I have a major issue with my cedar sided wood home! Here is a little history. The house was built about 8 years ago and the builder applied a Sikkens stain. The stained help up fairly well for about 4 years. It started to slightly peel so my painter suggested to scrap and sand then apply a new coat of Sikkens to the entire house. At first it looked very nice and shiny but after a year or two it started to get mildew spots growing in the wood. This has gotten worse and to even the point that the entire home looks black. I was told by my painter that we should strip it down to the wood and start over with a new coat of Sikkens. My painter then started to strip the stain with his pressure washer. After about 2 hours I went outside to check on his progress only to find the cedar completely destroyed! It had splinters and gauge marks all over the wood! I really need some help! Please let me know what to do about:

1. Stripping the sikkens without damaging the wood.
2. Fixing the 400 feet of siding that the "fired" painter ruined.
3. Using a stain that will not create this mess again.
4. Any other tips.

Thanks so much for any suggestions!

Sorry to hear that you are having issues. Hopefully I can help answer a few of your questions.

1. There is two popular versions of Sikkens. One is SRD and the other is Cetol. The Cetol is a "film forming" finish that leaves the wood shiny. If this is the product that was used previuosly, then it probably can not be removed with a deck stripper. Most likely you will need to have it professionaly cob-blasted. The SRD version is removable with a deck stripper if that was the previous version used.
2. Your painter obviously had no clue on how to properly use a pressure washer. He used too much pressure and ended up tearing at the lignin that holds the cellular structure of the wood together. At this point you need to either sand or replace.
3. We always suggest using a transparent exterior wood stain that "penetrates" into the wood and not lay on top of the wood. This will help in future maintenance procedures. Non film forming penetrating stains are easily cleanable and or removable with a deck stripper. Also choose a stain that has a mildewcide in it to prevent mildew.
4. Hire someone who specializes in this type of work.