I think I answered you somewhere else ... let the sealant weather off for 6 months or so, them paint it with a white opaque or semi-opaque wood stain.

Uncle Bob and Lazy G has given you the right answers and good advice. The reason I'm posting is caution you not to make the same mistake twice. What mistake? Not reading the label and not paying attention to details. Like most things in life,details can mean the difference between success and failure. As an example,when asking advice related to wood,be specific about the species and/or type. In your case,there's remarkable difference between " "adorable small cedar wood", " natural look of the cedar ", "cedar fences will still turn grey," Then wind up saying "We did use pressure treated wood,".

Cedar itself is one of the species sch as teak or first-growth redwood that doesn't actually benefit from any protective finishes. But . . . if you want to maintain that fresh cedar look and preventing weathering to a slivery gray, try WoodRX 'Natural'. This is a non-solvent exterior finish that will give you 7-8 years in NY and maintain the pigment of the 'Natural' color pallet. But it's an absorbing finish, so the Thompson's seal coat will have to wear off. The good news is that Thompsons is really a useless product and will be require re-sealing twice a year in the NY humidity. So not so long a wait until your can brush on two coats of WoodRX, which by the way dried very fast, so careful with the brush strokes. It's avaliable from the manufacturer in Ft Meyers, or the online sites of both Lowes and Home Depot.

Wood Rx is a product I have not heard of so I looked it up just to learn about it. There are half a dozen products - Ultra Sealer/Stain, Clear Water Repellant, Regular Semi-Transparent, Solid Stain, etc. The first product in that list does have 'Natural ' in the color options. It is 'silicone modified acrylic' and appears to be water based. I was curious about it being 'non-solvent' but also 'dries fast.' The first is clear from the product info, the second, I'll take your work for it. :-]

http://www.woodrx.com/buy/woodrx-ultra-natural-transparent-sealer-stain-1-gallon/

I think what causes problems with paint sticking to these sealers is the silicone. I once put sealer on a wood garden tool cabinet I built for the patio, and then used exterior polyurethane over it. The poly came off after a couple years.

Forty lashes on tox for not reading the label before putting that on his new cabinet. Is it true that lessons last longer if learned through mistakes? (:

I've never been a fan of exterior poly's. Anything basically that doesn't penetrate will ultimately, if ignored, check and crack and flake. It requires a level of TLC maintenance reserved for wood boat enthusiasts. But then having such a boat, worthy of that attention, would be sooo much fun.

Yes klem, it's true. :-|