Vertical Siding in the Great Room

Here is a shot of the vertical siding that the Strid Brother's installed in the Great Room. We talked with Rich and Matt about how it should be finished. Their view is to let it darken (doesn't take that long) and then it reaches a color you like, seal it. You can see that one vertical board that's a lot darker than the others.  It must have been on the outside of a bundle so exposed more. I asked Rich what happens if you go on vacation and when you get back it's too dark? He didn't answer me for some reason.

You can see the Kitchen cabinets in the background as well as the cardboard covering the floors prior to them being finished.