The white cedar single stains described in this thread are mostly applied by dipping the shingles in stain at the factory which provides the best protection. Weatherwash is a brand of interior furniture stain that can be used on exterior wood with a protective coating of Weatherwash's Exterior Water Sealer. That seems like additional expense for less protection.

For wood stain that lasts, I'd research into what log home owners and builders use since protection is of primary concern. From what I recall Cabot, Sikkens, and Penofin are the brands of choice. Obviously find one w/ a UV absorber. I have used Penofin's 'red' brand in a very harsh sun area (south facing deck) with modest results, but I'm not sure if anything would have held up any better. Besides vertical wall surfaces are not as harsh as horizontal ones. For paint, my recent research led me to pick Benjamin Moore for my house - nice stuff (look and application), but pricey at $45/gal. Can't say yet as to its longevity though. For interior I used a basic gel stain (plus wood conditioner) from Minwax on my alder and pine windows. Two coats. I prefer gel stains over pigmented stains because I don't care for the light/dark stripe look they leave on these wood species; gel stains are more similar to dyes in that they provide a more even color across the grain rings. If you've never used a gel stain, they are kind of weird at first - like staining your boards with pudding! But they are less messy that the liquid stains...

For us, keeping paint on our 100yo cedar siding has been a real headache. However, you're talking to old wood fanatics here (me included) who consider it worthwhile - on a historic house, having the original wood is worth it. Your house is not historic (based on date and I think I remember other threads about it). So I don't know if you would have an authenticity issue with the wood. For me, one issue would be ease of colour changing. I remember your brick, so colour will be tricky. You might like to change it (all) sometime, and vinyl does not invite painting. If you did want to cover the wood, I'd go with metal rather than vinyl myself. Vinyl just seems like a very inferior material, whereas metal siding is getting quite cool these days - lots of new options out there. In fact, that may be a solution for your brick too. Whole house covered in metal? Or Hardiplank? That way if in 100 years a fanatic buys your house, the original brick is retrievable :-) Karin L

Cedar is a naturally dark wood. It's suppose to be bug resistant and the smell deters moths from chewing on clothing. I agree with the others that paint might be your best option BUT before you go that route make sure that it isn't the flooring or the postion of the room and windows itself that is really making it seem dark. Changing out the flooring will be quicker and easier than sanding, priming and painting will be. Really take a good look at where the room is and what kind of landscaping is on the exterior of the house that might be making the room feel dark. You might only need to trim out a few bushes or a tree to get the light you want. You might also find that no matter what you do there isn't enough light in that room just because of the way it's postioned with the sun. In that case you may want to change how you use the room before you redecorate it.