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I am building a new home on the beach and I want to use cedar shingles and let them weather without a finish. I heard that the Western Red Cedar turns dark gray to black if left unfinished and the Eastern White Cedar turns light gray. Does anyone know if this is true. I would like to have a light gray finish.
Kurt
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Kurt, what you heard is correct as long as you're near the ocean. In New England we often use white cedar on the sidewalls, and red cedar on the roof. It takes a year or two for the shingles to reach full "grayness"; you can get pre-bleached or pre-stained shingles if you're in a hurry. "Extra clear" is the term for top-of-the-line white cedar shingles, which are cut fairly straight and square and have no knots. "B-clear" have some knots and sometimes a more ragged cut.
*I work on some that are right on the ocean - well back a hundred feet or so - and the water side will stay pretty much silver grey but on the same house the side away from the water wil sometimes turn much blacker. It is mildew that causes the black to deepen over the years. Predipped bleaching oil will help prevent some of this. UV rays and wind cuase the silvering.
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I am building a new home on the beach and I want to use cedar shingles and let them weather without a finish. I heard that the Western Red Cedar turns dark gray to black if left unfinished and the Eastern White Cedar turns light gray. Does anyone know if this is true. I would like to have a light gray finish.
Kurt