Applying Home Shield Coating® to Cedar Siding House
In this video blog our customer Nikki describes her experience working with Home Shield Coating®. You will see our crew diligently applying Home Shield Coating® to her cedar-sided house in Kenosha, Wisconsin. We follow an eleven-step application process to ensure that Home Shield Coating® will last for decades. Preparation is crucial when coating cedar-sided houses.
Home Shield Coating® Can Provide Carpentry Repairs
On average, it takes us 5 to 6 days to apply our commercial-grade permanent coating to a cedar-sided house, due to the detailed steps involved. This particular house took eight days as over 400 feet of cedar siding needed replacement.
Rotting Cedar Siding is a Red Flag
When we encounter more than the usual amount (10 to 20 feet) of rotting cedar siding, we investigate the cause, which is invariably water seepage behind the siding. This damage can occur for several reasons. In this case, the rot was due to missing and improperly pitched gutters.
Gutters Prevent Wood Rot and Protect Cedar Siding
Gutters are essential for protecting cedar siding and the foundation. This property had missing gutters on the second floor, and some of the existing gutters were pitched incorrectly, causing wood rot. Properly sized gutters, like 6” gutters with 3×4 downspouts, are recommended to prevent wood rot and water seepage.
Best Exterior Painters Near Kenosha, Wisconsin
The first step in our application process is power washing the cedar siding. We pre-soak the siding with a special cleaning solution to kill mold, mildew, and lift dirt, grease, and grime. After washing, we use a moisture meter to ensure the cedar is ready for our Home Shield Coating® application.
Home Shield Coating® Bonding Agent (Pink Primer)
Once the cedar siding has been washed, rotting sections replaced, and caulking cured, we mask off windows and areas not being coated. We then apply our Bonding Agent (Pink Primer) to all surfaces to be coated and let it dry overnight.
Home Shield Coating® Topcoat Available In Any Color!
The following morning, we start applying the HomeShield topcoat, beginning from the top. We coat soffits, fascia, and gutters first, then move on to window trims. After covering the freshly sprayed trim to protect it from overspray, we spray the main body color. Home Shield Coating® is an ideal solution for coating and protecting cedar siding for decades. With its 30-year transferable warranty and 10-year labor guarantee, Home Shield Coating® is a smart, cost-effective choice for long-term maintenance of your home’s cedar siding.
Repainting Cedar Siding in Wisconsin: What to Expect
Wisconsin cedar siding \u2014 whether it’s bevel siding, cedar clapboard, cedar shakes, or cedar shingles \u2014 faces some of the harshest exterior conditions in the country. Sub-zero winters, 40+ freeze-thaw cycles every year, lake-effect humidity from Lake Michigan, and brutal summer UV combine to break down even the best paint for cedar siding in 3\u20135 years. Most Wisconsin cedar homes need a major repainting or restaining project every 4\u20136 years \u2014 unless the owner steps off the paint cycle entirely.
Home Shield Coating\u00AE has been refinishing cedar siding across Wisconsin since 1993 \u2014 from Kenosha and Racine north through Milwaukee, Waukesha, Madison, Green Bay, Appleton, and the Fox Cities. We see the same Wisconsin-specific failure patterns on cedar every season: peeling along the bottom of every board after freeze-thaw cycles, black mildew streaks under eaves from lake humidity, and chalking on south- and west-facing walls.
How Much Does Cedar Siding Repainting Cost in Wisconsin?
Professional cedar-siding repainting in Wisconsin typically runs $3.25 to $6.00 per square foot, or roughly $5,850\u2013$10,800 for a 1,800 sq ft single-story home with proper prep, tannin-blocking primer, and two finish coats. Heavily weathered cedar siding or homes with prior peeling that needs full scraping can run 25\u201340% higher. Restaining cedar siding usually costs slightly less than repainting, but the stain wears out faster and the cycle repeats sooner.
