Tree Nestled Cedar Home Restored to Golden Luster

This contemporary Cedar home, built in 2014, is located in Green Bay and surrounded by trees and leafy green foliage, beautifully accentuating the golden glow of the Cedar.

While the location is very pleasing to the eye, being surrounded by trees can increase the amount of airborne organic matter landing on the Cedar. The property is also north facing and receives plenty of sun throughout the year. These environmental factors make regular maintenance essential for the long-term health of the Cedar and to keep it looking clean and fresh all year round.

Thankfully, the owners of the property were aware of the Cedar maintenance requirements from the start and chose the right products, with the right Cedar maintenance plan.

To understand the benefits of a regular maintenance plan and how it can save you money over the long term, we need to first look at the history of the property.

Maintenance Timeline

In 2015, the homeowner asked us to visit the property and check over the health of the Cedar.

Although they had only moved in one year previous, the Cedar on newly built houses is often installed 3-6 months before the homeowner moves in, so the weathering process is already well under way.

Over the next 5 years, we maintained the house on 3 separate occasions:

2015 – Oxy-wash and recoat of the entire house.
2017 – Oxy-wash and recoat of the northern faces.
2020 – Oxy-wash and recoat of the northern faces.

The photos of the house were taken in 2020, after the last round of maintenance, and the work described below covers the regular maintenance undertaken in that period.

Cedar Maintenance Process

Upon first inspection, the Cedar had silvered in some areas and there was mould sitting around the windows. As the house is surrounded by bush, a build-up of organic matter was always going to be a factor. While the amount of mould and dirt wasn’t significant, the overall effect is unsightly and not great for the long-term health of the timber.

We started with a light oxy-wash to prepare the Cedar for treatment. Once clean of organic material, we recoated the northern faces of the house with a penetrating wood oil that matched the original treatment.

The original treatment used a light, golden-brown coloured oil to give the Cedar a natural finish that ties in with the joinery and the bush setting.

Lighter coloured oils have the same maintenance requirements as darker oils, however, they can help hide some of the natural weathering and make organic matter less noticeable. This can be useful in locations that are exposed to the elements, such as bush or coastal areas.

Cedar Maintenance Challenges

As the Cedar had originally been coated with a penetrating oil, ongoing maintenance was a straightforward process without any unforeseen challenges.

Compared to a film forming product such as a stain, a penetrating oil allows the Cedar to weather evenly and can usually be maintained with just a soft wash and a recoat of sun exposed areas.

As the house has 2 stories, the job also required mobile scaffolding, which was supplied and erected by the Cedar Technicians and included in the overall cost.

Ongoing Maintenance Requirements

Now that the whole house has been treated, ongoing maintenance becomes more affordable as only the sun-exposed faces need maintaining every 2-3 summers. The rest of the house may not need further maintenance for 5-7 years.

The Final Outcome

Over 9 years, the owners have spent less than $15,000 on exterior maintenance costs, which is excellent value for a property of this size.

It’s also worth noting that while the original work we did cost $5680, the recoat we did 3 years later was less than half that cost. Purely from a cost perspective, this is one of the main benefits of regular maintenance.

Looking at the before and after photos, the results speak for themselves. The washed out, dirty timber looks almost brand new after the maintenance, regaining its brown luster.

Property Details

Year of Build:

2014

Location:

Green Bay

Coating:

Elm Tinted Penetrating Wood Oil

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12 Nov 2025

Townhouse Complex Stripped Back & Rejuvenated

This block of 14 townhouses is located on an elevated section overlooking the beautiful seaside suburb of Mission Bay. The townhouse complex was finished in 2020. After a few years in the sun, the owners started to notice the Cedar looking patchy and uneven.

This block of 14 townhouses is located on an elevated section overlooking the beautiful seaside suburb of Mission Bay.

The townhouses were architecturally designed by Novak + Middleton and built by Gibbons Co. The townhouse exteriors use an eye-catching mix of standing seam metal cladding and Cedar.

