Tag Archives: California Compliant Fire Treated Western Red Cedar

Clear Western Red Cedar Bevel Siding

Due to wide availability, combined with natural beauty and ease of installation, clear Western Red Cedar Beveled siding is a popular choice for premium exterior siding. With proper care and maintenance, clear Cedar Bevel siding will provide many years of service.  And, when its life cycle is complete, it is easily disposed of, which makes it a very eco-friendly building product.

4" Clear Western Red Cedar Bevel Premium Siding
photo and craftsmanship by Craig Younquist

Bevel siding is produced by re-sawing lumber at an angle to produce two identical pieces, each with a thinner edge than the other. Traditionally installed horizontally, it provides a shadow line that varies with the thickness of the siding chosen.

Also commonly referred to as Clapboard siding, it is available in knotty as well as clear grades.  To learn more about our popular budget friendly knotty Bevel siding, please visit our blog on that by clicking HERE.

Clear Grades

  • Vertical grain – the highest grade available. It is a reversible product
  • A&Btr – graded and recommended for smooth face use only      

Common Sizes for Clear Bevel Siding

  • 1/2×4”
  • 1/2×6”
  • 1/2×8”
  • 3/4×8”
  • 3/4×10”

Generally speaking, clear Western Red Cedar Bevel siding is sold “random length” from 3’ to 20’ lengths in bundles with specific piece counts.

Clear, vertical grain Western Red Cedar Bevel siding define this luxury home on Fire Island in New York

For those projects that require a painted surface, clear, vertical grain, finger-jointed, primed Bevel siding is a great money-saving option and is readily available in the same common sizes as natural clear Bevel siding. Recommended for smooth face use in 16’ lengths, this siding is already primed with a good quality alkyd oil primer and is ready to install and paint.

Not able to use an “off the shelf” product or want something special made? We specialize in working with customers with unique needs all over the US and can mill custom clear Bevel siding in most any size in random lengths. To save money and time on the job site, we also can provide custom factory pre-staining or pre-priming to your clear Bevel siding. Code conforming fire treatment is also an option.

Prior to delivery, we had the clear, Bevel siding for this job sent out for custom pre-staining.
Upon arrival at the job site, it was ready to install.

Starting at the bottom of the wall, Western Red Cedar Bevel siding should be face nailed to studs with 1-1/4″ good penetration into solid wood. Place nail just above the overlap, using one nail per piece, up to a maximum of 24″ apart. Fasteners should be corrosion resistant and approved for installing Western Red Cedar. Either natural or color-matched stainless steel nails are a popular choice when installing premium clear Bevel siding. No caulking should be used between joints to allow the wood to expand and contract. Please see our blog General Guidelines for Installing Western Red Cedar Siding for more tips.

Before your next project, be sure to visit us! We ship nationwide!

360.757.6343

950 B Fountain Street, Burlington WA

www.ccLumber.com

Fire Treating Western Red Cedar Shingles and Shakes

Man has been using natural materials, such as Western Red Cedar, for siding and roofing since the beginning of time, especially in areas where it grows naturally.  And while Cedar is somewhat fire-resistant naturally, when it will be used in areas where fire danger is high, adding a permanent fire retardant can be extremely helpful.

Class A Fire Retardant Western Red Shingles

There are three classes of fire treating available for Western Red Cedar Shingles and Shakes.  Class “A” is effective against severe fire exposures, Class “B” is most effective against moderate fire exposures, while Class “C” would be effective against light fire exposures.

Where required, optional fire retardant treatments that have passed the California State Fire Marshall & ICC 10 year real-time weathering test are available.  Be sure to check with your local building officials to determine which class of fire treatment is best for your particular area.  All of our Classes of fire treating meet all local and state wildland-urban interface requirements.

We routinely work with the Nation Park Service to provide them with Fire Treated Western Red Cedar Shingles and Shakes for fire lookouts in Washington state, especially those that are in high-risk areas.  The Western Red Cedar Shingles blend beautifully with the surrounding area, and because they are treated with fire retardant, are less likely to catch fire.

Fire lookout with fire treated western red cedar shingles

In order to begin fire treating the Western Red Cedar shingles or shakes, all the air and moisture must be removed from the wood.  This is done in a large pressure autoclave cylinder.  Next, the cylinder is filled with the fire retardant.  As the chemicals fill the cylinder, the vacuum that was previously created by pulling the moisture and air out pulls the fire retardant into the wood.  The pressure is then increased in the container, and the fire treatment is pushed even deeper into the Cedar.  Once the required amount of treatment is retained in the Cedar, any remaining fire treatment is drained, and the Cedar shingles and/or shakes are transferred to a kiln for drying.  The Cedar is dried over the course of several days very slowly to ensure the chemicals are completely bonded with the wood.

After Western Red Cedar is treated with fire retardant, the color of the wood may be slightly darker, but no other difference is generally noticed.  Over time, they will grey just as natural Cedar would, but the treatment does not diminish.

A limited Lifetime Warranty is provided on the fire retardant treatment when the Western Red Cedar Shingles and/or Shakes are installed properly and used for intended purposes.  For information on installation, please click HERE.

Our team would be happy to discuss your fire treating options with you.  Please give us a call today!  We ship nationwide!

Before your next project, be sure to visit us!

www.CedarCountryLumber.com

Toll-Free 866.757.6343