painting cedar shakes too expensive to be worthwhile?

[cooking]

I'm buying a house to fix and flip which is sided with natural cedar shakes.  Here in NJ's damp-ish climate, shakes take on a kind of black, unappealing look after years of exposure to the weather.  Also, since this is a short sale, the house condition is not great and some of the shakes on the rear of the house are missing.

The idea, of course, is to save as much $ as possible on the rehab in order to increase profits.  My first thought was to get the shake siding painted in order to make it look cleaner and blend in the new shakes that will need to be replaced in the rear.  However, I've heard from a source who has been through this process on his own flips that it has ended up costing nearly the same $ to paint cedar shakes as re-siding the house.  I guess this is b/c of the texture in the cedar and the amount of effort (and hours of labor) needed to paint it.  So why paint when you could get it re-sided for almost the same $.  But either way, an expensive undertaking, and a cost I'd rather reduce if possible.

Does anybody out there have any experience with getting this type of siding painted?  Or does anyone have any clever ideas on how to make the house look presentable for resale without having it re-sided (or spending the same amt. just to get it painted)?

Thanks for any advice offered.

[KCM5]

Replace the missing ones and just paint the trim? I think a nice white trim with weathered shakes is gorgeous, but that depends on the condition of the house, of course. Is it that bad?

[cooking]

Have you ever seen weathered shakes where they don't turn a nice gray but instead an unattractive, moldy-looking black?  If you come from a drier region, I guess it's hard to imagine.  Here in NJ (except at the shore, where this house is not located), that's what happens.  So the house definitely needs some "brightening" or clean up to banish the gloomy look.  Also, the new shakes on the rear will stand out like sore thumbs.

[GizmoTX]

Get an estimate. You won't be able to sell without replacing the missing/damaged boards.

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/tips-for-restoring-blackened-cedar-shake-siding#b

[sisto]

I think it becomes very costly because you need tons of primer and or paint to keep the muck from bleeding through. What about pressure washing instead?

[Papa Mustache]

Dry ice blasting? They use that to remove paint from antique cars and mold from attics.

[Tabitha]

natural cedar shakes. . texture in the cedar and the amount of effort (and hours of labor) needed to paint it.
Does anybody out there have any experience with getting this type of siding painted? 

One of my summer jobs the year I was 15 was to stain the previously untreated cedar shakes on my parents house. I enjoyed it, though I did pause to wait until my dad got home to deal with the hornets nest I found under one shake. I remember the stain my mother chose had heavy pigments to cover up the uneven black staining, unlike the clearer golden stain she chose for the horizontal cedar siding on the addition. A knowledgeable paint store is important.
I vaguely recall it took me 4 weeks, but I'm sure I wasn't as efficient as I could have been. I was paid on a complete the job basis, so no one was watching my time management.  It led to a similar job painting the local community centre, so I must have done a decent job.

Any responsible teenagers in your extended life who are too young for fast food jobs?

[Nate R]

natural cedar shakes. . texture in the cedar and the amount of effort (and hours of labor) needed to paint it.
Does anybody out there have any experience with getting this type of siding painted? 

One of my summer jobs the year I was 15 was to stain the previously untreated cedar shakes on my parents house. I enjoyed it, though I did pause to wait until my dad got home to deal with the hornets nest I found under one shake. I remember the stain my mother chose had heavy pigments to cover up the uneven black staining, unlike the clearer golden stain she chose for the horizontal cedar siding on the addition. A knowledgeable paint store is important.
I vaguely recall it took me 4 weeks, but I'm sure I wasn't as efficient as I could have been. I was paid on a complete the job basis, so no one was watching my time management.  It led to a similar job painting the local community centre, so I must have done a decent job.

Any responsible teenagers in your extended life who are too young for fast food jobs?

I'll caution that many stains don't do as well as they used to with today's VOC laws.

[CATman]

I'd see if you can borrow a power washer as suggested earlier and see what that does for them. Giving them a good cleaning may be what they need to spruce them up without having to have them painted.

[Jadot88]

I work for a custom home builder in New England and run into this debate a good amount.

Like you said in more wooded areas / wetter climates any type of shakes or shingles will turn blackish over time which some people like.  But as I see it you have 3 options.

These three options are all dependent on what look you / potential homeowner likes better

1.) Reside - Shingles
-If you reside the shingles, I would recommend applying either pre-treated shingles that would be dipped in a resistant coating.  Or you can reside with your typical shingles you should add a 2 coats of a sikkens clear coat product.  This goes on like paint and adds a shield to prevent this blackish color from occurring.  The protection usually last 5-7 years before it needs to be reapplied.  I think this is the nicest option however it would be the most money.  But you need to figure out if more money spent here gains you more money in the overall sale. 

2.) Replace Shingles & Bleach Current Ones
-I think the most cost efficient item is replace or add to the missing shingles and than simply bleach all of the current shingles which will get rid of the blackish color you see and get all of the shingles looking the same. 

3.) Replace Missing / Damaged Shingles
-You could just replace the missing shingles and although they will stick out initially after about 6 months they will have blended in with the current ones on the house and some people like this rustic look.

4.) Replace / Paint
- You can also replace and paint but to be honest I would bleach everything before I painted.  Although the painted option would look fine initially, if your painting already weathered and blackened shingles, the paint may not adhere that well and I would not feel good about the job your leaving behind for some new homeowners.

If you do powerwash I would be very careful, if there already alot of damaged shingles this may end up doing a lot of damage to what is there so start with a low power and work you way up.



 for taht rustic look but as they need to be replaced you get a checkerboard look