Question about painting rough cedar clapboards

[Brent]

I have cedar clapboards on my house with the rough side facing out. We are trying to understand the best way to scrape/sand the old paint off without having to sand it smooth and remove the rough look. The biggest challenge appears to be getting the paint out of the grooves of the cedar (between the growth rings). Scraping only seems to get the paint off of the top of the growth ring and the softer wood that usually is less prominent doesn't seem to come out without significant sanding. I have thought about the Paint Shaver but I think it would have to take a significant mount of siding off to get all the paint off. Our siding is also only 4" so the exposure is 3 1/4 and has a small amount of cupping (1/16" to 1/8") so the Paint Shaver would probably take too much off the bottom of the clapboard. Has anyone out there had any luck with a method to remove paint from rough cedar clapboards. Please help!

[dpb]

Unless it's peeling, my suggestion is to simply to power wash (carefully to not gouge the soft material) and then perhaps use a wire brush or other stiff bristle to remove any loose paint then repaint. Now you understand a prime reason not to paint over rough-sawn material... :)

[Brent]

Some of it is peeling though and the cedar has weathered where it is worst. Does anyone know of a tool that I could attach to a grinder perhaps. I've thought about trying those vinyl sanding wheels, but haven't yet. I did try a steel brush attached to a grinder but it look off too much.

dpb wrote:

[Brent]

Some of it is peeling though and the cedar has weathered where it is worst. Does anyone know of a tool that I could attach to a grinder perhaps. I've thought about trying those vinyl sanding wheels, but haven't yet. I did try a steel brush attached to a grinder but it look off too much.

dpb wrote:

[Larry Caldwell]

A pressure washer is your best bet. Use a good one, not those cheapo electric jobbies. For a house sized surface, you should be looking for at least an 8 hp unit. You need both volume and pressure.

Hold the nozzle at an acute angle to the wood at the fan setting, and it will peel any loose paint right off. Get too close and you will start taking wood off too. If there is still any loose paint left, brush it lightly by hand with a wire brush and pressure wash again.