I painted the upstairs loft of this garage in 2004. *

It had been finished with a three-stage Sikkens stain system about ten years earlier. When new, it has a glossy finish that makes it look like furniture, but if you don't scrub and re-coat it every three years, the sealing surface peels and you have to strip it completely. *

We decided to use Cabot semi-transparent stain on the siding instead of Sikkens; if you let the Cabot go an extra year or two, you still only have to recoat it. *

Fortunately, power-washing turned out to strip off the old finish almost completely, so the only sanding was to cut through the dead grain and get down to fresh wood. I did have to replace many clapboards on the right side that had split due to weathering. *

This house had not been stained for a few years, so the siding was a bit on the dry side, but not damaged. The first coat (Cabot New Cedar semi-transparent) soaked in quickly and required a lot of stain; the second coat went on much more quickly. *

Note the "interesting" network of additions visible on this side of the house. Unfortunately, due to impending roofing work, the trim was not included in the job, so it still looks a bit shabby. *

A lot of long clapboard runs. Would have taken forever without a plank. *

Another interesting history of additions on display. The multi-level deck in the lower-right of the photo was also included. *

The right side of the house. Again, lots of long runs, planks indispensible. *