which cedar stain?

10 years ago

This is our new home in the mountains of Tennessee. The dilemma is the color choice of the cedar shake. We originally wanted to do a clear stain and leave it looking natural. there was some miscommunication and instead of staining it clear they used a darker stain. many people like the stain and think it looks good. we cannot decide if it is worth changing or not. problem is that on a cloudy day and in the shade it seems too dark for me. I tend to like bright and cheerful tones and colors. On a sunny day the darker stain seems fine to me and I like it pretty well. taking opinions and advice please. posting first pic which is before they stained it. second pic is after the stain on a cloudy day. the third pic is after the stain on a sunny day. the porch is not done and door isn't stained. thank you.

Featured Answer

calidesign

10 years ago

I think it looks much better stained.

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Comments (11)

millworkman
10 years ago
"we cannot decide if it is worth changing or not"

How would you change the stain? That would require replacing the shingle in order to go lighter in color I am afraid...................
Terri Henderson
10 years ago
I really love the stained color.
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kfaerbe
Original Author
10 years ago
yes, exactly. they are willing to change it by removing it and putting new up and then staining with a clear stain. we would have to split the cost which we are ok with at this point. so big question is which looks better? also, honestly I'm confused because I have heard people say cedar will darken over time and then others say it will lighten? lol. so not sure which is true?
Terri Henderson
10 years ago
It may depend upon the environment if it lightens or darkens.
Carolina
10 years ago
I like both colors but i would leave it as is. The stain is not very dark and the house still looks light overall with some interest. There's some darker stones in the masonry that balance the shingles and once the door and post are stained, it will look even better. From what i understand, cedar shingles tend to turn grayish when not stained, the stain helps so they won't turn that color. Beautiful house either way!
kfaerbe
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you all for your opinions and helpful advice! we are trying to decide today if possible. lol! so this is super helpful. :)
millworkman
10 years ago
I would not change it, the color will fade within a year anyway.
kjoy1
10 years ago
I think it looks lovely. Leave it. Enjoy it. Beautiful home:)
Colleen
10 years ago
I like the stain. What is the color? We are deciding on color to stain our cedar posts.
PRO
Defining Design, LLC
9 years ago
It is true that the cedar will darken in time, in my experience due to weather and plain dirt and mildew. We chose to clean ours which brought out the brightness, then we clear coated, which was a mistake as it will now not clean evenly. I would advise to keep it natural and clean periodically or choose a color for keeps. The one pictured above is quite nice, and probably the color is will become with time.