Is that western red cedar? People don't stain fences often here in Oregon where cedar is harvested. The gray doesn't seem to bother Oregonians.

We've tried many products over the twenty years we've had our deck. Decking weathers faster than fences, but Natural was gone after one winter. It's basically an oil protectant. Cedar was too orange for my taste. Four years ago we tried Cabot Heartwood. We've been really pleased with Cabot and particularly Heartwood. It's dark but not orange and we get two years from the stain.

In the photo, the fence is newly-installed (unstained) and the deck is freshly stained with Heartwood.

Fence after two years.

In your case, I'd probably do Natural or Brown. If you are keeping a portion of the old fence, stain it all brown.

Of the colors that you posted, I would choose the oxford brown. I dont like the natural with your house color, and the other ones are way to reddish. The brown is a nice color.

Eileen- Yep, the contractor uses western red cedar and will replace the entire fence. Leaving the wood untreated could definitely be an option for us. We hear the wood holds up just fine without a stain.

Your backyard looks like a very peaceful place and that deck stain is fabulous! It was very helpful to see the fence’s before and after to see how it’s aging naturally.

Cat_ky- Thanks so much for your input! I agree with avoiding overly reddish tones. Those keep ending up on the bottom of the list.

Oxford brown would be my chice.

The gray disappears more than the brown.

Make sure you keep mulch and dirt away from the boards because that will eat away the wood.