Fancy butts
Gable shingles cut in diamond, octagonal or fish-scale patterns are brushed pattern by pattern, because a sprayer cannot get into the shapes without leaving heavy edges.
Cedar Shingle and Shake Siding Painting in Carlsbad
Carlsbad Expert Painting is a leading San Diego County specialist in shingle siding painting in Carlsbad, CA, specializing in western red cedar shingles, split cedar shakes and fancy-butt gable shingles. We offer semitransparent and solid-color staining for shingle walls.
- Free on-site estimate
- Written scope, coat by coat
- Colors you approve first
About our cedar shingle & shake siding painting
Our team provides stain-blocking primer under every painted course, delivering painting that holds its color over cedar's natural extractives for both residential and commercial projects. We sample the stain or paint on a few of your own shingles before any painting is ordered, and the same crew that washes the wall brushes it from a written scope.
From a gentle wash of a gray gable to the last brushed course on a shingled beach cottage wall, our team handles every detail. Serving Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach and Del Mar, we finish shingle walls without damaging them.
Why Carlsbad Expert Painting
How We Work
No salesperson hands you to a stranger. The person who measures the job answers for it.
Written scopePrep, primer and finish coats listed surface by surface
Colors firstSamples on your wall, and association submittals prepared for review
One crewThe crew that quotes the job is the crew that paints it
CA License #585047Licensed, insured and bonded
Shingles or shakes, and why the gaps stay open
Modern shingles are mostly cut, and shakes are split out of a bolt. Both are used to side buildings, and lower grades are the ones usually seen on walls. North American shingles are typically western red cedar or California redwood, and both weather from warm brown to silver gray. The gaps between shingles are not flaws. Flat-grain shingles and shakes shrink and swell almost twice as much as vertical-grain ones, so they are installed with room to move, about an eighth to a quarter inch between shingles and about three eighths of an inch between shakes. Paint or caulk that bridges those gaps will crack the first time the wood swells. We leave every gap open, and we paint the face of each course without filling the joint.
Nails
Cedar extractives stain fasteners that are not corrosion-resistant. Electro-galvanized nails can let moisture through the shingle and rust, and the rust bleeds through any crack in the paint on the nail head. Those nails are countersunk and treated before finishing.
Cleaning a shingle wall without soaking it
A gray shingle wall is not dirty, it is weathered. The loose gray surface is what a film finish will not hold to, so that layer has to come off before anything is put on. Mildew and algae are a separate matter: they feed on airborne contaminants and do not eat the wood, but they show as black or green blotches and have to be cleaned first.
- Diluted sodium hypochlorite or sodium percarbonate is used for mildew, diluted as much as works, because bleach can degrade wood.
- Ammonia is never mixed with bleach.
- Washing is done by a skilled operator, with the nozzle pointed down so water is not forced up and behind the courses.
- The wall is rinsed and left to dry fully before any finish goes on.
Carlsbad's cool foggy summers make that drying step matter, since a shingle wall on a shaded side can stay damp longer. We check the wall before the first coat is opened, and we do not stack coats on wood that still holds water.
Semitransparent stain, solid stain or paint
Three finishes suit a shingle wall, and each does a different job.
Semitransparent stain
It is porous and forms no surface film, so it cannot blister or peel. It shows the grain and the cedar tone. The catch is lap marks: where one course overlaps another, the stain shows a darker line if it is not applied carefully. So we brush a course at a time, wet edge to wet edge.
Solid-color stain
It gives more UV protection than a semitransparent stain and performs best on textured surfaces such as shingles. It needs a stain-blocking primer on extractive woods like cedar, and it should not be used on weathered surfaces, which is why the cleaning step comes first.
Paint
An acrylic latex topcoat over a stain-blocking primer gives the best protection against water and weathering. Paint will not adhere to a weathered surface, so the wall is cleaned and primed. It is the most work and the biggest change in appearance. Transparent film finishes such as urethane varnish, lacquer and shellac are not recommended outdoors, so they are not on the menu.
