaged pieces. Using a nail ripper (a tool that fits up under the siding) pull the nails out or break through the nails until the siding is loose and then pull the damaged piece down and out. Cut the new piece of cedar siding and slide it back up into the space. Nail the new piece as inconspicuously as possible through the covering siding. Check the siding around the repair and follow the nailing pattern as closely as possible. Repairs to damaged siding is sometimes done with fillers, but a filler is almost always obvious and not recommended as cedar siding is relative inexpensive. A professional contractor is recommended because the right tools are not in the homeowner’s garage. After every repair the cedar needs to be sealed.
Repairing cedar shake shingles is a tedious job because there are many shakes on a home. Damage occurs for a variety of reasons, the nails rust and the siding falls off, the shakes split and parts of the shakes fall out, or the shakes were sealed improperly and twist and curl. To remove damaged shakes a nail ripper works best and when the nail is removed the shakes come out easily. Replacing shakes is done one shake at a time, each new shake must be cut to fit the existing space and inserted and carefully nailed. It is important to get the right shakes for the repair, some cedar shakes are smooth and some are split shakes and matching is important. In the repair follow the design of the original installation! When all the repair shakes are in place clean the area and seal the shakes, usually you have to reseal the entire area so that it doesn’t look like a patch.
Cedar siding is considered to be easy to work with, but the beauty is in the perfect installation and the correct sealing of the siding and a professional will do the best job.
