Paint or Stain on Cedar Trim?

joejitzu · 10-08-2012, 09:50 AM

I'm having to replace my cedar fascia and soffits. Carpenter bees drilled into the wood and made their selves at home. Then Pilated Woodpeckers went after the bee larvae, and basically destroyed the wood.

I'm replacing the wood with rough sawn cedar. I've heard that painting will be more likely to protect the wood from future infestations by carpenter bees. But since it's rough sawn, I'd rather stain. I've already primed the wood, spot priming with Kinseer Bin, and two coats of KInseer 123.

My question? Will a solid stain, maybe two coats, keep out the bees as well as paint? Or should I just go ahead and paint?

I'd like to go as inexpensive as possible, but want to do the job right. I'd hate to see bees drilling the new wood next spring.

Thanks!

joecaption · 10-08-2012, 10:03 AM

Since you have already primed it, it's a little late to be thinking about now appying a stain. You can go over it with a soild stain but now it does not have much to bond to. Two coats of solid stain over bare wood would have been the way I would have done it.

sdsester · 10-08-2012, 11:39 AM

Contrary to advice from our consistent first responder but resident non-expert you can use either a quality solid color stain or paint at this point. Something like Sherwin Williams Acrylic Woodscapes Solid Stain would be a good choice. It is designed to go over new, primed or painted surfaces and can be mixed to any color. It will adhere just fine to your primer. Benjamin Moore has a similar product but I never used it. I suspect it would be a good choice also.

However, since you have sealed and primed nicely, I think I would go with a nice acrylic house paint at this point. The advantage to a solid stain would have been that it was self-priming. At this point, I guess price point could be a factor for you.

Paint store, not box store paints or solid stain right?

joejitzu · 10-08-2012, 11:49 AM

Thanks, joecaption & sdsester, for your prompt reply.

I was leaning towards painting, so I guess I'm good. And yeah, I'll definitely be using paint store paint, probably Benjamin Moore. In your opinion, should I go one coat or two, and should I prime all sides of wood and paint all sides or just the wearing, exposed-to-the-elements surface?

Also, some one told me about a product that you can mix in paint that helps deter carpenter bees even more? Has anybody used it, and what do you think about it?

sdsester · 10-08-2012, 12:05 PM

Not sure about mixing a pesticide in paint. Borax/borate/boric acid is commonly used to treat unpainted surfaces against insects. I always spray it during renovation work when I have walls open. Boracare is one brand. Usually you mix it in a sprayer or dust it on exposed surface. It is a mineral relatively harmless. Same stuff that is common in roach powder, the old fashined kind that still works well in comes in giant yellow bottles. Diamataceous earth is a substitute and is the common ingredient it swimming pool filter material. A bag of filter material is dirt cheap?

None of this is a repellant though. The glass like qualities get carried back to hives or nests and the insects sort of get shredded like in a Kill Bill movie.

As for priming? If you are using paint, you must prime everything you plan to paint. If using solid stain, you do not need to prime. It is not a mythological primer and paint in one product but is self priming on wood surfaces.

And come on, you have come this far in prepping the surface. You really know the answer as to whether you should get by with one coat or put on two. Right?

joejitzu · 10-08-2012, 12:42 PM

You're on the money, sdsester. So it's off to the paint store!