Ring’s End carries many different exterior stain options for siding and decking. Which type you’ll use depends on your aesthetic preferences as well as your environment. Ring’s End Paint Expert and Coating Specialist Eddie Pocoski walks us through a few different options for exterior stains and finishes for cedar siding.
Translucent, Semi-Transparent, and Semi-Solid Oils
Oil finishes are great for exterior siding, decking, furniture, and fences because they penetrate deeply into the wood, providing superior protection without concealing the beauty of the wood’s natural grain and texture.
Durability
When it comes to staining cedar siding, you have to think about protecting your investment based on your specific needs. Do you live by the ocean? Does your property have full sun, or is it mostly shaded? Answering these questions will help you determine the factors that will affect the durability of your coating. “The more sun exposure, the faster the coating will break down,” says Pocoski. On the other hand, a house that is completely shaded by trees or situated near or on wetlands, could experience mold and mildew. It is also important to consider that anywhere within two miles of the coast, salt air will affect coatings. This is where solids come in. “With the least amount of solids, you see more of the grain,” Pocoski explains. “With the most amount of solids, you see less of the grain but you get more of the durability.”
Opacities
If you really want the natural beauty of your wood grain to shine through, you may consider Benjamin Moore’s Woodluxe Translucent Oil Finish. You can use this coating on hard and soft woods, and the advanced alkyd/Tung oil formula is equipped to stave off mildew growth. Woodluxe Translucent Oil Finish comes in seven different colors: Natural, Redwood, Teak, Cedar, Mahogany, Chestnut Brown, and Bleached Gray.
Another translucent option is Preserva Timber Oil. Preserva Timber Oil uses a Dual Resin Technology, combining an alkyd resin with a urethane resin for superior durability and protection. While translucent coatings are beautiful, they also require the most amount of maintenance, with a recoat time of every two years for sun exposed sides and every three to four years for shaded sides. Preserva Timber Oil comes in five shades: Natural Timber, Mountain Cedar, Heart Redwood, Canyon Brown, and Bleached Gray. There is also an Ultra Clear, which can be used by itself to protect your surface without changing the natural color, or as a "refresh" coat for maintaining their other shades.
With Benjamin Moore’s Woodxlue Semi-Transparent Oil Finish, you’ll get more protection from the sun and longer time between recoats; you’ll typically get 3-4 years on the sunny sides of your home, and 5-6 years on shady sides. This semi-transparent stain comes in 75 different colors, all of which allow the wood grain pattern and texture of the wood to show through.
Next up is a semi-solid oil. Benjamin Moore’s Woodluxe Semi-Solid Oil Finish is more pigmented and also available in 75 different colors, just like the Semi-Transparent Oil Finish. It is slightly more opaque, so you’ll see less of the wood’s grain, but it has more longevity with a 5-6 year recoat time, depending on exposure.
Solid Finishes
The most durable exterior wood stain finish that Ring’s End carries is Benjamin Moore Woodluxe Solid Stain. The result is an opaque appearance that still reveals a little of the wood’s texture. Woodluxe Solid Stain is ideal for cedar, pressure-treated, and redwoods. This stain comes in any Benjamin Moore color, so your options are endless.
Benjamin Moore Woodluxe Ultra Flat Water-Based Deck and Siding Stain is another solid stain available in any Benjamin Moore solid color that offers superior protection and is easier to touch up than the Woodluxe Solid Stain.
An oil finish with the most amount of solids is Preserva Solid Oil. This finish is fully opaque, blending into the wood, but still shows the wood’s grain. Preserva Solid Oil comes in six natural stain colors: Pacific Red, Cedar Fir, Cedar, Tamarack, Sequoia, and Redwood.
Protecting Your Greatest Investment
It’s so important to protect your home, no matter what kind of finish you select to use on your wood exterior. Exterior oil-based finishes are beautiful and penetrate wood deeply and effectively for great durability and longevity. Ring’s End has the products and expertise to help you figure out what you need to keep your house not only looking good, but remaining in the best condition for years to come. Visit any one of our 19 paint locations to learn more about how to refresh and maintain your exterior!