Cedar Shiplap left to age … Bad idea for Zone 5? – Northern Utah Mountains
We’ve progressed through our renovation and am at the stage of deciding on a siding to go over our prosoco wrb. A few issues have led us to believe that we should just go with cedar shiplap, applied as a rain screen, and that we should let it go full barn. Likely starting it off with Lifetime Wood Products / eco wood treatment.
From a design perspective, our home is very modern and now has black windows everywhere… it will look good. From a maintenance perspective, the front peak of our home is about 45′ off the ground so never touching it again would be great. Additionally, I’m enthused by both the noise attenuation as well as the thermal insulating benefit.
What do you guys think about it?
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Replies
Mike,
Nothing wrong with cedar left to weather. You will probably get a decade more use out of it than you would here in the PNW. I would still install it on rain-screen strapping though. Shiplap siding does give you a bit of an air-gap, but it doesn't have a drainage plane, venting, or many of the other attributes a true rain-screen has.
Thanks Malcom, I think that will be the plan then.
Mike,
I'm with you: Not having to maintain your siding is a huge benefit.
If bare wood was total maintenance free it would be much more popular than it is.
You do see some unfinished Ceder shakes. But the owner might not call them maintenance free.
My opinion brick is about as close to maintenance free as it gets.
Walta
Utah Mike,
Be sure to get the best cedar you can afford. I have seen the quality drop at local lumber sources. A few years ago I rescued cedar siding off a friends home during remodeling. It had been up for 40 years, though oil stained. The sun here (south of you) is brutal and how the weathering occurs going around the house over time may be an acquired taste.
I know of one home locally that used a water based mix like you mentioned. Only five years old though, so not a fair test of time. Being old, I tend to be old school and favor the oil stains formulated for these climate and sun conditions. But like they say, "better living through modern chemistry" maybe applies to the new finishes too.
Completely different climate here in the PNW, but I got suckered into using an oil based finish on cedar and it was a disaster. The oil was a magnet for mildew and with our damp conditions turned black within a couple winters. I've been spending countless hours removing it and using a water based finish that I know works well here.
It should last a long time without maintenance in your climate. The species and grade matter; heartwood is more rot-resistant than sapwood.
You probably mean western red cedar, which is fairly rot resistant and stable if it's a good grade. "Appearance grade" will have a lot of knots and wild grain and is more prone to splitting. There's also eastern red cedar (actually in the juniper family), Port Orford cedar and Alaskan Yellow cedar (in the cypress family), eastern white cedar (in the same family as western red but a very different tree) and others, all of which are rot-resistant to varying degrees.