Do most siding contractors in Whatcom County still install cedar?

Some do, especially crews focused on historic or custom home restoration where matching original wood siding matters. Many exterior contractors have shifted toward fiber cement or engineered products because of the long-term maintenance cedar requires in our wet, coastal climate. It varies a lot by contractor and what they specialize in.

What should I ask a contractor before hiring them to install or replace cedar siding?

Ask how they detail moisture-prone areas like butt joints, inside corners, and the bottom courses near grade, since that's where cedar fails first. Ask what finish system they recommend and how often it needs to be reapplied. Also ask whether their warranty covers workmanship only or extends to the material itself.

Is there a difference between cedar siding and cedar shakes or shingles?

Yes. Cedar siding usually refers to lap or board siding installed in long horizontal runs, while shakes and shingles are shorter, overlapping pieces often used as an accent or full wall covering. Both share the same core maintenance needs since they're the same wood, just cut and installed differently.

How often does real cedar siding actually need to be refinished?

Most manufacturers and painters recommend re-staining or re-sealing every 3 to 5 years, though sun-exposed and rain-battered walls often need it sooner. Skipping a cycle doesn't just affect appearance — it lets moisture into the wood, which is when rot and cupping start.

Why does moss grow so aggressively on siding in Custer and the rest of Whatcom County?

Our winters are mild and wet with long stretches of low sun, which is exactly the environment moss needs to establish and spread. Shaded lots near trees and the extended damp season mean moss can take hold on any exterior surface that isn't cleaned regularly, and it holds moisture against whatever it's growing on.

Why We Don't Install Cedar Siding

Cedar Siding Still Has Real Fans, and We Understand Why

Every year we get calls from Custer and Whatcom County homeowners who want cedar siding. We understand the appeal. Real wood grain, a warm natural color, and a material that's been used on homes in the Pacific Northwest for well over a century. Cedar isn't a bad product. It's a beautiful one, and there's a reason it shows up in so many older farmhouses and craftsman-style homes between Custer and Bellingham.

But our company made a decision years ago to install only James Hardie fiber cement siding, and cedar is one of the products we walk away from. This page explains our actual reasoning, not marketing spin. Cedar has genuine strengths and genuine weaknesses, and in a climate like ours, the weaknesses tend to win out over a 15-20 year ownership window.

What Cedar Gets Right

To be fair to the material, cedar siding has some legitimate advantages that keep it in demand:

Natural insulating value that's slightly better than most manufactured sidings, board for board
A grain and texture that's genuinely hard to replicate, even with today's engineered products
Naturally occurring oils that give it some built-in resistance to insects and decay compared to other untreated woods
A long track record — cedar has clad Pacific Northwest homes for well over a hundred years
It can be refinished and repaired in place rather than replaced outright, if you stay on top of maintenance

If a homeowner wants to do the upkeep and understands what they're signing up for, cedar can perform reasonably well. Our concern isn't with the wood itself — it's with what it takes to keep that wood performing, year after year, in this specific corner of Washington.

The Maintenance Cycle Most Homeowners Underestimate

Cedar siding is not a "install it and forget it" product. It's a finish-dependent product. The wood itself is only as protected as its stain or sealant, and that finish breaks down steadily from UV exposure, moisture cycling, and wind-driven rain.

What Ongoing Cedar Care Actually Involves

A realistic maintenance schedule for cedar siding in our climate looks something like this:

Inspecting the finish annually for cracking, peeling, or graying at seams and end grain
Re-staining or re-sealing every 3-5 years, sooner on south and west-facing walls that take the most sun and driving rain
Pressure washing or hand-cleaning moss and mildew off the surface before it re-stains poorly or works into the grain
Caulking and re-caulking joints, corners, and trim as the wood expands and contracts seasonally
Spot-replacing individual boards that split, cup, or rot at fastener points

None of that is optional if you want the siding to look and perform the way it did when it went up. Skip a re-stain cycle or two, and the wood starts absorbing moisture directly, which is where the real problems start.

Salt Air, Driving Rain, and a Long Moss Season

This is the part of the conversation that's specific to Custer and the rest of Whatcom County, and it's the biggest reason we don't install cedar here. Our homes sit close enough to the water that salt-laden air is a constant, low-grade stress on any exterior finish — it accelerates the breakdown of stains and sealants faster than it would inland. Add in driving rain that comes sideways off Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia during fall and winter storms, and cedar's seams, laps, and end-grain cuts are under near-constant moisture pressure for months at a time.

