Does cedar siding need to be stained?

[jjj70095]

My house is 25 years old, build with new cedar siding. I stained the house around 3 times so far, every 4 years at the beginning. But have not stained it in about 10 years.
I do wash the siding each year with a house wash and house.

The siding does seem to be holding up well, has darkened somewhat, but still looks good when cleaned. I have read articles that staining is optional. I have not seen any cedar siding on other houses maintain its orange look on the house, as all siding seems to fade a little. Anybody have experience or input?

 

[whitedust]

Untreated cedar will rot and bugs can get in as well. I bought a 30 year old custom built cedar sided house 3 1/2 years ago faced the decision of how to proceed? I live on a river so lots of wildlife and ants were evident on the siding. I talked to many siding companies and finally bought steel siding which has no seams and all new gutters and down spouts. They nail on a backing board that has insect repellent in it before the siding goes up. All cedar turns gray with time ala the Cape Cod New England look is all cedar shingles. I was tired of staining and the seamless steel siding was my solution completely maintenance free.

 

[rph130]

My house/cabin was built in 2000. 28 X 44 cedar sided ranch. About 5 years in, the cedar started to turn gray which I did not like. Instead of staining the entire house every several years which is a lot of work, I do one side a year. Works well for me and only takes me a few hours on a nice summer day. I use a product made by Wolman which is a cedar stain and preservative.

 

[jjj70095]

I know what you mean about cedar wood turning grey, as a section of my dock has turned grey, but the house siding has no grey at all...
House was made by Custom Components, and was prestained when purchased. Have put " cetol 2/3" stain coats on it about 3 times since 2000.
Sides are darker than front and back, since sun hits the sides more....but has turned more dark than grey