You want weathered wood, not paint or stain. Its a bit more expensive than paint or color stain but SOOO worth it. We had a carpenter clad planking over a metal structural beam in our downstairs, to make it look like a wood beam. He used pine planks, and the pining stain from here: https://www.weatherwoodstains.com/ It looks like its been there 100 years, and is a wood beam supporting the ceiling. I can not tell you how amazing it looks. Dont just paint, don't just stain, weather your wood!
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