I am considering using cedar for some deck and siding projects I have coming up. I think cedar is a beautiful wood when new and smells great. What I don't like is the gray color it turns after a little aging. Is there a sealer or some kind of way to prevent cedar wood from turning grey?
gray or grey?
Anyway......
Hayduke
It will grey as the sealer wears off requiring cleaning and resealing. But new it will look the best. Natural light color will require the most maintenance.
Look at the Sikkens products. I used Sikkens Cetol 123 on some new western red cedar siding many years ago and it still looks great. It will require a renew of the topcoat every few years depending on the exposure. I think their deck product is Sikkens Cetol Dek or some such thing. The "natural" color will darken the look a bit, it looks great, sort of like if you took the raw wood an wet it.
I highly recommend the Sikkens stuff.
Penofin Oil. Has UV inhibitors.
Bear in mind that any sealer will also seal in the smell.
Yes, you would have to seal it, but I think it would be a fools errand to try and keep the condition up. If you want the look of cedar, go for manufactured stuff.
Gray or Grey is appropriate, depending where you live.
I second the recommendation for Sikkens Cetol Dek
This summer we had an 800 SqFt deck constructed using White Cedar and we simply loved its color especially when it was wet (like from rain). We searched and searched and selected Sikkens in Natural Cedar shade and after TWO coats it came really close to the wet color we wanted.
Obviously its only been about 5 months but so far so good.
ps: and altough the aroma is somewhat subdued, we can still smell quite a bit of it. The scraps we've been using as kindling for our fireplace this fall.
Bob
Cedrar is wood , it darkens , it takes work, but will never be like new. after 5 yrs.. Ever.
I am considering using cedar for some deck and siding projects I have
You ought ought to pick a wood species that weathers to the color *you* want. Trying to keep cedar from going gray is a very expensive and labor intensive job involving frequent re-coats of acrylic or oil stains and sealers, and sealing robs you of the wonderful cedar scent. If siding is properly built, it should last a lifetime with only infrequent cleaning and occasional reoiling. All organic oils such as linseed based products eventually darken the wood, as they oxidize and are food for mold.. Acrylic stains tend to maintain the original color without significant darkening, in my experience.
I second the recommendation of Sikkens.
I used Sikkens Cetol SRD (1-step application for low-lying decks) on OLD, but cleaned and brightened, pressure-treated wood and it's lasted 4 years and counting. I used semi-transparent "Sequoia"/"Redwood" (#089).
Whatever you use, be sure to prep the wood and apply per manufacturer's instructions as best you can.
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