Staining Your Fence

FENCE STAINING

Cedar and Redwood fences always look fantastic for the first couple of years but when that gray stuff starts to show up and eventually turns black, that’s when you may have some doubts about your choice of fence. The longer it goes untreated the uglier and less appealing it gets. It’s unfortunate that builders don’t forewarn homeowners about this fact before the deal is signed.

Fortunately, there is a solution for the problem but it’s either going to cost you a considerable amount of money to have a contractor stain your fence or you will be spending your own time on this project if you choose to do it yourself. Redwood and Cedar are very beautiful woods when maintained properly but they do take a lot of maintenance. If you choose to hire a contractor, insist on references for doing this type of work and follow through on them. I suggest you ask for addresses of jobs that he or she has done on Redwood or Cedar dating back 1 year, 2 years and 3 years and then you should actually follow through by driving by those addresses and look at the work. Working on these two types of fences is tricky and needs someone that knows what he or she is doing or a disaster may be waiting to happen.

If you choose to stain your fence yourself, you will need some basic tools and may have to rent a couple other pieces of equipment. These tips and instructions will help you do it yourself.

FENCE STAINING TOOLS AND MATERIALS

TOOLS
> Utility knife
> Hand masker
> 2″ Oil paint brush (Latex brush if using water base stain)
> 4″ Oil paint brush (Latex brush if using water base stain)
> Soft bristle push broom
> Garden hose
> Power washer (optional) Most paint or rental stores have these for daily rental
> Paint sprayer (optional) Most paint or rental stores have these for daily rental. Need .015 – .017 spray tip.
> Bristle brush for scrubbing (surface area should be at least 3″ – 4″)
> Soft bristle push broom
> Clean 5 gallon pail
> Small can, pan or pail for cleaning brushes

MATERIALS
> Stain – – Oil base preferred but water base will work. Water base is not as durable or as attractive
> High quality concentrated deck wash (depending on what you now have on your wood, if anything, you may need stripper). DO NOT USE REGULAR PAINT STRIPPER.
> One or more decent quality tarps. (Old blankets or sheets will NOT work)
> Roll of folded plastic (ask your paint store manager)
> Several rolls of good quality 2″ masking tape.
> 1 – 2 rolls of duct tape
> 80 Grit sandpaper
> 150 grit sandpaper
> 1 gallon of mineral spirits
> 12″ Masking paper
> Rubber gloves
> Neoprene gloves
> Face mask if you intend to spray. You should buy the appropriate type for materials you use.

TIPS FOR A BETTER FENCE STAINING JOB

> I wouldn’t even attempt to use a hand brush for the cleaning of the wood for Cedar or Redwood fence. It will take you forever. That’s your call.

> If you don’t have a good quality power washer or paint sprayer, you can rent them at most paint stores or rental outlets for around $35 – $50 per day.

> Use nothing but high quality cleaners, strippers or semi-transparent stains. Water base is cheaper and easier to work with but oil base is more durable and beautiful. For the few extra dollars per gallon that the high quality products cost, you will be very pleased with the results. On the other hand, using cheaper products will do a poor job and they won’t last as long.

> Use plastic or tarps to cover nearby items, lawn, flowers, shrubs, etc.

> If you plan to use a brush, be sure to get the type suitable for your stain. Water base stain will take a latex brush and oil base will take a poly brush. You should have at least a 3″ or 4″ brush to do the body of the fence and a 2″ to do the trim or small areas.

> If spraying, it’s always advisable to not spray on breezy days. Early mornings or evenings are usually calm. It cuts into work time doing it that way but in the long run, spraying can save you time. You just need to use common sense and caution when spraying. It never hurts to practice on scrap wood to develop a rhythm for spraying.

> NEVER EVER USE BLEACH TO CLEAN YOUR WOOD. USING BLEACH WILL DRY THE NATURAL TANNIN OILS IN WOOD AND DO IRREPAIRABLE DAMAGE.

> Disable lawn sprinklers and pay attention to the weather for the next several days.

> Use a 5 gallon pail to mix stain by putting in no more than 3 gallons at a time and stir thoroughly. When that is half gone and if you need more to do the job, add one more gallon and mix. You shouldn’t have more than about 3 gallons in the 5 gallon pail for easy mixing and no spillage. Stir occasionally to keep stain properties from settling to the bottom. An electric drill with paint mixer is perfect for this.

> Never use a solid stain or paint on a Cedar or Redwood fence or siding. You should always use a semi-transparent stain. If you use a solid material, it will look nice for a while but when that stuff starts to peel, you will have one very ugly mess and believe me, it will eventually start to peel. Redwood and Cedar to not accept solid stains and paints very well. They are heavy in tannin oil and they will loosen the coating very quickly and that includes primer.

> It’s best to stain your deck in the shade if possible or when temps will not exceed 80 degrees. Warmer temps will cause the stain to ‘skin over’ and a weak finish could be the result.

> 0 degree tip is RED. NEVER use a red tip on wood

> 15 degree tip is yellow. Yellow should be used for cleaning ONLY when a green tip won’t work.

> 25 degree tip is green. Green tip should be first choice to clean after pre soaking.

