I’ve seen many discussion in Breaktime about removing paint from various types of siding. I am looking specifically for a tool or method of removing old stain (CWF or something similar) from cedar clapboard siding so that I can restore the natural color. The paint removal tools (Porter Cable paint shaver, and the Paint Shaver Pro) look interesting but I fear that these tools may be too destructive, and the metal bits left behind may bleed. Are there chemical strippers available that will do the trick? Does anyone have any experience in this regard?
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I would try washing with TSP and chlorox. Apply with a garden sprayer and wash off with a pressure washer. It may take a couple tries. Dark stains are difficult but the recent formulations of CWF come off pretty easy.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
There are deck strippers.
And there are deck brightners. They remove the sun damaged gray wood and leave a bright fresh cedar wood. But it is not thinner and shows the grain more.
Both of those are a spray on, go over it with a brush, and wash off products.
cindr.. by the time you get to a "natural finish" you will have removed so much of the wood fiber there will not be much left of the clapboards
i see this mistake made all the time by people trying to reverse a decision
personally.. i don't think much of "natural " finishes.. too little protection for too short a time
I did that for a homeowner once--used deck stripper or some such that was basically drain cleaner (sodium hydroxide or some such) and what a royal PITA! The stuff said it was harmless to the environment, but it wasn't harmless to me. If you go that route, wear long sleaved shirt or jacket, preferably with hood, goggles or preferably a face shield, and gloves. Wash off any that gets on your skin immediately or it will burn right through. Then you have to rinse the stuff off and then put on a waterproofing or similar. And to me, it didn't look that much better after all this work. Earned my $6/hr on that job!
Forget about a "natural" finish. The only "natural" finish is weathered grey.