Western Red Cedar "siding Lights"

by ROlf D. GTERUM Wesi Coost lumbermen's Associotion

EW THINGS are brewing in the West Coast lumber I\ industry regarding house siding, that area in which wood's advantages are actually seen, as well as realized in terms of comfort, security and economy.

\Mestern red cedar manufacturers and their associations, in cooperation l,r'ith paint and stain manufacturers, have produced new methods and finishing techniques to the point where the consumer has scores of routes to follow in achieving desired effects.

Western red cedar siding can be painted, stained, bleached or left completely in its natural state. New blister-resistant paints have been formulated that stubbornly combat moisture from within and without the house.

Stains act much like these new "breathing" paints, allowing moisture to pass through the siding to the outside of the house. IVloisture within a house is virtually impossible to eliminate. making venting an extremely important item of construction. Warm interior air carries this water vaDor toward the cool side of the wall, where it will try to pbss through to the outside. Non-wood siding does not allow this, causing the vapor to condense into liquid when it hits the cold metal, and run down the backslde of the wall, causing decay and moisture damage. A stain also brings out the natural texture and grain of Western red cedar siding.

This element of naturalness found in red cedar siding is one of its major selling points. Artists and designers tell us that nature is the ultimate artist because of the nonrepetitive aspects of her designs, and Western red cedar has these aspects in spades. If and when a stain finish eventually wears away (an exceptionally slow process), there are no problems involved in restaining. Indeed, if stain is applied over "rough-sawn" Western red cedar siding, it will last up to twice as long as on smooth siding, due to the "tooth" of the rough texture, which actually grabs the stain and keeps it in place.

Physically, Western red cedar is a lifetime material, and, when left completely exposed to the weather, its color will eventually turn into a pleasing and intriguing gray. This process,, however, takes up to 15 years. Realizing the popularity of this "natural gray" color, researchers have found a method to achieve this effect in a fraction of that time, through the use of bleaches. Soon after the application of bleach, the gray color appears, and a second -bleach in about six months will clinch the job for good.

Completely beyond the area of appearance we come to another sales clincher-insulation qualities. The average consumer thinks of insulation as keeping the cold out, but any air-conditioning specialist will tell him it works the other way around, too-the summertime necessity of keeping the heat out and the cool air in. A few short facts:

(1) One inch of Western red cedar equals six inches of brick or 15 inches of concrete or sandstone in insulation value.

(2) There is four and a half times as much heat loss through a typical brick wall as through an insulated Western red cedar wall, and 23/o more heat loss through a brick wall than through an uninsulated red cedar wall.

(3) The rate of heat transmission for steel is about 400 times that for Western red cedar: for aluminum. about 1,800 times that of red cedar.

Another breakthrough in the fields of builders' savings and maximum flexibility is the method of manufacture by which Western red cedar patterns are run with a rough texture on one side and a smooth texture on the other. This double-sided feature is available on all Western red cedar Siding and Paneling patterns-bevel siding, rebatted siding, tongue and groove pattern, channel pattern and shiplap -and costs nothing extra. This flexibility gives the builder a minimum of left-over material. For instance, he can install his siding, and gable ends, turn the remaining pieces over and put in his interior paneling, use his short pieces for soffits, and finish up with a fence or garden house.