Thanks for the lovely picture, kbeitz. Diesel oil and tar are non-toxic? Maybe compared to the arsenate-treated and worse, creosote-treated stuff. An oil-tar mix would be a good herbicide, similar in action to the old "carrot oil" used to kill roadside and railbed weeds, including some hard-to-kill perennials. Cedar is naturally rot-resistant but weathers irregularly. Most treatments will darken the older wood. If you like the color already you might try a water-proofing treatment applied several times over the course of a week or so. You can also use boiled linseed oil thinned with perhaps paint thinner (is there a less toxic alternative?) and brushed or sprayed liberally. The surface will darken. If you ever want to darken/"age" new redwood and some cedarwood, make a "paint" of baking soda and water and brush on for a darkened look. I do that on redwood benches and fencing for that instant weathered look. The dark colors fade with time to true aged ones.

I did some research last year on stains because we have to rebuild our deck and other solid stains I've used have been less than successful. Cabot and Sikkens came up as good brands . On the older/current deck (pressure treated, mind you) I started out with Maxxum solid stain (self-priming). It held 'ok' on vertical surfaces, kept pulling from horizontal. (I know you're not doing horizontal/walk surfaces but I'm about to make a point ;D After touching up every spring, I went to my local independent store who recommended REZ with their primer underneath first. That held up exceptionally well on vertical surfaces (on some lower railings protected from non-stop sun by the primary upper railing the REZ is still in near pristine condition after many years). Problem I encountered again was on the horizontal walk paths. If not for that, REZ performed well. I also used Olympic solid color (white) on a picket fence (cedar). It's held up pretty well (3 years before a touch up was needed where dogs jumped at the gate and areas weed whacker hit.) No yellowing with the Olympic. I will reiterate what the local independent dealer told me. Olympic from him was a better quality than Olympic from a local big box store (Menards). Per the dealer, it was more 'contractor grade' at big box stores. I have not used Behr solid stain, however I have used Behr semi on our cedar privacy fence and on a rental deck (treated). After about 10 years on our fence (recoating every 2nd year, no more than 3 years max without a recoat) we switched to Cabot's two years ago. Still holding well, going into 3rd season and I can see no recoat will be necessary this year (yeah!). Used Behr semi on a rental pressure treated deck. Never again. 6 months later (two tenants, no kids/pets) and it pulled off walk paths and railings where hands touch. A full year later it looks like junk: faded and weathered. So I would be very leery myself of Behr stain on a house. After the problems encountered with the rental deck I did some googling and found that complaints about Behr stain are not uncommon. I'm so disgusted with that rental deck, I'll be trying Cabot's on it this year. Just my .02 ;)

Does anyone have any advice on cleaning, staining, sealing a cedar privacy fence. We put up the fence about 5 years ago. When we put it up we semi-stained it. It has been looking bad the past couple years. A lot of faded & green color I assume is algae although it gets lots of sun. Also the birds have left their mark. We want to clean it & stain/seal it. Can a pressure washer be used to clean it? What kind of cleaner should we use. And what is a good stain/seal? We originally stained it a cedar color. Would we have to stain the same color again. Thanks for any help. Karen

I do not mean to hijack your post, but it seems like a good place to add another example. We are dealing with this exact same issue. Bright red stain on brand new cedar siding after being VERY clear we did not want red at all costs. Our contractor used 2 coats the same day he put the boards up. Besides the ridiculously ugly color, I am unsure what problems we should anticipate, as I am reading there should only be 1 coat and that waiting for the wood to dry before putting a stain on is essential. I will post any solutions we try-hopefully that will help others.