Replies

1. 
   wyattearp | Aug 16, 2004 01:02am | #1

   Randy I too have tried to get the weathered silvery look that your looking for and the only thing I have been able to come up with is allowing mother nature to do the job. I have done this very thing and it does not take as long as you might think. What I did was stand the cedar boards upright facing the sun during the heat of the day and left them there and I watered them daily I know it sounds far fetched but it works. The watering and drying and the sun is what cases the effect you are looking for. Now it took me about a good month to get some nice silvery color but I also live in Texas so I have alot of heat and sunshine. I hope this helps out. I know that you are looking for age in a bottle I don't think you are going to find much on that because cedar dose not have any tannins in it.

2. 
   Steinmetz | Aug 16, 2004 01:38am | #2

   RAND, move to Cape Cod Massachusetts,

   Salt air (FROM THE OCEAN)

   Hot air( FROM THE KENNEDY's)

   Steinmetz.

3. 
   BG | Aug 16, 2004 03:17am | #3

   Randy,

   When we built our home we wanted the Alaskan cedar to look wheathered and gray quickly...they used a bleaching stain on the house...I have no idea of the brand name.  However, maybe you can experiment with a bleach wash?

   
   

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   Edited 8/15/2004 8:18 pm ET by BG

4. 
   nikkiwood | Aug 18, 2004 07:50pm | #4

   I have zero expertise on this question, but I think BG may have suggested another direction you might want to check out . I have never used the products, but I am almost certain I have seen stuff on the shelves of a paint store as I whipped by. That is, products designed to give cedar a "weathered" appearance.

   EDIT: Personally, if I had the time and the right climatic conditions, I would certainly try the natural approach outlined by our texas contributor.

   
   

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   Edited 8/18/2004 12:52 pm ET by nikkiwood

1. 
   toddhunter | Aug 18, 2004 09:50pm | #5

   I have tried Minwax pickeling stain (I found it on clearance). It wasn't great for me, but it's worth a test. It does gray bare wood. Todd

5. 
   Telemike | Aug 19, 2004 07:16am | #6

   You've gotten some good suggestions on how to color the wood. To get a weathered texture, I've used two different methods:

   1. A light sandblast of everything but the joints. I put two layers of duct tape over the areas I don't want to texture.

   2. Wire brushing along the grain will also give a weathered texture.

   The weathered texture comes from wearing down the softer part of the grain leaving the harder parts proud of the surface.

6. 
   BenM | Aug 19, 2004 02:20pm | #7

   FWW had in article in Issue 50 (around 1985) by Jim Cummins on a driftwood finish, which sounds kind of what you might want.