Can anybody give me advise on painting cedar shake siding? The shakes are rough and were last painted about 10 years ago so I don’t think there’s much chance of lead. I was planing on taking a pressure washer after them to blast off the old paint. I’m concerned about sealing them so they don’t suck up the paint like a sponge. Any advise?
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You don't need to powerwash, in fact, it's probably a bad idea (too much chance of water infiltration). Use a long-handled scrub brush, mild detergent (or TSP) and a hose.
Depending of the amount of peeling, a wire brush would probably work better than power-washing.
A linseed oil based primer is the right choice for cedar. Then top coat (2 coats are best) with a good quality 100% acrylic paint.
I'd be firmly in the middle on this one. You don't want a super-powerful power washer, but maybe a "poor man's power washer" (high velocity spray nozzle on a garden hose), along with a good detergent and a moderate scrubbing with a stiff bristle brush. (Probably worth it to buy the stuff at the paint store vs using laundry soap, et al.) Be sure to rinse well.
If you'll be using a oil-based product you need 2-3 days of good drying weather after washing. If directly coating with latex just a couple of hours (having the surface slightly damp actually helps).
I appreciate your help on this. I would do just about anything to get around having to hand work each shake. I think I'm going to try a couple garden nozzels to see how much paint they take off. I have one of those rocket nozzels that developes lots of pressure but uses little water since it all goes through a 1/4 inch fixed opening. I'll try them out on a test sight and see what happens.
You can safely pressure wash, just don't get the tip any closer than about a foot or so or you'll affect the texture
of the shingles. Also, turn the tip so the water fans across the sningles, not up and down. If your wall leaks you have bigger
problems than paint will fix but I'll bet it won't. Let it dry a week or so and start priming, you can spray that on too. Just don't use the pressure washer!