Cedar Siding Installation & Repair
The Pacific Northwest’s signature siding material — natural beauty, proven durability, and timeless character for Portland homes.
Cedar Grades: Choosing the Right Quality
Cedar siding has defined Pacific Northwest architecture for over a century. Its warm tones, natural texture, and authentic wood character are impossible to fully replicate with manufactured materials, which is why cedar remains the premium siding choice for Portland’s craftsman bungalows, mid-century homes, and custom new construction. When properly installed and maintained, cedar siding protects and beautifies Portland homes for 40-60 years.
Next Level Decks & Exteriors specializes in cedar siding installation and repair throughout the Portland metro area. We work with all cedar profiles — lap (bevel), shingle, board-and-batten, tongue-and-groove, and channel — in clear, A-grade, and knotty grades to match your architectural style and budget.
60yr
Cedar Lifespan
100%
Natural Material
3
Cedar Grades Available
Cedar Grades: Choosing the Right Quality
Cedar siding is available in multiple grades that vary significantly in appearance, performance, and cost. Understanding the grades helps you make the right choice for your project:
Clear (CVG — Clear Vertical Grain): The premium grade. No knots, tight vertical grain, consistent color, and smooth surface. Clear cedar is the choice for high-end custom homes and historical restorations where a flawless appearance is essential. It is also the most dimensionally stable grade, meaning it resists warping and cupping better than knotty grades. Cost premium: approximately 50-80% more than knotty grades.
A-Grade (Select): Minor, tight knots and occasional color variation. An excellent balance of appearance and value for most residential applications. A-grade cedar looks beautiful stained or painted and is appropriate for the vast majority of Portland homes. This is our most-recommended grade.
Knotty (STK — Select Tight Knot): Visible knots of varying sizes, more color variation, and a rustic character. Knotty cedar has a casual, natural aesthetic that suits cottages, cabins, and informal architectural styles. It is the most affordable cedar grade and a good choice when the siding will be painted a solid color (knots are sealed first with stain-blocking primer).
Heartwood vs. Sapwood: Cedar heartwood (the darker interior wood) contains the natural oils that resist rot. Sapwood (the lighter outer wood) has minimal rot resistance. Premium cedar siding should be predominantly heartwood. Knotty grades often contain more sapwood, which is one reason they are less expensive — and less durable in Portland’s wet conditions unless well-maintained.
Maintaining Cedar Siding in Portland's Rain
Cedar’s natural rot resistance gives it a significant head start over other wood species, but it is not maintenance-free — especially in Portland’s wet climate. A consistent maintenance program is essential to reach cedar’s full 40-60 year lifespan.
Finishing Schedule: Cedar siding should be painted or stained within 60 days of installation. Leaving it unfinished allows UV damage and moisture absorption to begin immediately. Semi-transparent stain should be reapplied every 3-5 years. Solid stain or paint should be recoated every 5-7 years, or when you notice the finish thinning, chalking, or peeling.
Moss and Mildew Control: Portland’s damp, shaded conditions grow moss and mildew on cedar surfaces, particularly on north-facing walls and areas under eaves or tree canopy. Annual inspection and spot-cleaning with a mildew-killing solution (oxygen bleach, not chlorine bleach) prevents biological growth from degrading the wood surface. Trimming overhanging branches to allow more sunlight and airflow is one of the most effective preventive measures.
Caulk Inspection: Caulk joints around windows, doors, and trim should be inspected annually and recaulked as needed. Polyurethane caulk (like Sashco Big Stretch) outperforms standard latex caulk in Portland’s climate because it maintains flexibility through our wide temperature and moisture range.
Ground Clearance: Cedar siding should maintain a minimum 6-inch clearance above grade (ground level). Soil, mulch, or landscaping piled against cedar siding causes accelerated rot at the bottom courses — a problem we see frequently on Portland homes where gardens and raised beds have been built against the house over the years.
Cedar vs. Fiber Cement: A Portland Cost Comparison
The most common siding decision in Portland is cedar versus Hardie fiber cement. Here is an honest comparison:
Installed Cost: Cedar: $10-$18/sq ft. Hardie: $8-$14/sq ft. Cedar costs 15-40% more to install, largely because the material is more expensive and installation is more labor-intensive (cedar requires more careful handling to avoid splitting).
Maintenance Cost Over 30 Years: Cedar needs repainting/restaining every 5-7 years at approximately $3-$5/sq ft per cycle. Over 30 years, that is 4-6 maintenance cycles totaling $12,000-$30,000 for a typical Portland home. Hardie with ColorPlus factory finish lasts 15+ years before repainting, requiring 1-2 paint cycles over 30 years at $5,000-$10,000 total.
Lifespan: Well-maintained cedar: 40-60 years. Hardie: 50+ years (manufacturer warranty is 30 years on substrate, 15 years on ColorPlus finish). Both are long-lived materials in Portland.
Appearance: Cedar wins on warmth, character, and authenticity. The grain depth, natural color variation, and aging patina of real cedar cannot be matched by any manufactured product. Hardie does an excellent job mimicking wood texture but looks manufactured up close.
Our Recommendation: Choose cedar when the home’s architecture demands authentic natural wood — craftsman restorations, custom builds, and high-end remodels where the visual and tactile quality of real wood matters. Choose Hardie when you want wood-like appearance with lower maintenance, fire resistance, and predictable long-term costs.
Your outdoor space should be an extension of your home — not an afterthought.
Why Choose Next Level Decks & Exteriors
Pacific Northwest Cedar Expertise: We have installed cedar siding on hundreds of Portland homes and understand the specific installation details that determine long-term performance in our wet climate — back-priming, rain screen gaps, proper fastening, and ground clearance.
Grade Selection Guidance: We help you choose the right cedar grade for your architectural style and budget, and we source from local Pacific Northwest mills for the best quality and value.
Complete Moisture Protection: Every cedar siding installation includes housewrap, rain screen, proper flashing, and back-priming of all boards before installation — the critical details that keep moisture out of the wall cavity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Well-maintained cedar siding lasts 40-60 years in Portland. The key factors are regular finishing (stain or paint every 5-7 years), proper moisture management behind the siding (housewrap and rain screen), and maintaining ground clearance at the bottom courses. Cedar left completely unfinished will still last 20-30 years due to its natural rot resistance, but surface deterioration will be significant.
Both work well. Semi-transparent stain showcases cedar’s natural grain and requires reapplication every 3-5 years. Solid stain or paint provides more UV and moisture protection and lasts 5-7 years between coats. For Portland homes, we slightly favor semi-transparent stain on high-quality (clear or A-grade) cedar because it enhances the natural beauty that makes cedar worth the investment. Paint or solid stain works better on knotty grade cedar where you want a more uniform appearance.
Cedar siding installation costs $10-$18 per square foot in Portland, depending on the grade (clear/A-grade/knotty) and profile (lap, shingle, board-and-batten). For a typical 2,000 sq ft home exterior, expect a total project cost of $25,000-$45,000 including old siding removal, housewrap, rain screen, installation, and trim. Staining or painting adds $3-$5 per square foot.
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