refresh look of cedar siding

[kodiakman]

I've just purchased a house with cedar siding. The siding is about 10-15 years old and is well "weather-grayed" except for areas under the eaves which are mostly protected from the elements. Personally, I like the look of them, but my wife would like the siding to have it's youthful brown color.

Is there any way to restore/refresh the siding? Can it be stained or sealed to give it color that way? Or will staining/sealing counteract the natural insect and water resistance of the cedar?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[cowboy]

50/50 chlorine bleach/water in a garden sprayer, applied on a day with no wind

wear a mask, bleach will age you faster than anything, if you inhale it

[JJC]

I am planning on doing this in July also. How long should I let the solution sit on the siding before rinsing it off?

The other thing I was going to try on a spot was Flood CWF-UV Clear in the hopes that it might keep the new wood look for a couple of seasons. Comments?

[Duane Bozarth]

I'd recommend the oxalic acid deck cleaner approach over the bleach if you're really after getting the near-original color back...much more effective.

[Duane Bozarth]

BTW, don't get carried away w/ the idea and go rent a power washer...cedar is soft and easy to blast a hole clean on through...

[Bobby_M]

I owned a house with 6 year old cedar shingles. I got tired of the different shades of sun bleaching that was occuring and wanted to even things out. A neighbor of mine used a stain on his that was close to new cedar color (maybe a big more honey gold) and it looked great. I was going to do the same but sold the house before I got around to it.

[No]

Check out the Sikkens stain application guide. They have suggestions for prep and their Cetol 123 plus product is an excelent choice for cedar siding. You will get the color back, it will be consistent and it will stay that way if you follow their instructions. I'm not affiliated with them just a satisfied customer. I used the 'Natural' color.

Good luck - Take some pictures and post when done.

[Blue]

Bleach changes to common salt rapidly. You don't needd to rinse it off.>