Can anyone recommend a good stain brand and color for a cedar privacy fence? It has been up for about 4 months and has not started to turn grey yet. We tried a sample of Behr semi-transparent cedar color and were not happy with the color or how solid it looked.

We want a stain that would give the fence some protection, keep it from going grey and still keep it looking natural(meaning not having it look like a painted fence).

We like the natural cedar look, but we are planning on building a Ipe deck and are open to suggestions if anyone knows of a stain color that looks good with an Ipe.

Also, do I need to put any kind of prep chemical on the fence to clean it or help the stain apply evenly? And should I spray it on or use the pad applicators?