> 40 degree tip is white. White tip is used for rinsing

> Black tip is used for pre soaking

FENCE STAINING WITH A PREVIOUS FINISH

If your fence has an old finish on it, it may have to be stripped before you can put on a new finish. A simple cleaning with a good quality deck wash may do the job if the finish is real old and just sporadic. Just follow the steps for cleaning as outlined below to see if it will work. If so, that’s great. If not, then you will need to buy some stripper. Follow the suggestions in ‘TIPS’ for putting down plastic to protect vegetation and lawn. You should also be wearing neoprene gloves when doing this. Use volumes and volumes of water when rinsing the stripper so as to dilute it to avoid ruining your vegetation. You could use a power sander but that will take forever and you may also grind away the wood grain. Follow the instructions on the mfr. label for applying and removing the stripper. NOTE: Some strippers will cause wood to turn black. Don’t be alarmed if this happens. Simply soak the wood with deck wash for 5 minutes and then rinse. That should remove any black stuff that forms from the stripper.

LET’S GET STARTED FENCE STAINING

Once you have selected the section of fence you want to start on, begin by pre-soaking the wood with your good quality deck wash. Soak an area starting bottom to top that you can clean in about 5 – 7 minutes. Cleaners dry fast so you may have to re-wet them if you soaked to large of an area. When you have pre-soaked one section, let it soak while you move to the other end or about 30 feet down and pre-soak another section. By the time you have soaked the second section, you may be able to move to the first area and begin cleaning. If you are using a brush (you’re in for a lot of work if you are) start scrubbing with the grain. If using a power washer or garden hose with attachment, begin by cleaning from the bottom and working up taking 3 or 4 boards at a time. With a power washer, you should have pre-soaked with the black tip and you should clean with a green tip.

The green tip usually gives enough pressure to clean unless you have an old stain or paint in which case you may need the yellow tip to get the old finish off. In either case, keep your tip about 12″ from the wood and use an up n’ down swing starting at the bottom and going to the top of the fence. If you start at the top and work down, you may see streaking. You need to keep the wand moving to avoid this and also so you don’t scar the wood or raise the wood fibers. Keep the wand moving fast enough to avoid too much pressure on one area but slow enough to clean. It won’t take you very long to determine what works for you. Once you have cleaned the entire first section, you must rinse the entire area by just moving the wand around to clean all the ‘gunk’ off. You can now pre-soak a 3rd section and then clean the second section. Repeat these steps until you have completed the cleaning. It’s always best to clean and stain both sides of the fence but a lot of that will depend on how well you get along with your neighbors. They may not want you on their lawn……then again they may want to have the side of the fence that shows on their property looking good. They may even help you do the work or pay part of the cost.

Now that the fence is cleaned, you must let it dry at least one day. A moisture meter works best to determine moisture content on a fence. If one is not available, use your best judgment. You may want to wait two days just to be safe. When you have determined that the fence is dry enough to stain, you should mix your stain. Put 3 gallons of stain in a 5 gallon pail and mix as described in ‘TIPS.’ If you are brushing, keep your stain on a tarp, plastic or piece of cardboard to protect your lawn, bushes, etc from drips or accidental spilling the bucket. Place it on the ground and up against the bottom of the fence.

OK! Let the fun begin. If you’re brushing, start at the top and work down taking 3 or 4 boards at a time. You must take care to work the stain into the wood with the brush to ensure an even coat as well as avoiding brush/lap marks. If you get one area that appears very glossy, brush it out immediately before it has a chance to skin over. If it skins over, it will bubble and peel and you will be doing a touch up job. Continue on down the fence. YOU SHOULD NEVER START A SECTION OF FENCE THAT YOU CANNOT COMPLETE BEFORE YOU BREAK FOR LUNCH, ERRAND OR FOR THE DAY. If you do and you come back to continue, you may actually see where you stopped and started once it’s dry. If that happens, it’s too late. So, if it’s getting late in the day, close to meal time or you need to do an errand and you cannot get that section done in time, DON’T START.

OK! Now you have a coat of stain on your fence. What’s next? The second coat, of course.* Unlike a deck which should get only one coat of stain, fences and Cedar or Redwood fences should get two. One coat looks good and will last. A second coat is that much nicer and will last longer. The call is yours. If you choose to do a second coat, follow the instructions on your label for the recoat.

If you are going to spray your stain, use the same steps and procedure. However, you must ensure to do a few other things.

A. Have someone stand on the other side of the fence and hold up a shield to prevent you from spraying the neighbor’s lawn. Your helper should wear rubber or vinyl gloves and some sort of face protection

B. You should lay a tarp, plastic or cardboard on the ground and against the fence on the side you are spraying. Why kill the lawn and bushes that you spent a ton of cash on?

C. Choose calm weather. A good breeze will carry over-spray. I would hate to see you painting your neighbors house. Caution and common sense are the key words when spraying.

D. When you have sprayed a section approximately 6′ x the height of the fence, use the push broom by running it up and down to work the stain into the wood to get an even finish and to avoid spots with heavy stain. Continue the length of the fence following these steps.

You’re done. All that remains is to clean up your trash and dispose of it properly. Do not enable your lawn sprinklers for at least 24 hours. Give your project a chance to dry. After the first day, walk your fence looking for spots you may have missed or spots that have skinned over. Touch up as necessary. If you have some spots that skinned over, they must be fixed immediately or they will peel. If they start peeling, the bad area will only grow. So, take the 80 grit sandpaper and sand the bubble off. Feather the edges with the 150 grit and stain that area with a touch up brush.

You’ve done it and you saved a lot of money by not hiring a contractor. It was a lot of work but you got a nice tan and some satisfaction in a job well done.

* Some mfrs. do not recommend a second coat. Check your label before doing anything.