Lynden Siding Cedar Has a Real Case For Itself
We're not going to pretend cedar siding is a bad product dressed up in good marketing. Western red cedar is a genuinely handsome material — tight grain, warm color, a natural resistance to insects and rot that comes from the wood itself rather than a coating. It's a Pacific Northwest tradition for a reason, and plenty of homes around Whatcom County still wear it well. If you want the specific look of real wood grain and you're prepared to treat it like a piece of furniture on the outside of your house, cedar can deliver that.
The problem isn't what cedar looks like on installation day. It's what our climate does to it over the next fifteen years.
What Lynden's Climate Actually Does to Wood Siding
Lynden sits in a corner of Whatcom County that gets the full Pacific Northwest weather package: long stretches of driving rain off the Sound, salt-laden air pushing in from Bellingham Bay and the Strait of Georgia, and a moss and algae season that can run eight or nine months out of the year on a shaded elevation. Wood siding doesn't fail because of one bad storm — it fails from cumulative moisture cycling, season after season, in exactly these conditions.
Cedar is naturally rot-resistant compared to other softwoods, but "resistant" isn't "immune." Every board on the house is absorbing and releasing moisture with the weather. Combine that with salt air corroding fasteners and finishes faster than an inland climate would, and you get a siding system that's working against the elements from day one instead of shedding them.
The Maintenance Truth Homeowners Don't Get Told Upfront
This is the part that matters most, and it's the reason for this page. Cedar siding is a maintenance commitment, not a one-time purchase. Here's what that actually looks like over the life of the siding:
- Refinishing on a clock, not a whim. Stain and clear-coat finishes on cedar break down under UV and moisture. Depending on exposure, you're looking at re-staining or re-sealing every 3 to 7 years — not because the wood failed, but because the finish protecting it did.
- Moss and algae are a standing battle. On north-facing walls and shaded sides of a house — common in a lot of Lynden's tree-lined lots — moss and algae growth is constant. Left alone, it holds moisture against the wood and accelerates decay underneath.
- Caulking and joints need annual eyes on them. Wood moves with humidity. Gaps open at butt joints and trim, and those gaps are where water gets behind the siding, not through the face of it.
- Board replacement is inevitable somewhere. Even well-maintained cedar develops soft spots, split boards, or insect damage in a few places over a couple decades — usually near grade, under gutters, or wherever water tends to linger.
- Fastener corrosion shows up early near salt air. Standard fasteners can bleed rust streaks down the face of the siding well before the wood itself is a problem, and replacing them means pulling boards.
None of this is a defect in the product. It's the honest cost of a natural material in a wet, salt-influenced climate. The real question for a homeowner isn't "does cedar look good" — it's "am I willing to sign up for this maintenance schedule for as long as I own the house."
What This Costs in Practice
We won't invent numbers, but the pattern is consistent: refinishing labor and materials every few years, spot repairs as boards age, and periodic soft-washing to keep moss from taking hold. Add it up over 20 years and cedar frequently costs more in upkeep than its purchase price implied at the start. That's money and weekends most homeowners would rather not keep spending on their siding.
Why We Standardized on James Hardie Instead
We made a business decision to only install James Hardie fiber cement siding, and cedar's maintenance burden is a big part of why. Hardie siding is engineered specifically for wet coastal climates like ours — it doesn't rot, it doesn't feed insects, and it's non-combustible. The ColorPlus factory finish is baked on and warranted against fading and peeling, so there's no re-staining cycle to manage. Hardie's HZ5 product line is formulated for the freeze-thaw and moisture conditions common in this region, and the whole system comes with a strong transferable warranty that follows the house, not just the original owner.
That doesn't mean Hardie is zero-maintenance — no exterior siding is. But the maintenance it does need is periodic washing, not a recurring finish-and-repair schedule tied to how the wood is holding up underneath.
Our Honest Recommendation
If you love the idea of real wood on your home and you're willing to stay on top of refinishing and moss control indefinitely, cedar isn't a foolish choice. We just won't be the ones installing it, because we don't think it's fair to put a product on your home that we know will demand that much upkeep in this climate — and we'd rather stand behind a siding system built for exactly the weather Lynden gets.
If you're weighing cedar against other options for your home, we're happy to walk through what we install and why, with no pressure either way. Reach out for a free estimate and we'll give you a straight answer about what makes sense for your house.