A 16×18 cedar deck on a Boylston Worcester County property — 12 years old, never restained. Direct south-facing UV exposure had grayed every board uniformly. Owners wanted to maintain the natural wood character (no solid color).
The challenge
Worcester County humidity + summer UV is harsh on uncoated cedar. Restoring the natural color means stripping deeper than a simple wash — sand back to fresh grain on horizontal surfaces while preserving railing detail.
What we did
- Wood-brightener wash on all boards to lift UV-graying
- Floor-sand boards with 60-grit then 80-grit
- Hand-sand railings to clean substrate
- Replace 2 cracked deck boards near the steps
- Tightened 24+ deck screws + replaced 6 corroded fasteners
- Two coats Cabot Cordovan Brown semi-transparent
- Cabot Australian Timber Oil topcoat for UV + moisture protection
The result
Warm cordovan finish with grain reading through. Sealed against the next 3-4 years of Worcester County weather.