Then there's moss. Whatcom County's mild, wet winters and shaded lots create a moss season that runs far longer than it does in drier parts of the state. Moss doesn't just look bad on siding — it holds moisture directly against the wood surface, keeps that section shaded from drying sun and wind, and creates the exact conditions wood rot needs to take hold. On cedar, a moss patch that's ignored for a season or two can turn into soft, spongy boards underneath.

None of this means cedar "fails" as a product. It means cedar asks a lot of any homeowner living in this specific climate, and most people don't find out how much until a few years in.

What Happens When the Finish Falls Behind

We've been called out to look at cedar siding that was neglected for a maintenance cycle or two, and the pattern is consistent:

Graying, checking, and cracking in the finish, usually starting on the sun-exposed and weather-facing walls
Moss and mildew staining that won't wash out once it's worked into the grain
Soft or delaminating boards at the bottom courses, where splashback and standing moisture do the most damage
Nail popping and board cupping as the wood repeatedly swells and dries
Rot at butt joints and inside corners where water collects and takes longest to dry out

Fixing these issues usually means selective board replacement, re-caulking, and a full refinish — real labor, on a recurring basis, indefinitely. That's not a defect in cedar. It's simply what wood siding requires to keep functioning as a weather barrier in a wet, salt-air climate.

Fire and Insurance Considerations

Cedar is combustible, which matters more to some homeowners than others depending on location, insurance carrier, and personal risk tolerance. It's not the deciding factor for most of our Whatcom County clients, but it's worth knowing: some insurers offer better terms for non-combustible siding materials, and it's a conversation worth having with your agent before you commit to any siding material, cedar included.

Cedar vs. James Hardie: A Straight Comparison

Factor	Cedar Siding	James Hardie Fiber Cement
Refinishing cycle	Every 3-5 years	ColorPlus factory finish, no repainting for many years; typically decades to first repaint if ever needed
Moisture behavior	Absorbs water directly once finish fails; prone to rot and cupping	Engineered to resist moisture intrusion; won't rot
Moss and mildew	Holds moisture, stains into the grain, hard to fully clean	Non-porous surface sheds moisture, cleans off easily
Combustibility	Combustible	Non-combustible core material
Insect vulnerability	Some natural resistance, but not immune to carpenter ants or rot-related pests	Not a food or moisture source for wood-boring insects
Warranty	Typically none beyond installer workmanship	Manufacturer-backed, transferable warranty on the product itself
Upfront cost	Comparable to or higher than fiber cement in many cases	Comparable to or lower than well-maintained cedar over time
Long-term cost	Ongoing refinishing and board replacement adds up over 15-20 years	Lower lifetime cost when properly installed

Why We Standardized on James Hardie

We install exclusively James Hardie fiber cement siding, using their HZ5 product line engineered for climates like ours — freeze-thaw cycles, sustained moisture, and coastal air. It's non-combustible, holds its factory ColorPlus finish far longer than a stain job on wood, doesn't feed moss or mildew the way bare or lightly finished wood does, and carries a real transferable manufacturer warranty rather than relying entirely on installer workmanship.

That's not us saying cedar is a bad product. It's us saying that after years of doing exterior work in Custer and across Whatcom County, we'd rather stand behind a siding system that holds up with minimal upkeep in salt air, driving rain, and a long moss season than sell a beautiful product we know most homeowners won't maintain on the schedule it actually needs.

If You're Still Considering Cedar

We're not going to talk you out of a material you've set your heart on if you understand the trade-offs. Before you commit, walk through this checklist honestly:

Are you prepared to budget for a re-stain or re-seal every 3-5 years, indefinitely?
Do you have a plan for cleaning moss and mildew off the siding at least once a year?
Is your home in a spot with heavy shade, tree cover, or direct exposure to driving rain off the water?
Have you priced out board replacement labor, not just the initial install?
Does your insurance carrier treat combustible siding differently on premiums?
Are you comfortable with a warranty that covers workmanship but not the wood itself?

If you answered yes to all of those with a clear head, cedar might genuinely be the right call for you — just not from us, since we've chosen not to install it.

Get a Straight Answer for Your Home

Every property is different, and the right siding choice depends on your home's exposure, your budget, and how much upkeep you actually want to take on. If you'd like to talk through your options — cedar's trade-offs included — we're happy to take a look and give you a straightforward, no-pressure estimate for James Hardie siding on your home.