Yes, this is why many of us sa to NEVER paint shakes. I think to bring back the texture and depth your only choice is to drybrush a wash on the shakes.

Flat finish because wood is usually a flat finish. You can always wash it.

Thank you. I was hoping someone could tell me if they reversed from paint to stain, giving a way to strip off the paint.

Talk to a professional painter.

Oh my gosh, that would be a major project. I imagine you could apply a stripping compound, let it do its work, and then scrape it. But having stripped smaller areas like Windows, I can't imagine doing that on a whole house.

Although I wonder whether it would be easier now immediately after painting before the paint has time to cure.

If you google "how to remove paint from cedar shakes," you will find examples, including this video. Looks like they used orbital sanders.

removing paint

I would guess the only way to remove the paint is sandblasting. But the shakes look too smooth, uniform and widely spaced to be cedar.. Are they a synthetic material or panelized?

Cedar handsplit shakes

Cedar tapersawn shakes

They are definitely cedar. The Ben Moore Aura Satin makes them look fake with a plastic coating. We replaced several areas of shakes during the remodel around doors. I wonder if it would be less costly to just replace all the cedar shakes? The are 24 years old. Anyone have any idea how much it would cost on a modest single level home?

Here are some better pictures of the 24 year old cedar shakes just before painting.

Fortunately only the front of the house has shingles, so maybe it won't be cost prohibitive to replace shingles but it includes a new balcony over the garage. Just very disappointed with Ben Moore Aura paint in satin finish. We followed the Ben Moore website recommendations for a finish.

I believe my original question was how to remove, not how to mourn it.

Good point. Perhaps it will fade a bit and not look so plastic. With your luck it will probably last a very long time. You might try applying a slightly lighter paint or stain with "dry brush" technique or sue a wire brush. There are paint softeners that dull the finish before painting. People antique their calfskin banjo heads with wood stain. It could be applied with a fan fine arts brush or cut some bristles out of a small brush. Any change might make you feel better.

Sympathy extended. I suspect it doesn't look as bad to anyone else as it does to you.

Before going "whole hog" on trying to strip that paint off, consider all the advise you get, then experiment on a tile or two located where it will be least obvious if it doesn't work.

Do you still have some of the paint you used? If you have any shakes left over from when they were put on the house (yeah, long shot), paint one and then try stripping the paint back off.

Because of the thin/side edges, removing that paint by hand will be a real chore.

I suspect sandblasting has the potential to damage the shakes.

You'd likely come out better adding to -- covering -- rather than trying to remove -- that paint.

If you're thinking about replacing the siding and if you like a rustic look … but don't want to go through this again … something to consider:

https://www.loghomeshoppe.com/pine-quarter-log-siding.html

Good luck.

You can’t really blame the paint. It did exactly what it was supposed to do and quite nicely too. You can’t see wood grain through paint. Always good to know the properties of something before you apply it. Removal would be a big messy job. I think you either have to live with the paint or start over with new shingles. Would probably be less than the labour to remove paint properly without collateral damage to plantings etc.

I did apply samples of Ben Moore paint before giving the okay. (see photo below). None of the Ben Moore samples covered the wood grain. There was nothing to lead me to suspect it would. There seems to be a disconnect between the samples given to the consumer vs. what is actually applied. Since I had already tested the Ben Moore paints why would I expect it to behave any differently? This surely could be remedied in future by Ben Moore actually giving samples of the color you want in the finish you want. Samples of only colors and not the finishes clearly doesn't cut it. ;-\

You might consider living with it awhile longer. If your home is anything like mine, dust and dirt will accumulate in the shake grooves (unless the grooves are completely filled) and the texture you like will return. Also, I have noticed paint dulling a bit over time, which could reduce the plastic look.

I love this idea. It requires no work :-). Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I do appreciate it.

The difference could be because you rolled your sample, applying a thinner coat than the sprayed finish.

You could go back with a brush and brush on a thin layer of paint here and there. You wouldn't have to do it all. You won't get the wood grain back, but you'll get some of the texture you're missing in the form of brush strokes. Personally I strongly prefer the look of brushed on paint to sprayed. Even rolled is better. So I insist on rolling our walls although my b-I-L has a pro sprayer!

Sample paint isn't real paint so it doesn't cover the same

I really think mfgs have changed the formulas in stain. It is more like paint and is opaque rather than sheer tinted. Looks so fake. Why spend the money to install cedar shakes and cover them with "opaque stain".

Hey tilemaster7 what was your outcome? What did you do? How does it look? I’m just sick; my painter painted my cedar shakes and yep, looks like plastic! I gave him the old semi-transparent oil stain can. He took it to Home Depot for color match and they sold him paint. There’s a language barrier so he depended on them to give him the right stuff. I’m screaming inside!