Installation of Cedar Siding: Steps, Costs, What to Expect
The installation of cedar siding follows four steps: inspect the wall and get a written quote, strip it back and rebuild the moisture layers, prime and nail the cedar with the right fasteners and gaps, then finish the wood and keep it maintained. As a rough planning range, figure $12 to $20 per square foot installed when the job includes tear-off, house wrap, flashing, and finish. Your written quote is the number that counts, but that range tells you whether a bid is realistic.
Here's the catch. Cedar is beautiful, but Kirkland puts it to the test. We get roughly 40 inches of rain a year, tall evergreens keep north walls damp into summer, and lake air adds humidity. Most cedar problems trace back to skipped steps, like unprimed backs, plain steel nails, or boards pressed tight against a wet wall. And when three quotes arrive with three different totals, it's hard to tell what each one covers.
We're Legacy Exteriors, a Kirkland exterior contractor, and cedar is one of the siding materials we install. This guide walks you through each stage in order, what you should see on your house, what to ask, and what it costs, so you can hire with confidence and spot a shortcut before it disappears behind a wall.
Why cedar fits Kirkland homes, and what it demands
Cedar fits Kirkland homes because Western Red Cedar resists rot and insects naturally and holds stain beautifully, but it only performs when the wall behind it can dry out.
Why cedar works in wet Pacific Northwest weather
Western Red Cedar's heartwood carries natural oils that fight decay, and the boards stay more stable than many other woods as the weather swings. The warm grain suits Craftsman bungalows, cottages, and modern Northwest homes, which is why cedar wood siding installation remains a popular choice for remodels around Kirkland.
The demand is airflow. North and east walls under big evergreens stay damp well into summer, lakeside walls take wind-driven rain, and moss on a roofline drips onto the siding below. A good cedar job is designed around getting moisture out, not just keeping it out.
Cedar doesn't fail from getting wet, it fails from staying wet.
Pick your profile and grade
Choose the profile first, then the grade, because both change the look and the price.
Profile | Look | Best for |
|---|---|---|
Bevel (lap) | Classic horizontal lines with a shadow at each board | Traditional and Craftsman homes |
Channel or shiplap | Flatter face with a groove between boards | Modern and cottage styles |
Tongue and groove | Smooth, tight face, run horizontally or vertically | Accent walls, gables, modern homes |
Shingles | Textured, layered pattern | Gables, dormers, Craftsman accents |
Grade comes down to knots. Clear grades such as A Clear have few or no knots and suit natural or semi-transparent stain. Select Knotty costs less, adds rustic character, and works well under solid stain or paint, where paying extra for clear grade is often wasted.
Step 1. Book an inspection and get a locked-in quote
Book a free inspection first, because what's hiding behind your current siding decides the scope, the schedule, and the price.
What the inspection should cover
A proper inspection means someone walks every wall, measures it, and probes suspect spots with a screwdriver. The usual trouble areas are window sills, wall bottoms, corners, and anywhere a roof meets a wall. Soft wood means rot has already started. At Legacy Exteriors, estimates are free, you get a clear project schedule after the inspection, and the locked-in price quote means the number doesn't drift at the end.
Whoever you hire, make sure the written quote spells out:
Full tear-off, with no new siding over old
House wrap type, flashing details, and any rainscreen gap
Cedar profile, grade, and board dimensions
Fastener type (stainless or hot-dipped galvanized)
Priming and finish: who does it and how many coats
Trim, sealant, debris removal, and cleanup
How hidden rot found at tear-off is handled and priced
Start date, duration, and warranty terms
Also verify the contractor's license, bond, and insurance on the Washington L&I website. Legacy Exteriors is fully licensed, bonded, and insured.
What installation of cedar siding costs
Treat $12 to $20 per square foot installed as a rough planning range, not a quote. It assumes tear-off, house wrap, flashing, cedar, fasteners, and finish. Labor is often about half, so the crew's work runs roughly $6 to $10 per square foot. Clear grades, rainscreen strips, steep rooflines, tall walls, and lots of trim push you toward the top.
Job size | Typical example | Planning range |
|---|---|---|
300 sq ft | One gable end or a single wall | $3,600 to $6,000 |
1,000 sq ft | A large side of the house or a small home | $12,000 to $20,000 |
1,800 sq ft | A 2,000 sq ft two-story home | $21,600 to $36,000 |
Take a 2,000 square foot two-story home. Call it 1,800 square feet of wall after subtracting windows and doors. At $12 to $20, that's $21,600 to $36,000. For a 300 square foot wall, the math says $3,600 to $6,000, but small jobs usually land higher per foot because setup, scaffolding, and finishing don't shrink with the wall.
Compare cedar quotes by what's behind the boards, not by the price per square foot.
