Clear T&G Cedar Siding Home

The Craftsman Builder - Dennis Beachem, Pennsylvania. Dennis came to us because he had purchased an alleged "clear" cedar siding from another vendor and had to reject it due to poor quality.

Dennis is the go to builder when I have a customer with a problem. If you listen to him talk you get a step by step how to do it right guide. From the way they measured the seams to the way they tapped the nails in by hand to bring the siding up tight everything was done with care for the congruity of the overall design. No details were missed.

Western Red Cedar Sided Home - CLEAR GRADE

CLEAR TONGUE & GROOVE CEDAR SIDING VERTICAL INSTALL IN PA

The Look - The first thing that strikes me about Dennis' work is there are no seams.

He takes the shade of the cedar wood into consideration when installing each board to create a flow. There are no stark contrasts, the colors of the clear cedar siding blend together gently. He doesn't use any trim on the windows, doors or corners. This is done to emphasize the uniformity of the architecture and cedar wood colors.

This is high quality craftsmanship at its finest.

This house creates a certain feeling when you look at it. It appeals to certain tastes and emotions. The design of the house and the way the siding was installed go together (dare I say it) seamlessly to create this very distinguished design.

Take a good look- this is one of the most immaculate demonstrations of craftsmanship I have ever seen. 

The whole thing comes together to create the pinnacle of the high end wood genre.

Builders Prep

All siding end cuts were at a 45% angle and the downward slope was put to the outside to prevent water from getting behind the boards at the vertical seams. It can't travel uphill. The cuts were made and the boards sealed 18 inches down the back side at every seam to protect the joints.

They used a roller to apply the Clear seal and then went back and brushed it smooth. They did about 3 or 4 boards at a time. The smooth side of the wood accepted the seal extremely well. It only took 6 gallons to cover 3200 sq ft. Our builder estimates it would probably take more than twice that amount to cover a rough side application. The oil based clear was milky when applied but then it "dries in and sucks up" as Dennis said.

Cedar will naturally darken for 14 to 18 days. If left untreated it will begin to turn grey if treated it will hold the darker hue. This wood was allowed to darken for several days and then was treated with Clear. A good test to see how much your cedar will darken is to put a few sticks out in the sun and cover part of them up so you can see the change occur. Some sticks will be darker than others naturally.

The wood was then selected by its shade and grouped together so it could be blended when installed.

Installation Tips

Marine grade stainless steel (guaranteed not to rust)- Split-less Maze nails were used. Everything was hand nailed to draw the seams together. "That last little tap puts it in place".

They used a plumb bulb to measure the seams and we were "butt plumb" all the way down. That's builder speak for having perfect seams, perfectly straight. The result speaks for itself. They basically installed "hardwood flooring" on the outside of this house.

This is the high end look many clear cedar lovers are looking for.

The Cost

Wood cost - Estimated @ $8+ per square foot.

Installation cost - Talk to Dennis Beachem, 724-333-4641, Ellwood City, PA. He specializes in high end wood working and custom construction. Dennis is our "go to" builder for tough questions and customer problems. I called him last month with a homeowner who had installed his siding with too much space between end cuts. He said to use a product originally designed for hardy plank cement siding. It is a flexible calking that creates a seamless bridge between end cuts. Once the solid stain is applied over the top you can't tell. The customer tried it and it got them out of a very tough situation.

Chris Buffalo
Custom Craftsman Series
Buffalo Lumber Company Inc.