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 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?

Property Details

Year of Build:

2020

Location:

Mission Bay

Coating:

Wood-X Foundry & Flint

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11 Jul 2023

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.

4 Apr 2023

Stunning Transformation of Lichen-Covered Home

This traditional Cedar home, located in West Harbour, was built in 1989 and has a distinctive red colouring common for the time, a style that has now come full-circle and makes the home feel vibrant and unique.

Upon first inspection, it was evident that the Cedar had not been treated for some years, with significant lichen, mould & dirt present. The north face (the back of the property) was very broken down, with porous boards that had started to cup and had been left 3 or 4 years too long without recoating.

As we needed to erect scaffolding to access the upper stories, the customer also asked if we could refresh their bargeboards with a new coat of paint.

This property is an excellent demonstration of the resilience of Cedar as a superior cladding material. Even after years of neglect, Cedar can be renewed with a wash and recoat, followed by regular maintenance to maintain its natural beauty.

The Maintenance Process

The first step in the maintenance process is a chemical wash from roofline to ground using a penetrating surfactant and soft wash. Particular attention is paid to the cladding, removing all organic material from the timber in preparation for the treatment.

Following the wash, we treated the timber with Resene Woodsman Waterborne stain. Unlike the original stain, the new generation of oil stains are emulsified in water instead of solvents, which is better for the environment, and come in a range of colours.

The south face of the house (which is the front of the property, as seen in the images) was reasonably protected from the sun and just needed a wash, lichen removal and a recoat. The north face required 3 solid coats of stain to bring the boards back up to standard.

To restore the bargeboards, we removed the existing spouting, filled the holes, lightly sanded to prime, then applied 2 coats of 100% acrylic paint.

Challenges with Older Homes

Many older homes are exposed to the sun for extended periods without regular maintenance and require additional treatment. The north face of this property was particularly weathered and required a stronger washing process and more stain applications to bring the Cedar back to life.

Stains produced back in the day were also very strong, almost like a hybrid paint, and were designed to stop the timber aging rather than enhance the natural beauty. This can make it difficult to work with, especially if you want to change the colour or transition to an oil.

The most cost-effective solution is to enhance what is already there, which is the approach we took with this property.

Ongoing Maintenance Requirements

The property is now set for another 2 or 3 summers before needing another recoat on the exposed faces. The southern face can sit comfortably for another 5-7 years with only a light wash to remove airborne pollutants from the surface.

The Final Outcome

The end result was a stunning transformation!

We were able to restore the Cedar to its former glory, while retaining the unique look of the red-stained timber. As we were given the opportunity to maintain the whole house, our team was able to take care of even the smallest details, giving the whole property a new lease of life.

We even cleaned up the letterbox and applied the same stain, the finishing touch on a very satisfying job!

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Townhouse Complex Stripped Back & Rejuvenated