New builds
New Build Cedar First Coats
Bare cedar starts weathering the day the boards go up. We get the first coat on inside the window that decides how the next twenty years go.
The first coat window is weeks, not months
Somewhere on most building sites, someone says it: leave the cedar to weather first, let it breathe. That advice has been wrong since the eighties, and in Central Otago sun it is expensive. UV starts breaking down the timber surface the day the cladding goes up, and cedar left bare through a summer holds its first coat measurably worse for the rest of its life.
The build running late is normal. The scaffold coming down before the painter arrives is normal. What matters is that someone is watching the gap between the cladding going up and the first coat going on, because that gap quietly sets up everything that follows.
What we actually do on a new build
On-site first coats with penetrating oil, timed with your builder around the schedule rather than after it. Every cut end sealed as we go, because end grain drinks water many times faster than the face of the board. Then a top-up coat 30 to 90 days later once the timber has settled, and from there the house drops into a normal maintenance cycle.
We should be straight about scope: we do on-site coating, not factory pre-finishing. And if your cedar has already sat bare past the window, that is not a disaster, it just means getting back to sound fibre first, usually with a scuff sand. We will tell you which situation you are in before anything is quoted.
Why we care about getting in early
Most of our restoration work is cedar that was left bare too long or coated late with the wrong product. We spend weeks every year sanding cladding back to raw timber to undo decisions made in the first six months of a build.
A new build first-coated properly, on time, with the right system, is a house we wash once a year and recoat every few years. That is cheaper for you and better work for us. Get us in before the scaffold comes down and you will never need our restoration page.
Timed with the build
We work in with your builder and the scaffold, not after both are gone.
End grain sealed
Every cut end coated as the job runs. It is the detail that stops early failure.
Penetrating oil from day one
The first product decides every future recoat. We start with the system we would want to maintain.
Missed the window?
Recoverable. We assess the surface honestly and get it back to sound fibre before coating.
How it runs
The new build cedar process
The same person who quotes your job runs it, from the first walk around to the last one. No handovers, nothing lost in between.
- Step 01
Talk early
Ideally before the cladding goes up. A ten minute call during the build beats a restoration quote later.
- Step 02
Check the timber
Condition and moisture checked on site, and a straight answer on whether any weathered boards need attention first.
- Step 03
First coat
Penetrating oil applied to the agreed system, cut ends sealed as we go.
- Step 04
Top-up coat
A follow-up coat 30 to 90 days later once the timber has taken the first one in.
- Step 05
Into the cycle
The house joins a normal maintenance rhythm, annual wash, recoats when elevations are due.
Seen it in the flesh
Cedar restoration in Northlake
The original coating had failed on the sunny elevations and was peeling in sheets. We sanded the cladding back to raw timber and rebuilt the finish from bare.
- Chemical wash and full dry down
- Failed coating removed and cladding sanded to bare timber
- End grain sealed, damaged boards made good
- Two coats of penetrating oil stain, extra on north and west walls
Reviews
What people say once we have left
Bradley and his partner were excellent to work with. So obliging and did such a fantastic job. So easy to recommend and I will be using for any further work I need done. They did exterior staining on my property.
Bradley and team were reliable, easy to communicate with, and did a great job.
Brad has been fantastic to work with. We've used his painting services for multiple properties and have always been impressed with the quality of his work and his excellent communication. Professional, reliable, and easy to deal with. Highly recommend!
Answers
New Build Cedar questions
How long can new cedar be left bare before coating?
Weeks, not months. The old advice to let cedar weather first has been formally debunked by the manufacturers themselves. In Central Otago UV, cedar left bare through a summer will hold its finish worse for the life of the cladding.
The cladding has already been up for months. Is it ruined?
No. It just means the surface needs to come back to sound fibre before coating, usually a scuff sand rather than just a wash. We will look at it and tell you honestly what it needs.
Do you do factory finishing or pre-coating?
No, we coat on site. If your spec calls for factory pre-finished boards, do that, it is a good system, and we can handle the cut ends, touch-ups and future maintenance once the cladding is up.
Can you work in with our builder?
That is the whole point. The best results come from being booked into the build sequence, coating while the scaffold is still up. Have your builder give us a call.
What does a new build first coat cost?
It depends on the cladding area and access, so we quote off the plans or the actual build. What we can say is that a first coat done on time is a fraction of the cost of the restoration that follows a first coat done late.
Get in touch
Not sure what your cedar needs?
Send three photos: the whole house, the sunniest wall, and a close up of the worst boards. We will tell you straight whether it wants a wash, a recoat or the full job.