Making new cedar look “weathered”
Biloxiblues
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
Calling All Exterior Cedar Experts!! I,ve just installed a new cedar post and rail fence. Came out great, but it looks much too “new” for it’s country setting. I want it to look more weathered; as though it has been here a while. I heard bleach will give it a nice greyish-blue look but I’m afraid to experiment. I’ve seen others stain the wood, but it looks…. well, stained!!! Any creative ideas out there???
Replies
if you are trying to achieve a weathered Cape Cod grey look..
good luck..
but anyways... when we want that look, we mix Cabot's Bleaching Oil and Cabots Silver Grey stain 50/50
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Texture is part if it, not just surface colour. A wire wheel in an electric drill run along the grain direction will give remove the softer wood and raise the grain in a similar manner to aged wood. Then try the surface treatment or stain you used before. The light hits it completely differently, maybe you will get what you are looking for.
"The ox is slow, but the earth is patient."
It will weather fast enough given time.
"TEST FIRST" Try a litre of pickling vinager with a knot of steel wool in it and a few rusty nails to speed things along, let it sit fdor a couple days shaking occasionally. Strain. Put in a garden spayer and spray it on. It will turn the cedar or darn near any wood a dark grey/black. Good luck.
.................Rik.............
Hi
I believe that tea will react with the tannins in the cedar to accelerate the aging process. Test in an inconspicous area. It is not going to turn it overnight but much quicker and it is cheap.
Cheers
Mac
Mix a lb of baking soda with hot water, and spray it on. about a day later it will look nice & old.
I just made a sample of this on some shingles 10 mins ago, if I can figure out how to post a picture, I will do so tommorro.
Mix equal parts of sea water, backer spit, and hog's urine. Leave it in your basement for two years.
After two years, go out and look at your railings.... should be just what yer looking for.
Oakster,
It will weather pretty quick to a silver, grey on it's own. If you can wait. Hell every cedar fence I install around here, the owners, are right behind me trying to clearcoat it to preserve that appearance. Against my warnings that they needed to let the wood dry before sealing it, plus a clear coat on WRC is pointless as far as I can tell. It is probably the most porous wood I've ever worked with.
Funny side note,
The fence company I used to work for did alot of cedar fence back in the 80's, and the pickets left over from a job would get stacked back in the yard. The owner had one customer call the day we finished their fence and ask why it was already "weathered". His reply was that the got some of the rare "silver cedar" that he got on a special load. I don't work there anymore, and have some silver cedar in my yard as well, it isn't all that rare.
Cole
Cole Dean
Dean Contracting