Stopping cedar bleed through a new color
Cedar carries water-soluble extractives. Under a light or white finish they can rise to the surface as tan or brown blotches, which is why a fresh coat of paint on cedar can look stained within a season.
The answer is a stain-blocking primer applied to the wall before any solid-color stain or paint, so the extractives are held back. For a new color, we run a test on a few of your shingles first. If the sample bleeds through, we go up a level on the primer before the color is ordered. That step costs time on the walk and saves you a repaint.
Shingled gables on stucco houses, and associations
Many Carlsbad homes have shingles only on gables or accent walls above stucco. Those walls are finished separately from the stucco, with their own scope line. For association boards and multi-building properties, we submit product data, paint a mockup on one gable for approval, and schedule by building. Send the building count or the reserve study and we will build the bid.
The process
How a shingle siding job runs
Walk and sample
We inspect each course, note loose, split and rusted-nail shingles, and brush test patches of the proposed stain or paint on your own wall.
Repair
Damaged shingles are replaced with matching cuts, and fasteners that stain are countersunk and treated.
Clean
Mildew is treated with a diluted cleaner, weathered gray is washed off with the nozzle pointed down, and the wall is rinsed.
Dry
The wall is left until the wood has dried out, with no coat applied over moisture.
Prime
Painted and solid-stained walls take a stain-blocking primer against cedar extractives.
Finish
Stain or paint is brushed a course at a time, gaps left open, and the wall is walked with you when it is done.
What shingle siding painting costs
Shingle siding painting in Carlsbad is typically estimated at roughly $1.50 to $4 per square foot of wall, which reflects a national cost guide for exterior painting of cedar siding. The drivers that move a job around inside that range:
- Wall area and height, and the scaffold or lift needed for gables.
- The cleaning: how much mildew and weathered gray has to come off.
- Stain type, solid-color stain or paint, and the number of coats.
- Stain-blocking primer, which paint and solid stain need on cedar.
- Fancy-butt patterns, which take longer to brush.
- Fastener treatment and replacement of damaged shingles.
- Protection for roofing, landscaping and windows.
These numbers are estimates and can change after the wall is tested. Once the wall has been walked, the written quote is what sets the final price.
Colors and Finishes
Questions
Cedar Shingle & Shake Siding Painting: Common Questions
Should my cedar shingles be stained or painted?
Semitransparent stain keeps the grain and cannot peel. Solid-color stain adds more UV protection, and paint gives the most protection and the biggest color change. We recommend one after seeing the wall.
Will you caulk the gaps between shingles?
No. The gaps let the wood move as it swells and shrinks, and a caulked joint would crack. We finish the face of each course and leave the joints open.
Can you pressure wash my shingle wall?
Carefully. Washing is done with the nozzle pointed down so water is not forced behind the siding, and the wall is left to dry before any finish.
How do you avoid lap marks and drips on a shingle wall?
By working in small sections that end on a natural break, brushing each course from wet edge to wet edge, and never leaving a half-coated course to dry overnight.
Why does cedar bleed through my paint?
Cedar carries water-soluble extractives that rise through a light finish. A stain-blocking primer under the color holds them back.
Can shingles be repaired before they are painted?
Yes. Split, missing or rusted-through shingles are replaced with matching cuts, so the finish goes onto a sound wall.
What are the lap marks I see on stained shingles?
Darker lines where one course overlaps the next. They come from applying semitransparent stain unevenly, and we brush a course at a time to avoid them.
Do you do roof shingles?
No. This page is about cedar shingles and shakes on walls, gables and accent areas.
How much does shingle siding painting cost in Carlsbad?
It is typically estimated at roughly $1.50 to $4 per square foot of wall, depending on cleaning, finish and primer. Your written quote sets the final price.
Free on-site estimate
Talk to us about cedar shingle & shake siding painting
Homeowners get a free on-site estimate. Boards, managers and contractors can send a scope for a bid.
Licensed, insured and bonded · License #585047. Calls only, we do not receive text messages.