Removing Paint from Cedar Shingle Siding

[Purdygal]

I have paint failure on cedar shingle siding with a southern exposure.  I'm having trouble removing it.  Standard stripping tools seem to be made for flat surfaces.  Any suggestions?  

[rmichael]

Hi Purdygal,

Do you know what type of paint (or stain) is on the cedar shakes? Have you pressure washed the siding?

rmichael

[Purdygal]

It's a semi-gloss latex enamel.  I haven't pressure washed it but have used a hose with a nozzle attachment on full force.  Some paint did strip right off in ribbons.  

[rmichael]

Purdygal,
Since the paint began to strip with a water hose, the best option might be to power wash the siding where it is failing.
Most paint stores rent power washers, about a 2500-3000 psi should do the trick.
After the siding is dry.. prime any raw cedar with an exterior oil (alkyd) primer followed by your latex finish.
This could be a continuing problem if the cedar is unprimed. Raw cedar does not hold paint well.

Hope this Helps
rmichael   pro painter

[Purdygal]

Thanks!   I'll try that.  At the rate I'm going now, an iceberg makes more progress.  I also read the posts about pressure washing and they were very helpful.  

[rmichael]

But hey, an iceberg took out the Titanic  

Good luck with the project,
rmichael   pro painter

[the PAINTSMITH]

I recently finished a large job that involved previously oil stained cedar shake siding where the tannins had bled so badly that the original color could not be determined...The homeowner wanted to save a few bucks, so she powerwashed the house herself, assumably to my specifications--Unfortunately she wasn't very thorough, and after a coat of alkyd stain-blocking primer (an SW product) and two coats of SW Woodscapes, which I am usually pleased with, the areas she missed with the powerwasher could easily be found after only a few days...

My point is that acids and tannins in cedar and other wood products can be very tenacious if not diligently washed off. Try to be as thorough as possible, focusing on southern exposures and anywhere moisture is prevalent (near hose bibs and landscaping that gets watered often, also areas of the house where no gutters are present to prevent rainwater splashing against the house)...

Luck to you.

[Purdygal]

As luck would have it, while I was waiting for the first reply,
I hand-scrubbed a good wall with a TSP/bleach solution (1 part bleach, 3 parts water, 1/2 part TSP), going over each section repeatedly.  After rinsing and sanding, I  spot primed with an acrylic latex ( I will buy the alkyd for the remaining exposed cedar).  So far, so good.  It's been several days now.  I'll keep checking, though.  Thanks.

Meanwhile, if you're a big ship passing through Portland, watch out  

[dbvanwie]

We have a similar issue, but we're not as interested in removing color, but we want to remove old layers of paint that were not properly scraped before the last paint job.  We want to get to the natural texture of the shingle.

What is the best way to do this?
Thanks