Staining a Cedar Home in Oakland Hills, CA
One of our painting crews recently had the unique privilege of working on a special home here in the San Francisco area. This cedar house in Oakland Hills needed some careful cleaning and expert staining to recapture its original beauty. At MB JESSEE, all of our painters are skilled and experienced with restaining projects, but Vincente Verduzco is our true Stain Expert, and he took the lead on this Oakland Hills treasure.
Cleaning a Home with Cedar Siding
While power-washing a home exterior may look simple, it requires a good deal of skill to do it well. Inexperienced operators can cause damage to property and injury to themselves or others. Probably the most common kind of mishap is when too much pressure is applied, leading to gouging and stroke marks.
On this cedar home the wood was especially soft, meaning it required extra care to make sure no damage occurred to the surface. On the other hand, it still needed thorough cleaning to bring back the beauty of the wood. If it were being painted, the solid-color coating would have hidden anything unsightly on the surfaces. With stain, however, the wood must be truly clean since it will be seen through the stain.
Vincente and his painting crew used a low-pressure setting and close, even strokes to power-wash the exterior of the Oakland Hills home, setting the stage for the rest of the restaining project. This was done in the early hours of the day, when the sun was just starting to peek through the San Francisco morning mists.
Applying Stain to a Cedar Home
Once the home was clean and dry, we could begin applying the stain to the cedar siding. For this San Francisco area home, we used a clear coat product called Super Deck. The most efficient way to apply stain to a home exterior is spraying, but this does not always produce a completely uniform finish, and on this home, there was no room for overspray.
Vincente decided on a hybrid technique which combines efficiency with precision. First, the clear coat was sprayed onto the surface, then our painters used roller brushes to smooth out the surface and ensure smooth, uniform coverage.
Other Considerations for Bay Area Staining
We were glad to have a perfect summer day for this project, when the weather was dry and clear, but not blazing hot!
We always work hard to be accommodating to our clients, working hard to match our work schedules to their convenience. We were able to do that on this project.
Being cleanly is not necessarily a trait that people attribute to professional painters, but at MB JESSEE we want to change that. We keep our work areas clean and tidy, especially when working with an oil-based stain like we did on this project. An oil-soaked rag left in the sun can even spontaneously combust!
After the paint was all applied, we also used a dark brown paint to finish the window frames and other selected portions. This was all hand-painted, which showcases the detail-oriented craftsmanship of our expert painters.
San Francisco Area Painting Contractor
If you are looking for a San Francisco area painting contractor who will communicate clearly, show up on schedule, keep a tidy work area and take expert care of your home, MB JESSEE is the best choice. Besides Oakland Hills, we also work in Contra Costa, East Bay, and the surrounding communities.
