JennyC wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...
I have a balcony constructed from cedarwood decking. When the decking
was originally laid, about 3 years ago, it had a wonderful lustrous
reddish-brown colour, which has gradually faded until now its usual
colour is a silver-grey. But the odd thing is, when it rains, the
water seems to bring up the original vibrant colour, which stays until
the wood dries again, when it goes back to grey. Does anyone have the
explanation for this phenomenon? Might it be possible to retain the
original colour even when the wood is dry - without using a stain?

Oil maybe ??

I think it's too late to regain the colour. Ken should have used it at
the beginning. We've constructed almost everything by ourselves in and
around our house. The thing to do now is enjoy the silver colour and
clean the decking with pressure water. We've used western red cedar on
one of our buildings (175 flats with exterior wood panelling and a
bridge). It's now all silver and is very beautiful. When it rains it
goes darker and once it's dry goes back to silver.