# Advice sought on refinishing clear cedar soffits.



## mossback (Mar 17, 2021)

Hi guys.

Im about chest-deep in a project resurfacing about 450 sq feet of clear cedar varnished soffits on my home. It hasn't been the most fun project I have ever done, but between a hand power planer, disc sander and orbital sander it is getting done at a rate of about 45 sq feet a day. (Overhead work wears this old guy out pretty quickly)



















Now I have a couple of questions, plus any other tips you may have.

1. Does anyone have any tips on how I can clean out the varnish / surface out of the v-grooves between the tongue and groove cedar (see pic) and still maintain the clean straight look of the lines? Doing it just freehand with the orbital or disk sanders has not proven to be a great method for me. The wife thinks I should just leave it, but I am concerned that 1. It may be more visible to younger eyes from the ground. 2. That once I put a finish on it, it may be more obvious.










2. What's a good strategy on finishing these? I was originally thinking a marine spar varnish, but a friend told me that that is just setting myself up to have to do this job again in a couple of years. He recommended an oil finish (tung or something) with a sealer on top of it. I don't need a gloss finish, but I do think I want a deeper, richer color than how it looks raw.

Please consider no advice unsolicited. Any and all tips welcome!

Thanks for reading this far.

Mossback.


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## Bobsboxes (Feb 8, 2011)

I did about the same thing on an open porch, with a bead board soffit. I took an old time beer can opener and and sharpened the back side on the v on a grinder. It worked like a champ. Hope this helps.


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

The Boss is right, plus no way in H_ I would go around scraping that out. I doubt you'll ever be able to see it, even if you do, it'll look like it was meant to be that way.

I would seal it first (deck sealer?) or stain (deck stain?), then urethane it.

How are you going to apply it? I think you could use a lambs wool applicator like on a floor.

But it would be well worth it to buy a hand held airless sprayer, if you don't already have one.


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## mossback (Mar 17, 2021)

Bob, How long did it take you? Sounds like you basically made a rough v-parting tool or gouge? How long did it take you?

Robert, So far redwood stain and then a behr or olympic deck sealant is my current plan because frankly I don't know what else to do. Im not really sure what to expect with regard to protection. Could I get away with stain, then oil, then sealer? I would like to try and get a rich color effect if I can.

I dont think i want to use poly, because i dont want to have to scrape it off again in a couple of years.


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## Bobsboxes (Feb 8, 2011)

I did about100 sq feet in two hours, mine had white paint in the groves. I cleaned all of the ceiling with a soft wire brush first. I used exterior water based poly. Mine is an in closed porch. I would use an exterior deck or fence oil. My 2 cents.


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

My thought to clean the groove is to create a system using a router with a V bit. The problem is it would need some sort of fence guide to keep it tracking straight. One of the small trim routers would be light weight do the job of cleaning the groove out. Using screws to mount a fence guide would only leave a couple of small holes.

Out door finishes are a perpetual problem. There are paints that stand up for 10 to 15 years but everything else degrades in 2 to 5 years. From my experience with cedar (decks and benches) I would just use the Behr deck finish in the stain color you prefer. That is all. It is about the best I found. Oils like Tung oil is about the same.

Next time it needs work you can just treat it with a deck cleaner and brightener, carefully power wash, and apply a new finish. Top coat finishes like poly and varnish all break down after 3 to 5 years and as you are finding out have to be scraped and sanded off. In places like under the eves may last longer than I suggested but it still involves scraping and sanding again.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

Spar varnish is wasted under a soffit. With no direct sunlight or rain hitting it, just a regular exterior oil based transparent stain (any color you want or natural) will provide many years of protection and no need to add a sealer either. In fact, varnish and sealers can trap moisture which can actually make things worse. It will also be less work when you (or the next guy) do finally need to refinish because there will be no thick surface finish to remove. You can just apply a new coat of stain with very little prep.

To get the varnish out of the grooves, did you try using a wire wheel on an angle grinder?


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## azwoodworker (Jul 9, 2013)

I could be completely off but I have redwood sheds, and siding on most of my storage, and additions on my brick house. I have also worked on a number of cabin-like and varnished and oil-stained finishes outside and I either make my own cleaner or use a Thompsons-like cleaner to clean and pressure wash siding to a new finish. I have a gas 1.5 HP pressure washer that top pressure is 125. I aim to clean the dirt from the varnish removing the film dirt that has penetrated and the film that has failed and allowed dirt to enter. Since most are in the eaves do not get sun you are mainly dealing with dirt. My Pressure washer is not just pressure but a swirling effect that creates a vortex to get in the grooves with the nozzle. Some time light sanding is needed after, depending on rasing of wood grain, but this is minor and only where the film has completely failed and stops after second time cleaning and recoating. I never get close enough to damage the wood.

On oil as opposed to varnish collects dirt. I am in Arizona where films fail with the intensity of the sun, UV protection goes fast and I use the mixture that the Wood Whisperer came up with; part Boiled linseed oil, part marine varnish, and part napa. I have used Log Tung Oil on some older fences, but would not use it on the siding as it turns the color towards yellow, but it had a varnish added so it filmed. Tung Oil like Waterlox is my favorite finish but in higher moisture areas can mildew. What I don't like about penetrating oil and instead go heavy on varnish outside is the dirt the oil collects, and I love the new look of redwood.

I would stick with a good wood marine varnish and keep a schedule of pressure washing and reapplying more often rather than going with penetrating oil. Marine Varnish or something that filmed is the way to go.


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

I won't pressure wash wood. It forces moisture into the wood, and that leads to failure of the new finish. Maybe a scrub brush on a pole and a light, low pressure rinse from your house. Then allow to dry. It will take awhile. There are triangular scrapers in the paint department. Unless someone put them in the tool department. It will be nice when done.


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## Bigred1 (Feb 27, 2017)

About three years ago I installed Sapele soffit outside my entry door and back patio door. I used an oil finish and it has weathered wonderfully, looking like the day I finished it. As it is soffit, it doesn't get the extreme Texas sun nor rain, but is subject to the very hot summer temperatures. Here is a pic of the soffit after 3 years.


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## azwoodworker (Jul 9, 2013)

Bigred 1 That looks very nice. What oil finish did you use?


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