I’m back – thanks for sharing your thoughts. Except for the front wall that faces the road, the place has never been stained or painted. The front wall was stained before the siding weathered very much, but the other walls, especially the south have weathered heavily. We plan on using a semi-transparent oil-based stain to make the color fairly uniform – have had to replace some split and cupped clapboards as well as make repairs to decayed framing around a leaking window. The building is in a cool moist location, but two walls get a lot of exposure to both the sun and wind-driven rain.