Reusing beveled cedar siding
GBA Editor
| Posted in Energy Efficiency and Durability on
I have a few thousand ft of reclaimed beveled cedar I am planning to put on my new home construction.
The issue is while spraying deck stain/sealer on the back to seal it before install and eventually paint…..I am finding some of the pieces have some dry rot and some have a little mold (on the front, back or both).The wood has been covered and stored outside for a couple of years.
Am I setting myself up for a mold filled disaster once its installed? Or will the sealer and paint kill the mold. I plan to wait to paint it until it has been on the house for at least a couple of months.
Thanks for any insite.
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Replies
Mold spores are everywhere. They cannot grow without moisture, warmth and food. A good coat of paint should take care of it.
But I would suggest not waiting a couple of months to paint the clapboards or you may have to wash them first and they'll simply take on moisture and then you watch the mold growing.
I would not use an oil-based sealer on the back, but the same latex paint (or, better yet, solid color stain) that I'd put on the front. Stain doesn't require scraping for refinishing and solid body latex stain has almost as much color as paint. I always put one coat of latex stain on both front and back, touch up every end after cutting to size, install, and then immediately apply a second coat which also covers the galvanized or stainless steel nails.
Thanks for the help. While I am working hard to make all my flashing details bomber water will, of course, find its way behind the paint at some point. Will the mold be biding its time for months or years waiting for that penetration and then multiply?
You didn't mention how the siding will be installed, which is an important detail. To allow the siding to breathe, and dry from both sides once it's on the house, it's good to have an airspace behind the siding. This can be done with vertical furring strips or with a product such as CedarBreather. If the siding is quality quartersawn material, it's probably worth treating the dry rot areas with a consolidant, filling nail holes with an exterior filler, and priming both sides prior to installation. I don't think the mold will come back if the siding is conditioned, primed and installed correctly.
Larry
We are not doing a rainscreen. I realize it is a good detail to include but my rational is that we dont have the long wet periods in southern oregon so drying shouldnt be as big a problem as in other areas. (it rarely rains all day, let alone for weeks on end.) Hope that doesnt bite me in the a##.)
The siding is all clear but only some of it is quartersawn.
I have scrapped the dry rot stuff and sealed the back with an oil deck sealer.
Thanks for you help.