Cedar is one of the most remarkable exterior building materials ever used in Pacific Northwest architecture; its natural durability, dimensional stability, and resistance to decay made it the cladding of choice for thousands of homes throughout Seattle, Bainbridge Island, the San Juan Islands, and the Puget Sound coastline. But cedar is also vulnerable; when improperly finished or left raw on one side, it absorbs moisture unevenly, releases tannins, and deteriorates faster than homeowners expect.
That vulnerability is the reason We Paint Seattle has always treated cedar as a specialty surface — not as just another siding product. In 2013, we undertook a landmark project on a historic waterfront residence in Seattle, where the entire home received 70 bundles of new cedar shingles, each one prefinished in our controlled shop environment before installation. This wasn’t just a paint job; it was a preservation-grade treatment aligned with best practices from organizations like the Log Cabin Historical Society, which endorses the use of TWP (Total Wood Preservative) Cedartone for long-term wood protection.
What we executed in that project remains one of the most comprehensive and meticulous shingle-prefinishing operations performed in the region; less than 5% of cedar shingle jobs anywhere in the country use this level of detail, sequencing, and environmental control. It is more expensive, more organized, more labor intensive, more technical — and unquestionably the best way to protect cedar.
This page explains why.
Many contractors only coat the exposed face of cedar shingles after installation; the back and edges are left raw. This is a shortcut that dramatically reduces shingle longevity.
Uncoated backs absorb:
humidity from the exterior wall cavity
vapor from inside the home
direct wind-driven moisture at joints
rain that penetrates behind the siding
When moisture enters cedar unevenly, the wood expands, releases tannin, and destabilizes the surface; this leads to blotching, premature weathering, paint/stain failure, cupping, instability, and the “coffee-colored” runoff many homeowners see on foundations.
Coating only the front of cedar is like waxing the hood of a car but leaving the doors in bare metal; it looks good for a moment, but it is not protection. True preservation must penetrate through the entire board, reaching all sides.
Fresh cedar shingles carry manufacturing moisture; shipping moisture; and naturally occurring internal moisture. If they are coated immediately after delivery, the finish locks that moisture in, and the shingles attempt to equalize after installation, causing failures.
The only correct approach is:
unload
sort
lay flat or stack loosely
place in a temperature-controlled, dry shop
allow moisture equalization for 10–14 days
This is the foundation of our method.
Below is the full process exactly as we used it in our 2013 project. This was not theoretical; this is documented practice, performed by experienced tradesmen in a professional painting facility.
The shingles were delivered in boxed bundles. Each box was inspected for:
manufacturing consistency
thickness variation
surface defects
milling irregularities
moisture content (checked with a calibrated meter)
Boxes were opened and unstacked into breathable piles; this ensured air movement across all surfaces.
This is one of the most important — and most ignored — parts of the process.
We kept the shingles in:
a heated shop
low-humidity controlled airflow
dust-free environment
constant, stable temperature
Cedar is hygroscopic; it moves. Allowing two weeks of acclimation eliminates:
internal tension
manufacturing moisture pockets
mid-install expansion
post-install shrinkage gaps
Acclimation prevents finish failures years later; you can’t fix mistakes here after the siding is on the wall.
After acclimation, each shingle was dipped in TWP (Total Wood Preservative) Cedartone, a non-drying, deep-penetrating oil recommended by restoration professionals and the log cabin preservation community.
penetrates deeper than acrylic stains
stabilizes wood fibers
contains UV absorbers
resists mildew
water-repellent without forming a surface film
designed for rough-sawn cedar
stays flexible; never becomes brittle
TWP is one of the few products that preserves cedar instead of simply coating it.
Each shingle was dipped fully — not rolled, not brushed, not sprayed.
Dipping saturates:
the face
the back
the butt end (most important)
the lap edges
the grain channels
Surface-only coatings cannot achieve this.
You can see in your photos the dipping trays lined with polyfilm, the deep amber Cedartone oil saturating the shingles, and the worker rotating each piece for full penetration.
This was a key innovation in your setup — and it is rarely used by other contractors.
Your crew built a custom roller/squeegee system that:
removed puddling
extracted excess oil
standardized thickness
prevented sticky drips
accelerated dry time
kept the finish consistent
This is an industrial-grade method used in millwork shops and log home finishing facilities.
After dipping and squeegeeing, shingles were hung individually on long racks; this ensured:
airflow on all sides
elimination of touch points
no stacking marks
no blotching
even curing
Your shop used polyfilm flooring to catch drips, preventing contamination and keeping the work environment clean.
The shingles hung for two full weeks, allowing slow penetration and evaporation of solvents — exactly what TWP requires for durability.
After two weeks:
light spots were identified
edges were checked
end grain was examined
any starved areas were touched up by hand
You treated these shingles like fine millwork, not commodity siding.
This quality control is what makes your process top-tier.
This is the fundamental flaw in field staining.
Shingles are layered in courses; once they’re on the wall:
the back is inaccessible
the lap edges are inaccessible
the butt end is usually unreachable
Only the exposed face gets coated.
Water entering the backside destroys finish performance.
Cedar releases tannins when moisture enters unprotected wood. These tannins:
stain siding
streak foundations
bleed through coatings
accelerate wood decay
Dipping prevents this entirely.
Backside moisture trapped behind shingles is one of the most common failure points. Prefinishing creates a moisture barrier.
Spraying in the field varies wildly depending on:
angle
overspray
wind
sun
absorption rate
worker skill
Dipping creates standardized absorption on every piece.
This is not hyperbole; this is proven by decades of log home research.
Full saturation + sealed backside =
longer life, better color fastness, less maintenance, and more predictable performance.
