Are the new pickets pine? If not, what?

Cedar. I was thinking a lime wash. I'll have to ask at HD maybe they will have some idea.

I know this is a very old post, but I am new, and having a lot of fun reading about everyones creativity.

To age your cedar, take some rusty metal and place in a glass jar and cover with vinegar. Let the mixture sit for a few days. Then use it as a stain. Turns new wood old.

Thanks, Sunkissed... I have a new lath fence I wanted to look weathered... I'm going to try this... I have a lot of rusty nails I can use...

I was just reading the other day that you can use a lb. of baking soda to a gallon of water and spray it onto cedar shingles to age them. That might work on fencing too.
Mary

Be sure to test the color before you put it on the fence--Rusty nails may make a red-color stain....

I've also heard that baking soda solution (Thank you Mary as I was not sure of recipe) sprayed on cedar pickets will age them. I plan to try it today and will repost in a few days to report on whether it worked. I will use Mary's recipe applied with a garden sprayer.

there is no waiting for rusty nails in vinegar if you just take plain steel wool, dip it in vinegar and rub the wood with the steel wool.

The baking soda solution does NOT work. It's been about a month and after two applications, first with a sprayer and second with a brush. The boards are possibly slightly less new looking, but maybe that is wishful thinking after all that effort. You can tell the new boards from the old just by color and from far away. I used one small box of baking soda (16 oz) to one gallon of water for each application.