The townhouse complex was finished in 2020. After a few years in the sun, the owners started to notice the Cedar looking patchy and uneven.

TimberTech was bought in to assess the Cedar and put a management plan in place to keep it protected – and looking great – for years to come.

Maintenance Timeline

TimberTech was first contacted on the 25th of October, 2024.

1st November, 2024 – Cedar Assessment completed.
25th November, 2024 – Quote sent.
31st July, 2025 – Job started.
29th August, 2025 – Job completed.

As there are 14 houses in the complex, each needing consultation, the time between the different stages of engagement was longer than usual.

After an 8-month consultation period, 12 out of the 14 houses in the complex decided to go ahead with the proposed work.

The job took around 4 weeks in total, with some delays due to inclement weather.

Cedar Assessment

Sometime during the building process, the Cedar was coated with stain. Stains are excellent in areas without direct sunlight, but when exposed to harsh UV they break down, giving a patchy or uneven look.

Unfortunately, the stain used here had broken down, particularly on the exposed northern face.

Our recommendation was to fully strip, sand and recoat the Cedar cladding, converting it from stain to a penetrating oil (in this case, Wood-X).

The stain used on the south face still held up well, and we recommended that another coat of the same stain be used to extend its lifespan.

Cedar Maintenance Process

Stripping stain from Cedar is a laborious task and not something undertaken lightly.

For stripping this particular stain, Resene Sea to Sky Coating Remover has proven very effective. We apply this with a spray machine, making sure all the joinery, doors, flashings and surrounds are masked to keep them protected.

The stripper is left on for a couple of hours to activate and dissolve the stain, then it can be scraped off, followed by a wash to remove any last residues.

For particularly stubborn areas of stain, some sanding may be required. This should be done lightly and kept to a minimum to retain the texture of the board.

Once the stain has been successfully removed, the board is ready for oil to be applied.

When first assessing the job, we knew we needed to match the colour of the oil as closely as possible to the original product. We presented the owners with some colour options and settled on using two colour tints, Flint and Foundry.

The boards were very dry, especially on the northern face, and required two coats in most places. We basically put as much oil into the boards as possible.

Cedar Maintenance Challenges

Some of the more sheltered townhouses had stain that hadn’t fully broken down yet and proved difficult to remove. We had to remask and restrip these areas before we could apply the oil, ensuring an even finish.

The other main challenge was keeping the whole area tidy and minimising the impact on the residents, particularly the owners who were not having any work done. We did our best to minimise any noise, only have essential vehicles in the car park and provide constant communication with all residents.

One of the biggest downsides of moving from stain to oil is a 3-9 month transition period where your Cedar will have a shiny-flat-shiny-flat look.

This happens when oil is applied to any surface that still has stain remnants. The oil cannot soak through the stain as it is non-porous, so it sits on top, around the surface area where the oil has soaked in, giving the shiny-flat-shiny-flat look.

This is all part of the process and not exactly a challenge, but we always take care to prepare the homeowners for the transition period.

Ongoing Maintenance Requirements

When transitioning from stain to oil, we recommend assessing the Cedar again after 3 months to see if any of the boards require additional oil, especially on the sun-exposed faces.

We will then recheck the boards 12-18 months later (depending on the conditions), after which the Cedar will fall into a regular maintenance plan, with exposed faces needing to be recoated every 2-3 summers.

The Final Outcome

The rejuvenated Cedar was transformed from washed-out brown to a lustrous dark chocolate tint. The owners were impressed with the final look and relieved that their Cedar had been returned to the state when they moved in.

By transitioning from stain to oil, they could also look forward to more straightforward and cost-efficient maintenance in the future.

If you would like to know more about the transition process, please read our article Can Cedar Be Transitioned From Stain to Oil?

11 Sep 2025

Cultural Icon Restored to Original Splendour

The ASB theatre has received numerous awards for its design, efficiency, and sustainability. Part of this aesthetic is defined by its impressive Cedar feature walls. See how we returned the dry and weathered Cedar back to its original splendour.

