# cleaning and re-staining cedar shakes



## Lambrecht

I am looking at a 2 story craftsman that has cedar shakes all the way around from bottom to top. Shingles are in good shape, well maintained, coated with sealer/stain about 8 years ago. The areas around the home are very well manicured with many different types of bushes and plants. 
The homeowner wants the old sealer/stain removed and the wood brought back to natural color so that it can be re-stained with a white semi-solid stain. My questions are- what would be best cleaning solutions to use to remove the old stain and renew the wood without harming the existing vegatation. The HO is very concerned about the white semi-solid looking consistant throughout. He is wanting the house to take on the natural weathered look with the white shingles after a few years of application. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


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## brushmonkey

Ive never heard of a "cleaning" solution to remove old finishes. Your most likely going to need a 2 step "stripping" product for taking off the existing stain/sealer followed by a "blonding" solution to neturalize the stripper, restore the PH balance & lighten the wood back to original. This can take multiple applications of the stripper. Since its been eight years, whatever is on the shingles should come off fairly easy with a (LOW PRESSURE) pressure washing. Id suggest a good quality electric washer for shingles because they're usually fragile. (Gas washers can blow them apart) Call a log home company in your area & ask what strip product they recommend, they'll have what you need. We use Timber Pro UV products which are totally non toxic and wont harm plants. This is a VERY LABOR INTENSIVE & PRODUCT EXPENSIVE process so do your homework well before handing in a bid. For some tips on what is involved & product application guides/steps check out http://www.timberprocoatings.com Hope this helps out. Good luck!


Lambrecht said:


> I am looking at a 2 story craftsman that has cedar shakes all the way around from bottom to top. Shingles are in good shape, well maintained, coated with sealer/stain about 8 years ago. The areas around the home are very well manicured with many different types of bushes and plants.
> The homeowner wants the old sealer/stain removed and the wood brought back to natural color so that it can be re-stained with a white semi-solid stain. My questions are- what would be best cleaning solutions to use to remove the old stain and renew the wood without harming the existing vegatation. The HO is very concerned about the white semi-solid looking consistant throughout. He is wanting the house to take on the natural weathered look with the white shingles after a few years of application. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


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## johnpaint

Natural weathered look to me might be different than someone else. I really don't like guessing on if the client is going to like the out come.You may want to do a sample area, and let them know that there could be some veriation to the sample.


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## CRS

Sodium Percarbonate, sodium metasilicate blend and light pressure wash. You can add NaOh, sodium hydroxide at small levels to boost stripping effect of any previous finish. Follow by neutralizing rinse. Oxalic/phosphoric/ citric, and various blends.
If you wet down plants/shrubs etc. with plenty of water before chemical application and after you won't have a problem. Have done this for years, buying my own chemicals direct from chemical supplier. It's not rocket science... it's chemistry.


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