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Due to a misunderstanding, we mistakenly treated the ends (about 2′ worth) of cedar columns in a timber frame structure with linseed oil prior to erecting them, and then oiled the rest of the posts to give a similar appearance. The owner is very unhappy about the way the cedar faces that have faded to grey are now dark colour. She would like each post treated with stain to appear a ‘natural cedar’ colour. Paint store professionals are giving me conflicting advice on how to achieve this. The prospect of sanding off the oil is forbidding, especially where the posts meet the floor structure and the soffit. I’ve been told that lacquer thinner can be used to remove most of the oil, and that deck wash will ‘clean up’ the grey prior to re-staining. Given the fact that I’ve received conflicting product recommendations, and that all solutions received seem to involve purchasing at least three different products from the paint vendor asked, any tried and true field advice to deal with this situation would be appreciated.
P.S. Why is it that the client never seems to have the time to thoroughly consider decisions prior to their execution, but always has time to rethink them after the fact?

Sincerely,

frugal