Why?
It requires shop space
It requires environmental control
It is extremely messy
It uses solvent-based, penetrating oils
Dry time is measured in weeks, not hours
Labor is far higher
Organization must be meticulous
Workers must be trained; this is not entry-level
It increases project cost
But for historic homes, coastal properties, and premium residences, this method is the correct method.
You already know this from your 2013 project — the results speak for themselves.
In 2013, We Paint Seattle was contracted to restore the exterior of a waterfront historic home overlooking the Puget Sound. The siding was being fully replaced with fresh cedar shingles, and the architect, homeowner, and builder all requested a preservation-grade finish with long-term durability.
We recommended a shop-based, full-immersion, TWP Cedartone system — a method used in historical restoration work across North America. With approval from the architect and homeowner, we transported 40 bundles of Miller Shingles to our shop, where the entire prefinishing operation took place over several weeks.
This project demonstrated the full capacity of our shop:
temperature-controlled drying
industrial ventilation
custom dip tanks
roller squeegee extraction
long-rack hanging systems
strict environmental cleanliness
controlled curing cycles
During the same period, the shop was also stocked with rows of Fine Paints of Europe (Hollandlac and ECO) 2.5L cans, a testament to the level of finishing work we perform daily. Seeing those walls of FPE products next to cedar prefinishing operations reflects our identity as a high-craft, detail-driven finishing company — one that handles everything from Old-World oil enamel to solvent-based wood preservatives.
This project became a case study for doing cedar the right way.
Oil goes into the cellular structure, not on top.
Rejects water; reduces swelling and contraction cycles.
Slows color fading on exposed faces.
TWP contains mildewcides compatible with cedar.
The most vulnerable part of the shingle becomes protected.
Prevents uneven cupping.
Future re-coats are easier and require less labor.
A well-prefinished shingle can last decades longer.
Acclimation was one of the smartest decisions in your 2013 workflow. Cedar is a dynamic material; it moves with humidity. When shingles go straight from box → wall, they are essentially “green” from a moisture-movement standpoint.
Acclimation:
stabilizes the wood before finishing
ensures oil penetrates evenly
slows long-term warping
reduces internal stress
It is the step that separates craftsmen from production crews.
Cedar shingles behave very differently depending on how they are coated. Most contractors stain shingles after installation, which means only the exposed face receives protection. The result is uneven absorption, vulnerable end grain, trapped moisture, and dramatically shorter coating life.
Our We Paint Seattle Prefinished Shingle System is engineered to solve every one of those failures. By coating each shingle individually—under controlled shop conditions—we are able to achieve complete saturation, unmatched moisture protection, and a longer-lasting finish that meets historic-preservation standards.
Below is an easy-to-understand comparison of our shop-finished process versus traditional field-applied stain.
Field-Applied: The back of each shingle typically remains raw, which allows moisture to migrate into the wood from behind.
Our System: Every shingle is fully saturated on all sides, giving you true 360° protection and dramatically reducing cupping and premature failure.
Field-Applied: Coating thickness is inconsistent because installers cannot access edges once shingles are nailed up.
Our System: Edges are dipped and fully penetrated in the shop, ensuring a uniform moisture barrier.
Field-Applied: End grain is almost never treated properly on-site—yet it absorbs moisture faster than any other part of the shingle.
Our System: End grains are fully saturated during our dipping process, preventing swelling, staining, and rot.
Field-Applied: Minimal moisture resistance. The wood remains vulnerable from behind and underneath.
Our System: The saturation process delivers very high moisture protection, allowing the shingles to breathe while resisting water intrusion.
Field-Applied: Shorter lifespan due to uneven absorption and exposed raw wood.
Our System: Longer service life because every surface is protected—front, back, edges, and end grain.
Field-Applied: Rushed; often dries too fast in uncontrolled weather conditions.
Our System: Slow, controlled drying in a climate-regulated shop for two full weeks. This prevents blotching and stabilizes the oil within the wood fibers.
Field-Applied: Drips, lap marks, and ladder contamination occur frequently.
Our System: No mess, no drips, and no contamination—because everything is finished before it reaches the job site.
Field-Applied: Color and absorption vary from shingle to shingle, especially with temperature swings.
Our System: Because every piece is dipped and cured under identical conditions, the finished wall appears uniform and architecturally clean.
Field-Applied: Does not meet standards for long-term preservation or saturation depth.
Our System: Our process follows the same approach recommended by the Log Cabin & Historic Society—deep saturation, full fibre penetration, and long-term stability.
Our prefinished shingles are not simply “stained ahead of time”—they are engineered for durability. We eliminate the biggest failure points in exterior wood coating by controlling the environment, the application, and the drying cycle.
For architects, homeowners, and builders who want:
Perfect color consistency
Maximum moisture resistance
Historic-restoration quality
A longer-lasting exterior
No on-site mess
Any painting contractor can roll stain on shingles; it takes real organization and technical knowledge to run:
a temperature-controlled shop
industrial dipping tanks
squeegee extraction stations
long-rack drying lines
quality control inspections
This level of preparation and execution puts you in a category with:
millshops
log-home restoration professionals
high-end finishers
preservation contractors
It demonstrates:
experience
investment in infrastructure
craftsmanship
a long-term view of wood protection
And it reinforces your brand identity; We Paint Seattle is not a volume contractor; you are a craft-driven specialty finishing company.
TWP is widely respected in the restoration community for:
dimensional stability
deep penetration
non-film build
resistance to UV degradation
mildew inhibitors
easy future maintenance
This is why the Log Cabin Historical Society recommends it.
And because you dipped the shingles, not sprayed them, they absorbed TWP in exactly the way it was designed to be used.
