Cedar should be stained as soon as it will accept the stain. This is easy to determine with penetrating semi-transparent stains. Apply the stain, if it soaks in its ready. If it pools on the surface, do it later.
After installing your exterior cedar, you have about a two week grace period until the wood starts to discolor.
Wash & wait for it to dry
Prepare your cedar siding by washing it with soapy water to remove any dirt or dust (if any has accumulated). After you have washed it, wait for it to dry before applying any stain to the cedar.
If you are looking to preserve the beautiful rich grain of, say, a mahogany or cedar decking, we recommend sealing the deck with a translucent penetrating stain within 1-2 weeks of construction. This will ensure minimal or no UV damage and give your deck that natural look.
Remember, if you install a cedar fence it will need 5-7 weeks to dry in the sun before it will be ready for any kind of staining or treatment.
Cedar offers a durable option for exterior and interior building projects with natural resistance to rot and decay, so a protective finish is optional. If you want to enjoy the aroma of varieties such as Western Red Cedar and incense cedar, leave the wood unsealed.
Cedar wood does not take paint well, and paint can actually reduce the lifespan of your cedar fence. Pressure-treated lumber can be painted or stained, but stain will not soak in as deeply with treated wood than it would with raw. It must dry out before treating, too.
If you leave cedar wood untreated, it will not succumb to the devastating effects of mold, rot and insect damage. However, it will lose its typically golden-brown color.
In outdoor structures that are not in contact with the ground, such as decks, gazebos, pergolas and fence boards, cedar may last 30 years or longer. When in contact with the ground, such as when it's used for fence or support posts, it can last between 15 and 20 years.
Caution. Transparent, non-flexible, film-forming finishes such as lacquer, shellac, urethane, and varnish are not recommended for exterior use on cedar. Ultraviolet radiation can penetrate the transparent film and degrade the wood.
If left in its natural state, some darkening of the wood can be expected as it ages and the color variation will become less pronounced. Application of transparent finishes will also darken western red cedar to some degree but they form a protective surface that is easier to maintain.
On its website, Feldman describes the black-stained Western Red Cedar siding, explaining its aesthetic benefit: “A material palette showcasing black-stained cedar siding allows the house to sit subtly beneath the green canopies and shadows created by the oaks and redwoods hovering at the fog line.
First of all, cedar deck boards can shrink and expand depending on how high or low the humidity levels outside are. If it is especially dry outside then cedar wood will contract and shrink and if it is quite wet outside or it the humidity levels are high then cedar deck boards will expand.
That aroma is pleasant for people, but unpleasant for moths and insects, so cedar is an ideal choice for lining chests that hold blankets, linen and other fabrics. The aroma comes from organic compounds in the wood called thujaplicins, and it fades after a few years, even if you keep the chest closed.
High-quality paint or stain, properly applied, should last five to seven years, and as many as 10, depending on weather conditions and if you maintain the siding. However, you may need to reapply a clear-coat stain every two years.
Boiled linseed oil, despite not providing much water-resistance to wood when applied in the usual way associated with furniture, will do much to slow the weathering to that natural grey/silver colour if applied heavily and re-applied periodically.
Cedar Naturaltone is a Transparent Exterior Wood Stain Color from our Brown & Tan wood stains color family.
What Color is Cedar Wood? Most types of cedar wood are a pinkish-red color, though it can have some purple tones as well. As it ages it loses its reddish hues and becomes a silver or gray color.
Although cedar is a softwood like pine, it absorbs stain better than pine, especially when treated with a pre-stain wood conditioner. Indoor and outdoor cedar furniture are stained the same way. However, clear coat polyurethane, which gives the wood a shiny, smooth finish, should only be used on indoor furniture.
A good rule of thumb is to wait a month or two if the fence is made with dry materials. This will allow it to weather enough but not too much. If the fence is made with pressure treated materials it may be 3-4 months for the posts to dry enough and can be checked with a moisture meter.
Stains offer the same benefits as sealers but with some extra advantages. Sun damage can cause a fence to fade and become grey in as little as a few months. A quality stain can protect a fence against the UV rays at the heart of the process. The more opaque the stain, the more UV protection it provides.
Benefits of Staining and Sealing Fences
Staining and sealing wooden fencing not only keeps it looking good it also ensures it will last longer, particularly if a softwood like pine has been used for construction.
The best clear Cedar finish stain for outdoors is Linseed oil, hands down. Linseed oil is the primary ingredient in any oil finishes, which dries clear. You can find other clear water-based stains, but will not last nearly as long as a Linseed oil based stain will.