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There are several ways to finish your cedar furniture. It is considered by some people that cedar furniture ages well over time and no finish is needed. As cedar "weathers" with time, it turns a silver-grey. One leading Cedar Wood Association highly recommends that you always apply a protective finish to the wood. The protective finish prevents the solarization (sun damage) of the wood that causes the distinct silver-grey finish. If one still desires the silver-grey coloring, there are artificial weathering stains that can be applied to protect the surface yet give the same appearance as weathering.
There are many protective finishes available. Cedar is a wood that takes almost any finish well. The finish should be applied to a clean new wood surface that has been sanded as desired. It is said that opaque (solid color) paints are the best protection for the wood and will last even up to 10 years. Solid stains are next best with transparent stains and oils allowing for the least protection.
You may want to consider using one of the newer environmentally compliant (solid) Acrylic paints
Below are example finishes on the same chair. (1)un-finished, (2)weathered one year, (3)opaque (solid) stained chair. (Solid stained image to be added later.)
(click on each image for a closer look.)
This page is intended to give you a very quick overview of Western Red Cedar finishing. It is not our goal to give you specific finishing techniques. Wood product finishing is in the eye of the beholder. Use of the information on this page does not guarantee that results obtained will necessarily be to a customers liking. Gynan Enterprises does not warranty any product once it has been altered or finished by the user. You can find much more detailed finishing information contained at the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association (See our link located in the Additional Links side box - About Cedar ) Be sure to look for their finishing pdf. It has a lot of good information.
