You helped me last year with a huge deck refinishing project. I used DEFY for Hardwoods and it turned out pretty good. The only trouble spots I seem to be having a year later are with the new replacement pieces of decking. The DEFY didn't penetrate/adhere as expected and there are some spots of bare wood. I plan to recoat those boards next year.

This year's project is the cedar-sided house. I may hire it out, but would like to tackle it myself. The siding was last treated in 2000 with Organiclear WR-2 Penetrating Wood Coating product, presenting a natural cedar finish. Most has weathered away (except for a newer garage addition) and the wood is graying, with mildew in some sections having little sun contact.

We are interested in a solid stain, as the clear cedar look will take too much maintenance over time. My father-in-law swears by this product on his cedar siding: Benjamin Moore - Premium Moorwood Exterior, 100% acrylic, solid siding stain. Deep base - N 089 3B. He also claims that we would not have to do any surface prep, as he just recoats every few years.

My questions:
What surface prep would you recommend (strip & brighten, or clean only?).
Pressure wash (1800 sq. ft house, 1.5 stories)?
I have had success using oxygen bleach to remove mildew - would that be OK to use as needed?
Recommended solid stain products?
Thank you,

I would never put a solid stain on a natural cedar sided home! Not only will it look painted, it will not last any longer. A good tinted transparent stain will perform as well or better then the Benjamin Moore. I would strongly suggest looking at the deck stain products we sell.

Answers to questions:
1. Strip off the Organiclear and brighten the wood. Stripping will be the best way to prep the wood for a different product.
2. Using a pressure washing at a low pressure will speed up the stripping process.
3. No need for the Oxygen Bleach if you use the wood stripper.
4. No on the solid stain. Why ruin the look of a natural cedar sided house. Once you use a solid stain there is no going back!

I was led to believe, perhaps incorrectly, that a solid stain (or paint) would outlast the semitransparent stains. We love the look of the natural cedar siding, and now on our deck, but we're concerned about the ongoing maintenance. If I knew all I would have to do is recoat once or twice in the next 10 years, I would probably be more interested in maintaining the natural cedar.

Many of our neighbors have resorted to paint (or solid stain), and I don't necessarily want to do that. In fact, our immediate neighbor is in the process of putting up vinyl siding, which I really don't want to do either. Just trying to minimize maintenance over the years. Thanks for your input.

A high quality cedar home stain will last 4-6+ years easily on a vertical, so that should work for you. I think you would get 6+ years with minor fading.

The Organiclear from my experience is not very easily stripped. Being that it is a water based product, it has a tendency to film on top of the wood.

Here is a picture of TWP 500 Cedartone that would did 4 years ago.