caldwde, It is highly possible that your copper-work has stained the cedar. The use of natural copper with cedar lumber - especially the extractives in Western Red Cedar, has long been known to cause wood staining and an eventual deterioration of the copper-work. For this reason, most architects specify lead-coated copper when planned to be in contact with red cedar - such as with roof shingles. This reaction is amplified when low-grade copper is used - such as the inferior stuff imported from China. It's not pure copper and loaded with impurities. Don't know how you'd remove the stains. The best remedy would be to initially isolate the two materials - too late and not very feasible with the copper cladding you installed over the cedar pergola beams. Be cautioned also, that when certain dissimilar metals are in contact with each other - galvanic reaction may cause accelerated corrosion of the less-noble metal. This is why copper nails should be used with copper, aluminum nail with aluminum . . . etc.

Hi, my outdoor pergola, not really a pergola, a canopy less architectural extension over the patio attached to the house, mostly 8x12 beams, needs some paint TLC. The original painters mixed color stain with varnish to get a nice deep dark brown finish, my recent painter suggested to lightly sand, paint with oil whatever color I like, then apply varnish, like epiphanes, on top of paint. Both painters want the job, I want to do it myself, but what technique to use? What would you recommend, oil or latex paint, mix stain with varnish, or varnish over paint?

Go find out what's the best paint/stain for redwood. I do know that redwood bleeds through regular opaque stains. Cabot opaque stains can be tinted to Ben Moore colors but if you want to leave it natural, you'll probably want a clear coat of some kind. Do not trust any information you get about these stains from Lowe's or Home Depot, even though they sell it, the person helping you isn't always familiar with the product. Find yourself a stand- alone paint store that sells decking and siding stain. PS. Thompson's Weather Shield isn't the right product for this.

IMO adding another wood structure to your backyard, especially in front of the large window is a big mistake. Your backyard will look like a shed showroom. You might want to consider a retractable awning over the hot tub that can be rolled out when needed, if needed. If you go with the pergola, it certainly should match the current patio roof. Patio Pergola