having it done how? railings? flooring? ceiling? does it get a lot of sun? What does the house look like? You either paint it or stain it and varnish it. A picture is worth a thousand words.

What part of the porch, exactly? Floor?

we used douglas fir on the house and i stained it with linseedoil and coloring..

Thank you for everyone's comments.

I am replacing the porch floor. The original douglas fir floor was over 100 years old. I ended getting Arborcoat by Benjamin Moore, after talking to the paint store manager. It is a translucent oil finish. I was told it will bring out the red in the wood.

We shall see. It is going to be warm in Boston the next couple of days and that is when it is going to be applied. I will post pictures when it is done. Right now, it is stacked wood.