| Service | Wisconsin Cost (1,800 sq ft) | Typical Lifespan | 30-Year Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional cedar repaint | $5,850\u2013$10,800 | 4\u20136 years | $29,250\u2013$64,800 (5 cycles) |
| Restaining cedar siding | $4,200\u2013$7,800 | 3\u20135 years | $25,200\u2013$54,600 (6 cycles) |
| Cedar board replacement + repaint | $8,500\u2013$15,000 | 4\u20136 years | $42,500\u2013$90,000 (5 cycles) |
| Home Shield Coating\u00AE permanent ceramic refinish | $14,400\u2013$25,200 | Up to 30 years (transferable warranty) | $14,400\u2013$25,200 \u2014 one and done |
Why Cedar Siding Fails Fast in Wisconsin
Cedar is beautiful, dimensionally stable, and naturally rot-resistant \u2014 but Wisconsin’s climate punishes the paint film, not the wood. Whether your home has painted cedar siding, stained cedar siding, cedar shakes, or cedar shingles, three forces work against every cedar wall in the state:
- Freeze-thaw rupture. Wisconsin sees 40+ freeze-thaw cycles per year on average. Moisture absorbed during fall and winter freezes inside cedar, expands, and ruptures the paint film from underneath. By spring, every south- and east-facing wall shows hairline cracks and lifting at the bottom of each board.
- Lake-effect humidity. Communities along Lake Michigan from Kenosha through Green Bay see sustained 70%+ humidity from late spring through early fall. Moisture stays trapped between paint and wood, which feeds mildew, accelerates tannin bleed, and breaks paint adhesion at the substrate.
- UV degradation. Wisconsin summer UV is more intense than most homeowners realize \u2014 standard acrylic paint chalks and fades within three years on south- and west-facing cedar walls.
How We Refinish Cedar Siding in Wisconsin
Our Wisconsin process is designed around freeze-thaw rupture and lake-effect humidity \u2014 the two failure modes that defeat standard paint jobs in this market. Every project follows the same six-step sequence:
- Free in-home inspection. A trained Home Shield Coating\u00AE technician inspects every elevation, photographs every wall, identifies failing paint, tannin bleed, mildew, and rotted boards before we quote.
- Carpentry repairs. Soft or rotted cedar boards are replaced and any structural concerns are addressed before coating work begins \u2014 a coating bonds to sound wood, not to rotted substrate.
- Pressure wash and tannin prep. We pressure wash cedar at the right PSI (too high lifts the grain), neutralize tannins, and let the wood dry to the right moisture content before priming.
- Tannin-blocking primer. A stain-blocking primer is applied to every elevation to prevent tannin bleed from telegraphing through the finish.
- Permanent ceramic coating. Our ceramic-loaded coating system is applied at 12\u201320 mils dry film thickness \u2014 three to four times thicker than house paint \u2014 to bridge new hairline cracks, flex through Wisconsin freeze-thaw, and reflect UV instead of absorbing it.
- 30-year transferable warranty against peeling, chalking, fading, and substrate failure on coated areas.
How Long Does Cedar Siding Paint Last in Wisconsin?
Even with the best exterior paint for cedar siding and proper prep, expect 4\u20136 years on north- and east-facing Wisconsin cedar walls, and as little as 3\u20135 years on south- and west-facing walls that get full UV. Cedar siding stain typically fades within 3\u20135 years and requires restaining the entire exterior. Painted cedar shakes and cedar shingles fail even faster \u2014 often inside three winters \u2014 because every shake edge is a moisture entry point. Either way, Wisconsin homeowners are looking at a major exterior project every 4\u20136 years for the life of the home.
A Home Shield Coating\u00AE permanent refinish is engineered to last up to 30 years on cedar in the Wisconsin climate, backed by a written warranty that transfers to the next homeowner. The math typically tips in our favor by year 10\u201312, after the homeowner would have already paid for their second professional repaint.
Get a Free Wisconsin Cedar Siding Quote
If your Wisconsin cedar siding, cedar shakes, or cedar shingles are peeling, fading, mildewing, weathered, or just due for another repaint or restain cycle, schedule a free in-home evaluation. We service Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee, Waukesha, Brookfield, Mequon, Cedarburg, Oconomowoc, Madison, Janesville, Beloit, Lake Geneva, Sheboygan, Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh, and the surrounding Wisconsin communities \u2014 including Northern Illinois.
Call 800-330-9651 or learn more about our permanent exterior wall coating system and how it compares to traditional exterior paint.