Staining or oiling the Cedar weatherboards, cladding, shingles, entrance and garage doors, or other timber on your home is a great way to protect the timber from the elements while enhancing the natural look and beauty of the Cedar.

The process of staining or oiling your Cedar starts with a thorough chemical wash of the Cedar on your home to remove the dirt, dust, mould, other contamination and oxidised product. Then you have the choice of treating the Cedar either by staining it with a timber stain or applying a wood oil. Learn more about the difference between staining or oiling Cedar in our article Oiling Verses Staining.

Staining The Cedar:

Prior to staining the Cedar on your home it is important to ensure that it is properly cleaned. This wash process will remove any dust, airborne contamination, mould or mildew, and oxidised product or degraded surface fibres. Once washed and prepared the Cedar is ready to be treated with 2 coats of timber stain.

While the process of staining the Cedar looks easy care needs to be taken to ensure that you don’t over apply the stain, create lap marks, or get the Cedar stain on other parts of the house.

Stain by nature is semi transparent and, while creating a protective surface coating, can allow for the natural grain of the Cedar to show through.

To maintain its weather resistant properties and appearance stained Cedar cladding that is exposed to the elements will likely require a wash and be re-stained with 2 coats of stain after 3-5 years.  See FAQ about re-treatment times.

Oiling The Cedar:

As with staining Cedar the preparation of the Cedar on your home is an important step that needs to be done well before you apply the wood oil. After the chemical wash, and any other preparation required, the Cedar is treated with 1 coat of wood oil. The wood oil is absorbed into the Cedar, replenishing the natural oils and adding anti-fungal properties.

Wood oils come with a variety of colour options and the pigment in the coloured oil acts as a UV barrier, which enhances the protection levels for your Cedar.  See FAQ about using a clear oil.

Oiling of your Cedar is a recommended procedure due to the ease of application, maintenance, and the fact that only 1 coat of oil is required for each re-treatment.  That means less labour is required. 

After an initial oiling of either new Cedar weatherboards, cladding, or doors that has been stripped, it is recommended that a “top-up” coat of oil is applied within 12 months to maximise the oil’s protective qualities and further extend the life span of the colour tone.  After this, the re-treatment regime is the same as for a timber stain, but only requiring 1 coat of oil being applied each time.