Scott writes:

Bruce,

The Behr semi-transparent stain you used....did it darken the wood much?
(that's what I'm trying to avoid).

Our contractor is mailing us a color sheet showing different stain colors.

I'm still leaning toward a transparent seal, because I just love the natural look.

And, yes, we're enjoying our deck immensely. If it means power-washing
and sealing it every year or two, so be it. It's worth it.

_Never_ power wash a cedar deck! The pressure of the washer is too high. It
will create small (invisible) cavities and damage the wood irreversibly.
Clean it with a thin solution of NaOH (which removes the tanning acid) and
hose it thoroughly. After that apply an _oil based_ stain. All water based
stains I have seen so far are crap. Or don't stain it at all. But if you
want to stop cedar from getting gray, you have to remove the tanning acid
every year (at least every two years).

Henning

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Henning Follmann |