The ASB Waterfront Theatre is a modern, 675 seat performing arts venue and the home of the Auckland Theatre Company.

It has received numerous awards for its design, efficiency, and sustainability, including a 2017 Auckland Architecture Award for Sustainable Architecture.

Built by Hawkins Construction and opened in 2016, the theatre’s aesthetic is defined in part by its impressive Cedar feature walls.

The building has two main Cedar walls high on the west and south faces. There are also Cedar doors at ground level on the west and north sides.

Maintenance Timeline

TimberTech was first contacted on the 3rd of March, 2025.

7th March, 2025 – Cedar Assessment completed.
18th March, 2025 – Quote sent.
19th May, 2025 – Job started.
16th June, 2025 – Job completed.

The job took 3 weeks in total, with some delays due to inclement weather.

We will check the Cedar again in 12 months and advise if further treatment is needed (usually if the timber was particularly dry). Otherwise, the building will move into a standard 10-year maintenance plan.

Cedar Assessment

The Cedar had been oiled previously, probably around the same time as installation 5 years ago, and nothing had been done to maintain it since.

That’s longer than we normally advise and the Cedar was starting to look dry and weathered, particularly on the high, exposed areas of the building.

The western face received the brunt of the afternoon sun, and the tint was starting to wear off unevenly in places, giving the Cedar a patchy look.

The southern face was largely sheltered from the sun and the pigment in the oil hadn’t broken down as much as the western face.

The doors on the west and north sides had also been affected by graffiti and people rubbing up against the boards and required some restoration.

To remediate these, we lightly sanded the Cedar before applying the oil.

Cedar Maintenance Process

No matter the size and scale, the first step in any Cedar maintenance job is to deep clean the timber with a penetrating surfactant and remove any built-up organic matter.

As the building is in the heart of Wynyard Quarter, the timber had been exposed to considerable dust, grime, air pollution, along with wind and salt coming from the ocean.

Before applying the oil, we had to mask the surrounding concrete to make sure the oil didn’t leave any stains.

We colour matched the tint using Wood-X to ensure the colour would match the original look of the building.

To reach the Cedar high on the western face, we used a 15-meter knuckle boom. The southern face was even higher and required an 18-meter scissor lift.

It was only once we got up close to the boards that we saw how dry they were. Cedar will tell you when the pores are full just by looking at the surface. In the end, we used much more oil than we expected.

Cedar Maintenance Challenges

There were two main challenges for this project: traffic management and the height of the building.

The building is situated in a busy area with a lot of pedestrian traffic, requiring appropriate safety measures such as signage, flagging and a spotter on the ground to direct pedestrians.

There was also a shared driveway along the western side of the property that could not be blocked.

Communication with both the public and the neighbouring tenants was essential in making sure the project ran smoothly, with as little disruption as possible.

The height also presented some unique challenges. The height itself was not an issue – we have a lot of experience working on tall buildings and using specialised equipment to reach high areas – but where the building was located.

Strong winds regularly came in from the ocean and funneled between the tall buildings all around, limiting when we could use the scissor lift and knuckle boom.

The Final Outcome

The result was stunning, retuning this prestigious building back to its original state and protecting it against the elements for years to come.

The Cedar went from grey and shabby to a vibrant and deep hue, beautifully contrasted by the metal and glass of the surrounding buildings.

The building managers were very satisfied with the outcome, highlighting the excellent colour match to the original aesthetic and minimal disruption to neighbours and pedestrians.

To see this landmark building for yourself, visit 138 Halsey Street next time you are down at Wynward Quarter.

15 Feb 2025

Bleached and Burned Cedar Looks Better Than New

This architecturally designed home in Titirangi is the perfect example of a well-designed Cedar home, with few soffits or overhangs for most of the structure, allowing the sun to weather the boards evenly.

This architecturally designed home in Titirangi is the perfect example of a well-designed Cedar home, with few soffits or overhangs for most of the structure.

This allows the sun to weather the boards evenly, making ongoing maintenance more straightforward and cost-effective.

