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I'm a hopeful amateur. I recently carved a piece of solid red American red cedar to place as a mantel on our stone hearth. A lot of the furniture in the room is dark and I would like to finish the cedar with a dark tone but maintain what I hope will be a nice piece. I don't know much more than to add a dark stain and polyurethane finish, but I know this is not good. All suggestions welcome, and thanks.
if you put a few coats of danish oil on yr red cedar it will darken noticably. Danish will also leave you with a natural finish that won't crack in the heat. I wouldn't be putting stain onto it as you will end up with a dark muddy piece with no trace of the original colour or grain. Good Luck.
For a tougher finish that will withstand the test of time use Sam Maloof's mixture; ⅓ varnish, ⅓ pure (natural) turps & ⅓ BOILED linseed oil. I've used it for over 10 years & it's a wonderful oil finish & will darken Red Cedar & emphasize the timber's figure :cool: :D