How to prepare to stain siding

[canoetrpr]

Hi all:

We are planning to stain the wood siding on our house and barns this summer.

Our home is a old log home with siding put over it about 10 years ago by previous owners. The outside has not been stained in four years.

I was planning to rent a pressure washer to wash the outside before staining but a contractor we had over to do some work in the house pointed out to us that in his experience pressure washing wood siding is not really a great idea as water tends to get in behind the siding.

I can see where he is coming from as there is the odd opening visible to the naked eye.

Any one have any thoughts on pressure washing in this situation and/or how to prepare the outside to stain?

[Pat]

A pressure washer can easily end up giving you raised knap (fuzzy looking surface) on the wood. If the previous coating was not uniformly gone the wood will be quite varied in its looks and its absorption of stain. Basically if it looks mottled now it can easily look mottled after the staining job unless you use stain with no transparency (not why you chose stain over paint.)

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[canoetrpr]

Very interesting. I had considered none of this.

I'd say that wood already looks pretty uneven in colour, surface etc. and parts are already fuzzy looking.

We were hoping to just restain it with a stain that was close enough / identical to the last one used to make things look nice and clean and protect the wood. Does not need to be completly even to the eye - it is a rustic looking place and part of the charm is the imperfection :-)

At some point in the future, I'd like to look into painting, for which I will probably hire someone to prepare the surface appropriately etc.

Under these circumstances, is there really any need for me to pressure wash / regular hose wash - the surface of the wood before I start staining away?

[Pat]

IF you don't wash the surface you could waste a lot of time, energy, and money staining it. Depends on just how RUSTIC you want the place to look! Be careful with a pressure washer as it can selectively remove the soft wood layers in between the hard grain leaving a VERY RUSTIC look of really weathered wood. That can of course, if done throughout, can be a very desireable effect, almost like light sandblasting. Much depends on the look you want.

NOTE: You are getting this advice from someone who is going to wainscot his basement with rough cedar trimmings from a sawmill, the stuff cut off the logs to get to the wood good enough to make boards. So I have a fair tollerance for RUSTIC.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]