Cedar vs Russet
Both are Behr semi-transparent exterior stains in the warm red-brown family; Cedar is lighter and more clearly red, Russet is a shade deeper and more brown.
Pick Cedar for new or lightly weathered decking that wants a bright, cedar-toned finish.
Pick Russet for decking that's already a season or two old and slightly weathered, where a deeper tone reads better.
How close are they?
Delta-E (perceptual color distance) between Cedar and Russet is 9.1 (a clearly distinguishable difference once you see them next to each other).
Side by side
| Cedar | Russet | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand and line | Behr Premium Semi-Transparent | Behr Premium Semi-Transparent |
| Color code | ST-123 | ST-109 |
| Stain type | exterior-semi-transparent | exterior-semi-transparent |
| Hex (approx.) | #9C6440 | #8A4E32 |
| Lightness (L*) | 48 | 40 |
| Undertone | warm cedar-red | warm reddish-brown |
Cedar is the lighter of the two by about 8 points of lightness on a 0 to 100 scale, so Russet will hide more of the wood's own grain and color on the same board. Hex values are on-screen approximations of each published swatch; confirm on a test board of your own wood before committing.
How each behaves on pine, oak, maple and cabinets
Pine
Cedar: On new or lightly weathered pressure-treated pine, Cedar lets the grain and the wood's own tone show through, so the same color looks noticeably different on fresh golden lumber than on wood that's already gone gray.
Russet: On new or lightly weathered pressure-treated pine, Russet lets the grain and the wood's own tone show through, so the same color looks noticeably different on fresh golden lumber than on wood that's already gone gray.
Oak
Cedar: Semi-transparent exterior stains like Cedar are rarely used on furniture-grade oak indoors; they're built for outdoor lumber exposed to sun and rain.
Russet: Semi-transparent exterior stains like Russet are rarely used on furniture-grade oak indoors; they're built for outdoor lumber exposed to sun and rain.
Maple
Cedar: Not an interior product: Cedar is formulated for exterior wood surfaces, not maple furniture or cabinetry.
Russet: Not an interior product: Russet is formulated for exterior wood surfaces, not maple furniture or cabinetry.
Cabinets
Cedar: Cedar is an exterior stain; it isn't rated or intended for interior cabinet doors.
Russet: Russet is an exterior stain; it isn't rated or intended for interior cabinet doors.