Thanks, guys :) woodyoak- I do have an informal flagstone path cutting through the border right next to the side porch, did you see that? (Next to where I drew the Arctic Fire Dogwood). From a functional standpoint, that gets you into the lawn and could walk around to the front door (which is what we do now on the rare occasions we need to go over there.) Maybe I could lay some more flags in a much looser, "stepping stone" type pattern over around the crabapple and to the front door, if you think it needs that... So----- these are the questions stopping me from planting now, do you have any opinions? 1) What to put on either side of the front door? 2) Do you like the two evergreens I drew, one in the corner and one next to the bedroom french doors? Any other suggestions other than Chamaecyparis? Could the one in the corner be deciduous... if so, what (needs to remain narrow but with some height)? 3)Can you think of something with mid-summer fragrance to plant in front of the french doors -which will be open then :)? Thanks so much!

A full strip is probably not necessary. Woodzotic can be maintained with a light cleaning and reapplication. If you are changing over to another stain (Wood Tux), the maintenance preparation & application will be very similar. Celeste

I put penofin for pressure-treated... tahoe, on a pressure-treated frame. So far it looks great.. just like furniture and really blends in nicely with the Ipe. I know people say to wait until it weathers but I only waited like 2 months. I wanted to give some sort of brown to the frame and posts because the sun tortures PT.. it twists, cracks, and just looks like an absolute mess. If I have to re-apply a few times in the visual areas.. I'd rather do that than watch it gray, crack and split and 'weather'. I'll keep you updated on how this stuff holds up in the rain and sun with such an early application. The pictures on penofin's website do match the result on PT. My tahoe does look like the pic... and better.. the knotholes and grain really make a crappy piece of PT look rich. Mix the penofin alot...before and during use, there is alot of reddish pigment which looks pinkish at first application but as it dries and you stand back it looks good...- go back over the board a few times as you work.. because it drinks it quickly. Here is a link that might be useful: penofin for PT

We recently purchased our first home and it has a cedar deck that was built around one year ago. The deck has not been treated and I feel that it needs some sort of treatment or stain. It has slightly greyed. I've been doing some searching on here and have ended up more confused than before! Any suggestions on what I should do, I just want this deck to last as long as possible. Thanks