We have a 120 year old Victorian home that we are putting on a very large addition. The original house has clear cedar bevel siding. We are looking at using clear finger jointed cedar bevel siding. Like CedarOne’s product http://www.weyerhaeuser.com/coastalwood/wycedar/side_clear.htm
In our application, the siding will be primed (all sides) and top-coated with an exterior latex paint (2 coats). My concern is that the joints over time may expand. I understand that Cedar is a stable product, but don’t know how this will react over time. Additionally, when we paint the siding, will you be able to see where the joints are?
Does anyone have any experience or opinions with this product?
Replies
I've never had good results with finger-joint on an exterior wood product.. the joints always telegraph ..
a Victorian wants a fairly formal look with clapboard siding.. my choice would be CAHVG ( Clear, All Heart, Vertical Grain-Red Cedar ) Factory Primed with all new cuts field primed
have you thought about fiber cement clapboard ?
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
The only benefit you'd get from using FJ claps is that a few years down the road when you rip them off to replace them with full-length claps, you'll have a bit of installation eperience under your belt.
It's quite likely that the FJs will telegraph through the coating after a few seasons or a few years. I'd encourage you to avoid FJ claps. The downside of not using FJ is that you'll shell out a bit more money today. The upside is that you'll never worry about how long the siding or your film finish will last.
If you went with FJ, the joints could break over the years. Broken joints may require annual touchups. Not fun. I think Mike mentioned (I'm replying to you so I can't read his message) priming the backs ("backpriming") and end cuts of the claps before install. If he didn't, I just did.
Best of luck with your project.
Full agreement with two previous posts. These guys are telling it like it's been IME.