The western face at the rear does have an overhang, and you can clearly see the uneven effect it can have on Cedar. Uneven weathering usually requires restoration as opposed to maintenance.

This Cedar was installed 10 years ago, with little more than a light oil to protect the timber against the harsh UV. That coating has long since burned off, leaving the Cedar exposed to the sun.

Thankfully, Cedar is such a resilient timber that a deep clean and oil can work wonders.

Maintenance Timeline

The customer first contacted us on the 15th of November, 2024.

21st November 2024 – Initial onsite assessment completed.
25th November 2024 – Quote sent.
6th January 2025 – Team arrived onsite to start the job.
21st January 2025 – Job completed.

Cedar Restoration Process

The initial assessment showed that the Cedar was in good overall condition, but the northern and western faces had been burned by the sun and were very dry.

Whatever protective application they initially used did not have any pigment, leaving the Cedar to turn grey over time.

The Cedar also had mould and bacteria growing on the outside, which happens when the harsh UV rays break down the surface of the timber. To remove the organic matter, we deep clean the Cedar using a biodegradable cleaning solution that is safe for pets and does not harm any surrounding plant life.

Once the timber is clean and dry, we can start to apply the oil.

The customer chose Wood-X Kauri Gum to give the Cedar a natural look, closely resembling wet Cedar. This is a mineral oil that soaks into the timber, leaving pigment on the surface to protect against the UV rays.

The northern face of the house runs long up the side of the property and is the first thing you see upon arrival.

The top of the cladding has been bleached by the sun. This was extremely dry and sucked up a lot of oil, around 4 square meters per litre.

If you look under the window frame, you can see where the windows have been cleaned with a brush. Cedar is very structurally sound, but the surface can be easily damaged if you are not careful.

The darker sections at the bottom are mould and pollen, which have been exacerbated by the surrounding bush. Sometimes the trees can protect the timber if they are nestled in tight, but the number of trees here added to the amount of pollen on the timber.

Cedar Restoration Challenges

There were two main challenges for this job: access issues and uneven weathering.

The southern face of the house has high walls and two large water tanks at the base. Without ground access we could not use ladders or mobile scaffolding. To gain safe access to this area, we used fixed scaffolding.

Both the southern and northern faces have uneven ground, with limited access, and required careful use of ladders.

The dormer situated on the roof at the back of the house also needed rope and harness to be done safely.

Souwest on roof wash .5 oil 1 plus .5 rope and harness

As mentioned before, it’s best not to have any soffits or overhangs on Cedar homes. While they do protect the timber from the sun, the effect can be aesthetically unpleasant, as seen here on the western face.

In the photo below, there is a line just below the overhang where the Cedar was shaded from the sun. To fix uneven weathering, our team needs to strip back the surface to an even finish and then apply oil.

The western face also had some black areas above the window which had been burned by the sun. Below the window, there were even darker areas caused by the rain hitting the concrete and bouncing back, causing dust and muck to accumulate.

The front of the house, which faces east, had a section of timber above the front door that had not been exposed to the sun and appeared orange (the natural colour of the Cedar), in stark contrast to the grey timber to either side. This required an expert touch to even up the colour, which can be seen below.

Ongoing Maintenance Requirements

Our recommendation is to recoat the northern and western faces within 3 months. If you look at the top of the walls in the after photos, the oil is already soaking in and appears lighter. And we used a lot of oil on this wall.

The recoat isn’t critical, but topping up the pockets in the Cedar with oil will provide maximum protection and make sure the colour remains consistent.

After that, the house will fall into a regular maintenance schedule, with sun exposed areas needing a recoat every 2-3 summers.

Final Thoughts

The customer was knocked back by the transformation. The years of grime and dirt were washed away and replaced by glistening Cedar that looked better than the day it was installed.

The contrast between the Kauri Gum tint and the black joinery looks amazing. We even washed their skylights while we were up there!

This was a quick job, with the bulk of the work being done in a week by our technicians, Mikey and Lorena. Great work, fantastic results!

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Tree Nestled Cedar Home Restored to Golden Luster