Sheri-On standard panels the shingles are all butted together tightly. On Open Keyway we leave a small gap. Open Keyway is normally used for heavy coatings like solid stains or paint.

ok thank you! With a semi transparent stain, how do the shingles hold up? My husband is concerned about maintenance. We live in Southern California.

We do 2-coats of Semi-transparent stain to get the richest color. The semi-transparent is designed to highlight the natural colors of the cedar. The maintenance cycle for it is 3-5 years between coats. For lower maintenance we can us the Woodscapes solid stain (5-8 years) or the SuperPaint (10-15 years). Feel free to call us and talk to David C. about your options. He is the sales guy for So-Cal. 800-521-9523-Thanks!