Hi Guys, I'd recommend Sikkens hands-down! Particularly the newer "Log & Siding" product. If applied on nice, clean, & dry Cedar, it looks gorgeous. * It's a "sheen-building" coating...dries to a Satin finish...and the colors are beautiful. * TWO COATS, 24 hrs. apart required. * A neighbor down the street from us had their painter use the Sikkens Log & Siding, #078 Natural color. It looks stunning in my opinion! Cedar-shake siding...of varying darkness of course. * It's ~ a $400k house on a man-made lake. Rectangular stone on the bottom 1/3, and Cedar shakes on the upper. * They went through 3 5-gal. pails for the home...$360 per 5-gal. Usually ~ $74/gal. * I'm "pretty sure" they backprimed with a sealer, & the 2 coats of L & S on the outer. * We ordered about $3500 worth of various Sikkens products for one home last yr. in MN lakes country....uffda! * IF in full sun on the S & W sides, a light cleaning, possible spot-sanding, & a light "maintenance coat" are needed every 3 or 4 years. N & E sides can usually go 4 to 5 yrs. between maintenance procedures. * The whole point is to STAY AHEAD of harsh sun & weather degradation of a clearer finish. * Check out www.nam.sikkens.com * Bottom line, if prepped/maintained right, you won't go wrong with Sikkens. It's the "C2" of deck & siding treatments! Regards, Faron

I need help choosing a product to re-stain our outbuildings and deck. Several years ago, I used Olympic Naturaltone Redwood semi-transparent stain. I loved the color because it looked like natural redwood, not a bright orange or red color, but a more subtle reddish brown natural wood color. When I checked to see if Olympic still makes this product, I discovered quite a few negative reviews that stated that the naturaltone redwood is now a really orange color. If this product has changed colors, I know I won't be happy with it. Can anyone suggest another stain that might be more like the old Olympic Naturaltone Redwood? I hate picking colors and just want the color I used before. Any help would be much appreciated.

JDS..I think the Cedar Valley are red. They send the shingles to a place here in Il and they are dipped before our supplier gets them. Cedar Valley will use any brand and color of stain we want and send us samples. We received 2 samples (Cabot ) this week and I thought one would be a sure thing when I ordered them. Didn't like either with our stone. Back to the drawing board. i will look at the Cabot bleaching oil. Who knew it would be so hard to pick a stain color. hope you see this before you go.

Because based on my research (reading and talking to Shweri Williams rep) paint tends to outlast staining? Maybe. Under ideal circumstances. But. Existing structure. No way to properly back prime the siding. No way to prime the cut ends of the siding. Stained siding breathes so any moisture that might migrate from the interior will evaporate vs getting trapped behind paint (leading to peeling paint). And your roof has next to zero overhang to help shield the walls from the elements. So, realistically, less than ideal circumstances for optimum paint performance. Before considering other variables like weather conditions during the job, painter experience & skill... No mention of the labor & material cost. To paint now, it is a minimum three coat job. Primer & 2 coats of paint. To repaint later will involve scraping, sanding, priming & paint. To stain now & restain later will require less material & a lot less labor cost. Agree with Cat and Roarah--I would go with a semi-transparent oil-based exterior stain.