Quick Tip: Changing the Color of Cedar - Old or New
by
Jim Cox
2 Materials
$11
10 Minutes
Easy
A trick to clean and reverse the aging of cedar, without destroying the unrefined look, and how to color wood without losing it's natural appearance and character.
A piece of reclaimed privacy fence cut down to 2" wide
Brushing with a metal welding brush along the grain, you can turn it from gray back to brown without destroying the appearance from the aging process. The more you brush, the more gray you remove which lets the brown show through. This gives you more control of color.
Here's a piece of scrap from a new $3 cedar fence board
Here it is with a red primer mist. I hold the can 5' in the air with the board on the floor, and let the paint fall on it. Not a true 'spray paint' application, which would re-color the wood.
Here's the misted cedar on my mailbox post. It has held up well outdoors too.
Here's a blue mist on a gray board (above the arrow) using a bit of model airplane paint I found in the garage. The gray board to the left is the original color. Below the arrow you'll see red primer misted onto gray wood as well. Note the black boards: That's Minwax Red Mahogany on gray cedar.
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Wonderful tip from a DIY pro! Thank you!
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