Permits and HOA rules
Kirkland generally exempts non-structural siding replacement from a building permit, but rules vary by property. Shoreline or critical areas, structural repairs, and systems like stucco, veneer, or exterior insulation can change the answer. Confirm with the City of Kirkland before work starts, and ask your contractor to do the same.
If you live in an HOA, ask about design review early. Material, color, and profile are the usual sticking points, and approval can add time to your schedule.
Step 2. Prep the wall for a dry cedar install
Step 2 is prep: remove the old siding, fix whatever is wet underneath, then add house wrap, flashing, and a ventilated gap so the wall can shed water and dry.
Tear-off and sheathing repair
The crew removes the old siding completely. Covering old siding with new cedar traps moisture and hides problems, so tear-off is the only way to inspect the sheathing honestly. Expect noise, a debris trailer, and bare wall for a short stretch. Ask the crew to open one wall at a time so the house stays weathertight.
Any soft, stained, or crumbling plywood or OSB gets cut out and replaced. This is where hidden rot shows up, usually at window corners, below roof-to-wall intersections, and on shaded north walls. That's why your quote should say how rot found at tear-off is handled and priced.
Wrap, flashing, and a ventilated gap
Next comes the weather-resistive barrier, or house wrap, lapped like shingles with the upper layer over the lower and the seams taped. Then comes flashing at every opening and transition. Furring strips go over the wrap to create a rainscreen gap, typically 3/8 to 3/4 inch, so air moves behind the cedar and dries it from the back.
Flashing spots worth checking before the cedar goes on:
Head flashing above every window and door
Sill pan flashing under windows
Kickout flashing where a roof edge meets a wall
Step flashing along roof-to-wall lines
Sealed or flashed penetrations such as vents, hose bibs, and light fixtures
The cedar is only the finish layer. The wrap, flashing, and air gap are what actually keep your house dry.
Step 3. Prime, hang, and fasten the cedar
Cedar siding is attached with corrosion-resistant nails driven into the wall studs, with primed boards installed from the bottom up.
Prime or stain all six sides first
Let the cedar acclimate on site for several days, stacked flat, off the ground, and covered. Then seal every face, edge, and end with primer or stain before it goes up. Backs and edges are where cedar soaks up moisture, and it's far easier to coat them on sawhorses than on a finished wall.
Field cuts need the same care. Each time the crew trims a board, the fresh end should get primer or stain, because bare end grain drinks water first.
Fasten and space the boards correctly
Use stainless steel or hot-dipped galvanized nails, and choose stainless near the lake. Cedar's tannins react with plain steel and leave black streaks. Nails go into the studs, driven snug but not crushed, with one nail per board per stud so each board can swell and shrink without splitting.
What you should see on your wall:
Boards start from a level starter strip and work upward, with about a 1 inch lap on bevel siding
At least 6 inches between siding and soil, and about an inch above roofing
Butt joints staggered over studs, with sealed cut ends
Sealant at trim and cut ends, never on the lap joints between courses, so water can drain
Stainless or hot-dipped galvanized nails set into studs are what keep cedar clean and attached for decades.
Step 4. Finish the wood and plan upkeep
Step 4 is finishing: seal the boards with stain or paint within weeks of installation, then walk the job with your crew and set up a simple maintenance routine.
Pick a finish that matches your walls
Semi-transparent stain shows off the grain and is easy to refresh, but it wears sooner than paint. Solid stain or paint hides the grain and lasts longer between coats. Under paint, bare cedar needs a stain-blocking primer so tannins don't bleed through light colors.
Leaving cedar to weather silver is an option, but shaded Kirkland walls gray unevenly. Sunny sides turn silver while mossy walls go dark and blotchy. If you want one consistent color, finish the wood.
Final walkthrough and upkeep
Walk the house with your project lead before the final payment. Check caulk lines, paint touch-ups, gutters and downspouts, and the yard for stray nails. After that, a light routine protects your investment:
Rinse the siding once a year with a hose and soft brush, not a hard pressure washer
Trim shrubs back so air reaches the walls
Keep sprinklers from hitting the siding
Check bottom edges, corners, and north walls each fall for finish wear or soft spots
Recoat before the finish is gone, not after
Recoating a worn finish costs a fraction of replacing boards, so treat the finish as your main maintenance item.
Where to start with cedar
A lasting cedar job comes down to what you can't see once it's done: a real inspection, a clean tear-off, wrap and flashing done right, a ventilated gap, sealed boards, the right nails, and a finish you keep up. Use the planning range of $12 to $20 per square foot to sanity-check bids, then compare what each quote actually includes.
If you're in Kirkland, Bothell, Woodinville, Kenmore, Bellevue, Redmond, or Seattle, request a free quote and inspection. We'll walk your walls, tell you what we find, and give you a locked-in price so there are no surprises at the end.
