*
I recently had a home built in Rhode Island using White Cedar shingles and Redwood trim for low-maintenance. My builder told me not to paint the trim because that would defeat the purpose of using Redwood. I like the look of the “shingle-style” homes in my neighborhood that have the forest-green trim.
Is there a stain that will achieve this look that will last longer than paint? Is there any reason I can’t paint the trim? Any other suggestions on treating redwood trim?
Replies
*
Yes,
There are tons of stains and paints. People paint redwood all the time. It's a great paint or stain material. Or you can seal it and keep the "red" tones.
Ed. Williams
*paint the redwood while its fresh
*You should look into LIFETIME: it is a clear silicone/rubber which wicks deeply into soft woods. It does not "DRY" in the traditional sense: it vulcanizes over a period of about 3-6 weeks depending on temperature and humidity. It addition to waterproofing the wood, it allows the sun to develop a weathered color (grey). And it is guaranteed for 30 years! However, let the redwood dry out before applying.LIFETIME: Mulford & Assoc., Anaheim, CA.Good Luck!
*The only red flag I'll wave is that you missed out on a chance to backprime. It's not quite as critical since we're probably talking about 5/4 trim stock vs half-inch siding, however...if any moisture gets into the wood, or comes through the wood, in many cases it can wick out extractants as the moisture migrates and evaporates out the show side (warm, sunlight-bathed side) of the board. The extractants can result in a blotchy looking stain or paint job. If you've ever seen a blotchy looking cedar clap job, that's the look I'm trying to describe. The blotchyness is also more visible on wood painted lighter colors.I'd think you could expect success if all you want to do is just paint/stain the trim a nice dark green color.Nice choice of materials, congratulations. I hope your project turns out well.
*Good point about back priming! However, once sprayed from the exterior with Lifetime, the amount of moisture getting behind the wood will be significantly reduced including the possibility of wood stains wicking through the silicone/rubber.And the Lifetime, once it has vulcanized, it can be painted with either acrylic or oil-based paints. Not certain about oil-based stains, however, but Lifetime would have the answer.Incidently, I just finished a job using Cabots transparent wood stain which gives a much softer "antique" effect than the solid stains normally used.
*
I recently had a home built in Rhode Island using White Cedar shingles and Redwood trim for low-maintenance. My builder told me not to paint the trim because that would defeat the purpose of using Redwood. I like the look of the "shingle-style" homes in my neighborhood that have the forest-green trim.
Is there a stain that will achieve this look that will last longer than paint? Is there any reason I can't paint the trim? Any other suggestions on treating redwood trim?