Hi, we had cedar siding applied to our exterior about 4 years ago. We used sikkens sdr translucent stain. I believe it is touted as a 1-layer application. Our siding gets southern and western sun exposure and we recently had a large pine tree taken down (beetle infestation) so it has more recently been getting a lot more.

Do I need to really strip this siding from the existing aged sdr? Or can I apply a new coat on top of it? Back when we had it installed the guys did 2 coats by mistake and what was supposed to be a matte finish, actually ended up shiny in spots... I got them to strip it (or maybe they just used cleaner on it) and start it over. If I have to go with a different product I would if it end up being an easier process, with the same protection. Should I at least clean with water, tsp, exterior bleach? If I need to strip, any recommend product? The behr one seems poor, is there something I can use, possibly less chemicals? Will stripping wood also mess up connected painted stucco or anondized aluminum framed Windows?

I'm trying to save my wood from uv and water damage, so advice would be appreciated.

 

Welcome to the forums!

Using a bleach/water solution [never stronger than 50%] and TSP is a good way to clean the siding/deck. Be sure to rinse well. The same goes for the windows and stucco. No way to keep the cleaner or dirt off of them but rinsing well should bring the grime all the way to the ground. Generally if you find out later that an area didn't get rinsed well you can re apply the cleaning agent [maybe scrub] and get that area clean. You might have to do the whole side/section to keep it uniform.

Sikkens has a great reputation although I don't think I've ever used it. Generally you'll find your best coatings at your local paint store - not a paint dept. Some stains have a specific recoat window while others can be recoated at any time. Those with the recoat restrictions need to have the stain removed prior to recoating IF the recoat window has passed. That is mainly when the stain is new, after it's become weathered you can recoat without removing the existing stain. The odds are after 4 yrs there won't be any recoat issues.