I'm preparing to replace T-111 siding on my unheated detached garage with vertical cedar shiplap siding to match our house. I'm pretty sure the siding on the house (now 35 years old and showing it) is unpainted on the back, but a contractor who recently replaced some of the siding while replacing windows primed the back side (as well as the front). Should I do the same on the garage install?
Would the answer be any different for any future siding replaced on the house?
Best Answer
Advice I've generally heard is that to prevent warping, you should treat the back the same way you treat the front (so they absorb and release moisture in the same ways). If you're going to paint the outside, priming the back seems a Good Idea. (Of course cedar doesn't necessarily need to be painted; cedar shakes have often been allowed to weather to a natural grey.)
I'm not sure whether exterior stains are more like paint or no-paint.