Cedar has an inherent problem accepting and retaining paint. A friend has a home built during the 1880s. It is magnificent, but the exterior is entirely cedar. The last time it was painted was two years ago and the crew used SW Resilience. I'm not yet able to tell how well it will hold-up, but at least it covered the cedar. We talked to someone at FPE who said that they had no FPE-certified painters in our area, but, of course, recommended that as the best paint for her purposes. Sorry, just realized that you are referring to stain. She only has paint--white, black shutters, grey-blue veranda floor. This post was edited by kitchendetective on Sat, Jan 19, 13 at 11:00

"Both products are water-based." That is the essence of your problem. If you are determined to use a water base product don't waste time stripping off the old Behr junk. It will not improve the performance of the new product. Sand off the loose stuff, give the deck a good cleaning and rinse. If the new product is better than the Behr, you will be stripping it off in a year or two after it fails. Make sure you understand that water base stain is really just paint. It forms a film on the surface (regardless of what the label claims it "penetrates into the wood" total baloney) same as paint. "Also, we are considering painting the floor boards a different color from the railings." So it sounds like you already understand the water base product is paint. Why not get actual paint? I am sure the BM paint store has some paints designed for exterior wood high traffic areas. I would choose an earthy, neutral color for the deck boards to blend in with the outdoors, and match the railings to the color of the house/trim. I think you will get way better performance with a high quality exterior paint designed for use on porches and decks.

The GF gel stain can said 8 hours drying time between first and second coat. I waited 24 and it felt quite dry. I didn't think my layer was particularly thick. Sigh. Meanwhile, everything has been stripped off and I'm down to bare wood. Wiped off well with mineral spirits. Needless to say, the grain has been raised and I need to do some sanding. Tomorrow, after everything dries out and the smell of the thinner dissipates. I found a piece of unfinished wood of unknown species in my garage. I used a foam brush to apply a thin layer of gel stain. Yeah, I know, never again. :) I wiped it down before it set up. I will let that sucker cure 48 hours and then I'll put on another thin layer and see what happens. At this point I still don't know why I would want to use gel stain over GF regular oil stain. Is it ease of application? Thick and pudding-like, not runny? Because I don't need to cover or hide. I just want a nice rich deep color through which the grain is evident.

Sharon, spraying anything on a ceiling is going to difficult to do without creating a mess of drips. including drips on you. While I like a natural wood finish where practical, it may not be the best option for your porch ceiling -- it will draw attention to the ceiling and detract from whatever you want to be the focal point of the front of your home -- your home itself or your front entry door or your landscaping or the arrangements of flower pots or welcoming front porch seating ... My inclination would be to choose a light blue or stark white for your porch ceiling and, using a paint roller or paint brush, paint a light coat over each dark spot and knot, then let that dry, Then paint the entire ceiling. A pale blue porch ceiling can confuse some of the bugs that like to hang out or even build nests in soffits, eaves, porch ceilings -- they seem to confuse it with the sky and move on. Keep us updated on how your project turns out.