Lynden Siding Cedar Has a Real Appeal — We're Not Going to Pretend Otherwise
Cedar siding shows up on a lot of homes around Lynden, and it's easy to see why. It has a warmth and texture that manufactured products spend a lot of marketing dollars trying to imitate. Western red cedar in particular is naturally rot-resistant compared to other softwoods, it's a regional material with deep roots in Pacific Northwest building tradition, and a freshly stained cedar exterior is genuinely beautiful. None of that is in dispute.
What's also not in dispute, if you talk to anyone who has owned a cedar-sided home in Whatcom County for more than a decade, is that the beauty comes with a maintenance bill attached — one that's steeper and more frequent than most homeowners expect when they first fall for the look. This page is about that bill: what it actually involves, why our climate makes it worse, and why we've made the decision as a company to install James Hardie fiber cement instead of cedar.
What Cedar Siding Actually Requires Over Time
Cedar is wood. Wood moves, absorbs moisture, and breaks down under UV exposure unless it's protected — and that protection isn't a one-time install step, it's an ongoing commitment for as long as you own the house.
The Stain or Seal Cycle
Unfinished or lightly finished cedar will gray and start checking (small surface cracks) within a couple of years of sun exposure. Most owners choose a semi-transparent stain or a solid-body finish to slow that down and even out the color. Either way, that finish has a service life — typically 3 to 5 years for stain, sometimes less on sun-exposed or south-facing walls — after which it needs to be washed, prepped, and reapplied. Skip a cycle or two and you're not just touching up color, you're often dealing with raised grain, mildew staining, and finish failure that requires more aggressive prep before the next coat will even bond.
Caulking and Joint Maintenance
Cedar boards are typically installed with butt joints, corner boards, and trim intersections that all rely on caulking to stay watertight. Caulk has a shorter lifespan than the siding itself — sun and moisture cycling break it down, and once it cracks or separates, water has a direct path behind the board. That means periodic caulk inspection and re-sealing is part of the deal, not an occasional extra.
Moisture and Rot Points
Even rot-resistant cedar rots if water sits against it long enough. The vulnerable spots are predictable: bottom edges near grade, window and door trim, deck ledger connections, and any place where two pieces of wood meet and trap moisture between them. Catching these early means regular close-up inspection, not just a glance from the curb.
Lynden's Climate Makes the Maintenance Math Harder
Every one of the maintenance items above gets more demanding in Whatcom County than it would in a drier inland climate, for three specific reasons.
Driving rain. Lynden sits in a part of Washington that gets sustained, wind-driven rain events, not just steady drizzle. That kind of weather pushes moisture sideways into joints, laps, and trim intersections that a gentler rain would never reach — which is exactly where cedar's caulked seams and end grain are weakest.
A long moss and algae season. Cool, damp, shaded conditions for much of the year are ideal growing conditions for moss and algae on wood siding, especially on north-facing walls and anywhere tree cover blocks the sun. Once organic growth establishes itself on cedar, it holds moisture against the wood surface and accelerates finish breakdown — and removing it without damaging the wood or the finish takes real care, not a pressure washer on high.
Salt air influence. Whatcom County's proximity to Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia means many properties get some degree of salt air exposure. Salt-laden moisture accelerates finish degradation and can contribute to fastener corrosion over time, adding another variable to an already demanding maintenance schedule.
None of these factors are unique to cedar — they affect every exterior material to some degree. But they hit a natural wood product harder than they hit an engineered one, because cedar's whole defense system is a finish coating that these same conditions work to break down faster.
The Real Cost Comparison Over Time
Homeowners usually compare siding materials on install price alone. That's the wrong comparison. The number that actually matters is total cost of ownership over 20-30 years, once you factor in refinishing labor, repairs, and replacement of damaged sections.
| Maintenance Item | Cedar Siding | James Hardie Fiber Cement |
|---|---|---|
| Refinishing cycle | Every 3-5 years (stain/seal) | Factory ColorPlus finish, no refinishing needed for 15+ years |
| Caulk/joint inspection | Annual recommended | Standard periodic check, fewer vulnerable joints |
| Moss/algae treatment | Ongoing, especially shaded walls | Fiber cement resists organic growth, easier cleaning |
| Rot risk | Real, at grade and joints | Non-organic material, not susceptible to wood rot |
| Fire resistance | Combustible | Non-combustible material |
| Typical product warranty | Varies by finish, often limited | Long transferable manufacturer warranty |
This isn't a knock on cedar as a material — it's simply what the ownership experience looks like compared to a product engineered specifically to resist these conditions.
Where Cedar Siding Tends to Fail First
When we look at aging cedar homes in this area, the damage almost never starts in the middle of a flat wall. It starts in a handful of predictable spots:
- Bottom courses close to grade, where splash-back and soil contact keep the wood damp
- Butt joints and corner boards where caulk has cracked or pulled away
- Areas under sprinkler spray or near downspout discharge points
- North-facing and tree-shaded walls where moss and algae take hold first
- Window and door trim intersections where sealant failure lets water track behind the siding
- South and west exposures where UV breaks down finish fastest, followed by checking and cupping
Once water gets behind a board in any of these spots, the damage is often hidden until it's significant — soft wood, delamination, or rot in the sheathing behind the siding, which turns a maintenance job into a repair job.
What Correct Cedar Care Actually Involves
To be fair to the material, cedar siding can last a long time when it's maintained properly. That maintenance just needs to be realistic, not aspirational. A properly maintained cedar exterior typically needs:
- Annual visual inspection of all joints, trim, and lower courses
- Prompt caulk repair at the first sign of cracking or separation
- Refinishing (cleaning, prepping, and recoating) on a 3-5 year cycle, sooner on sun-exposed walls
- Gentle, wood-safe moss and algae removal — not high-pressure washing that drives water into the grain
- Keeping sprinklers, plant beds, and mulch from throwing water or holding moisture against the siding
- Prompt attention to any soft spots, cupping boards, or finish failure before they spread
That's a legitimate, ongoing commitment of time and money — and it's the honest reason a lot of Lynden homeowners who love the look of cedar end up frustrated by the reality of owning it.
Why We Standardized on James Hardie Instead
As a company, we made the decision to install James Hardie fiber cement exclusively rather than offering cedar, LP SmartSide, vinyl, or other alternatives. It comes down to matching the product to what this climate actually demands. James Hardie's HZ5 product line is engineered for the freeze-thaw and moisture cycling common in the Pacific Northwest, the factory-applied ColorPlus finish is baked on under controlled conditions rather than field-applied and re-applied every few years, and fiber cement simply doesn't feed moss, absorb water, or rot the way wood does. It's also non-combustible, which matters more every year given regional wildfire smoke and ember exposure during dry summer stretches.
We're not installing Hardie because it's trendy — we're installing it because after years of servicing exteriors in Whatcom County's specific mix of driving rain, moss season, and salt air influence, it's the product that holds up with the least surprises and the least ongoing cost for the homeowner.
Making the Right Call for Your Home
If you already have cedar siding and it's well-maintained, there's no reason to panic — a good finish schedule and prompt attention to joints and grade-level boards can keep it performing for years. But if you're planning a re-side, or your current cedar is reaching the point where refinishing is turning into repair, it's worth understanding exactly what you're signing up for before you commit to another wood exterior.
We're happy to walk your home, point out exactly where your existing siding stands, and give you a straight comparison of what continuing with cedar versus switching to fiber cement would look like for your specific house. Reach out for a free, no-pressure estimate — no sales pitch, just an honest read on your options.