Cedar Shake Siding Progress (+ Would You Paint It?)

THE POPLAR COTTAGE

Here it is July already and, you guessed it, we’re still working on the Poplar Cottage siding 😜 We’ve made good progress since we last shared an update here on the blog so today we’re sharing fresh photos and asking the question that’s been plaguing us…should we paint it?! Let’s get into it…

windows + doors

Cedar shake is incredibly labor-intensive and time-consuming to install but totally worth it IMO because it’s so dang pretty and full of character ! We’re using Alaskan Yellow Cedar in a medium grade, meaning there’s knots and inconsistencies and roughness to the wood. We bought this grade planning to paint it. But the wood is so pretty, we can’t decide if we should paint it and leave it completely raw. (We will seal the front gable’s shake roof for added protection either way.)

The siding is about 60%-70% done at this point. We’re at a good spot to pause on it, mainly because it’s been far too hot to work outside during this heatwave and we’re eager to tackle the upstairs of the house too (the bathroom is next!). We’ll be bouncing back and forth between between the exterior and interior of the house for the rest of the summer, so the siding will still drag on for a bit.

Okay back to our dilemma… While we don’t technically need to decide if we’ll paint the house yet, I’m one of those people who likes to chew on design decisions and visualize them for awhile before committing. Right now I’m set on either leaving the wood raw or painting it. Yes stain is an option, but it’s a continual process and gradually gets darker over time - not an option I’m that excited about.

If we leave the siding raw, it should age to a pretty gray color (shown below). We think it would be reminiscent of beach houses in Cannon Beach, OR and the NE coast. Of course our landlocked climate is more severe than those on the coast, so the wood might age a little differently, but you get the general idea.

While we LOVE this aged-wood look, I’m worried it’s a little too beachey for our inland PNW town. Around here shake-sided old homes are painted. Actually, we can take inspiration from the Poplar Cottage pre-renovation, which feels very typical of our area.