Wood

Siding and Trim/Stained/To Be Stained

a. Surface Preparation:

• remove all loose or poorly adhering stain, and weathered wood fibers by scraping, or by careful hand wire brushing using a stiff metal wire brush going with the grain of the wood; wear eye protection, work gloves and a dust mask
• cedar, all bits of steel wire must be removed or discoloration can result
• treat any mildew with a 3:1 water:household bleach mixture, leaving it on for 20 minutes and adding more as it dries; wear eye and skin protection; rinse thoroughly

b. Priming:

• generally, priming is not done with restaining
  
• do apply quality stain blocking exterior latex primer if mildew or stain bleed are persistent problems
  
• do not leave a primer unstained

c. Staining:

• use top-quality exterior 100% acrylic latex or oil-based solid color or semi-transparent stain
  
• latex types will resist mildew better in solid color and semi-transparent types, and resist flaking better in solid color
  
• oil-based will apply with less lapping and will stand up longer in semi- transparent formulas