We recently completed a cedar restaining job on a home in the Queenstown Lakes area that turned into one of the most challenging exterior projects we've taken on. What started as a straightforward sand-and-restain ended up requiring a near-complete strip back to bare timber on two sides of the house — and it's a story worth sharing because it could easily happen to anyone with a cedar-clad home in the region.
What the Cedar Looked Like When We Arrived
The homeowner's cedar cladding had been stained approximately five years ago with what turned out to be a film-forming water-based stain. On the sheltered side of the house, the coating was still in reasonable condition — some wear, but generally well adhered to the timber.
The sun-exposed elevations told a different story. The north and west-facing sides had taken five years of Central Otago UV, and the old stain was actively peeling away from the timber in sheets. Underneath the failed coating, the cedar had gone grey and weathered. It was clear these sides hadn't coped well.
Our Original Plan
We quoted the job based on a wash, sand, feather out any failing areas, and recoat with a penetrating oil stain. We'd spoken with the property manager about the condition and were upfront that feathering — removing the loose material and blending the edges of the remaining coating — should work as long as the old product was still well bonded in most areas.
On the sheltered side, that's exactly how it played out. We hand-sanded it, tested the oil over the existing coating, and it adhered well. No dramas.
Where Things Changed
On the sun-exposed sides, our test patches told us we had a problem.
When we applied the oil stain over areas that had been sanded but still had residual old coating in the grain, the oil reacted badly with the old product. Instead of soaking into the timber, it caused the remaining film-forming stain to bubble and lift. The two products were fundamentally incompatible.
This meant that feathering and recoating wasn't going to work on those elevations. The only way to get a proper result with the oil system was to sand the boards right back to bare timber — removing as much of the old film-forming stain as possible.
The Reality of Sanding Cedar Back to Bare
This was a big job. Every board on the affected elevations had to be sanded individually. The flat faces came up well with a belt sander, but the grooves and rebates in the weatherboard profile held onto the old product stubbornly. We got the surfaces to roughly 90% bare timber, with some residual old stain remaining in areas the sander couldn't reach.
It was physically demanding work — days of sanding in the Central Otago sun — but it was the only way to ensure the oil would actually bond to the timber and give a finish that would last.
What We'd Do Differently
We'll be honest — if we'd known from the start exactly how badly the old coating had broken down on those sun-exposed sides, we might have recommended a different approach.
When a previous film-forming stain has failed to this extent, switching to a penetrating oil requires an enormous amount of prep. In some cases, the more practical option is to stick with a compatible water-based stain and commit to shorter maintenance intervals — recoating every 3–4 years instead of 5–7.
That doesn't mean oil is the wrong choice. For cedar, it's actually the superior long-term option because it doesn't form a film that can crack and peel. But the cost of switching systems when an old film-former has partially failed is significant, and homeowners should understand that before committing.
Every job teaches you something, and this one reinforced something we already knew: test patches before committing to a full system are non-negotiable on any restaining job where there's an existing coating.
Advice for Cedar Homeowners in the Queenstown Lakes Area
Cedar cladding is everywhere in the Wānaka and Queenstown area, and the intense UV at altitude means coatings break down faster here than in most parts of New Zealand. If you've got cedar on your home, a few things worth knowing:
Don't wait until the coating has completely failed before restaining. The worse the condition, the more prep is needed, and the more expensive the job becomes.
Get test patches done if you're unsure what product is on the timber. Before committing to a new stain system, your painter should test compatibility over the existing coating. It takes an hour and can save days of work.
Pay extra attention to your north and west-facing elevations. They take the most punishment and will need maintenance sooner than the sheltered sides.
If your cedar currently has a film-forming stain on it, talk to your painter about your options. Staying with a compatible product and maintaining it more regularly might be more practical than switching systems — especially if the coating hasn't fully failed yet.
And if you're building new or your cedar is being stripped back to bare timber anyway, we'd recommend going with a penetrating oil from the start. It's easier to maintain, it wears more gracefully, and you'll never have to deal with peeling and flaking down the track.
Get in Touch
If you've got a cedar home in the Wānaka or Queenstown area and you're not sure what condition your cladding is in, we're happy to come and take a look. A quick assessment now can save a lot of hassle and cost later on. Get in touch with us at Lakeside Painting — we specialise in cedar staining and exterior painting across the Queenstown Lakes district.
