Cedar fence ...paint or stain??

Question

Or just let it age gracefully?? Atlanta area

Sherri · Answer

Stain with minwax poly shades, you can achieve the color wood you like and seal it for protection.

Carolyn Freeman C · Answer

Thanks for the answers, but I'm still hoping for more ideas.

Carolyn Freeman C · Answer

does it have to be pressure cleaned first?

Patricia W · Answer

We had a lovely cedar fence built and had it stained. The stain absorbs and your fence will last many many years. If it has alot of soil on it then pressure wash it. let it dry a few days to be sure there is no moisture. Then stain away. Behr makes a good long lasting stain, but there are many different types, Ask the sales person for a stain that has a sealant in it. Stain alone wont hold up to the elements.

Spheramid Enterprises · Answer

Leave it as is for low maintenance or use a solid color deck stain, no poly.

Positive Solutions Inc. · Answer

use Olympic deck cleaner to clean and hose it off let dry 100% and use clear wcf-uv to seal it and i guarantee you will love it! :)

Gail Salminen · Answer

@Carolyn Freeman C we have gone with the aged look on our fence. To add interest I have added some hangings on the fence. You can usually find inexpensive metal items at home sense. When I get bored with them I spray paint them a different colour.

Lou · Answer

We are struggling with the same dilemma. Good luck!

Vintage Restorations.....Formerly Closet Furniture · Answer

Just my 2 cents worth....same as most everyone else. Pressure wash and stain with clear cedar house/fence stain (use high quality stain). That way it will stay looking like cedar, you can see the grain and it will be sealed from the elements....you will have to repeat after 4-5 years. This is my 30 year old cedar deck with clear cedar deck stain...

Carolyn Freeman C · Answer

wow thanks it looks great! 30 yrs!

My Garden Shine · Answer

We agree with the majority, Carolyn, STAIN is the way-to-go but make sure it's a high quality, waterproof deck stain for the fence..

Deck Care PLus · Answer

Clean with quality wood/deck cleaner and stain with penetrating oil wood stain.

Carolyn Freeman C · Answer

thank you all so much! I read all the replys to my husband and he grumbled a bit..I think he was hoping not to have to do anything....LOL but we will pressure wash and then stain.

SNL Painting · Answer

Needs to be pressure washed, use a brightener if desired.  When you pressure wash, KEEP THE WAND MOVING! Your goal with pressure washing is to clean the wood and restore the cedar color.  (The brightener will help with this if you are inexperienced with a pressure washer). If you stop and change directions in the middle of the board while power washing, you will gouge the wood and leave a mark (or many marks as I've seen homeowners do).  Apply an exterior oil-based stain such as TWP or Sikkens or any QUALITY stain from a paint store.  Leave the home stores to the amateurs.  Wait for a sale at SW or go to a Porter/PPG/Glidden store near you and ask for advice on what to use.  Water based stains will not last very long.  Finally, apply with a pump-up garden sprayer, and work the stain in with a brush.  The stuff goes everywhere, so be sure to protect ANYTHING you don't want stain on, probably up to 25-50 feet away (vinyl siding, concrete, windows, cars, etc.).  Good luck.  A good stain job on a fence will last 6-7 years, minimum.

Schatz & Sons · Answer

Power wash ,no stain,oil toner good for 5 to 7 years

Rose S · Answer

just let it age gracefully, it is a lovely silver-gray color right now. Natural looks great.

House Of Hawthornes · Answer

I just used a product from Lowes on my cedar fence and am very happy with it. It is called Olympic Maximum Stain & Sealer. It is made for outdoor wood and is basically a waterproofer that has a toner put in it, so the color sort of soaks into the wood, it doesn't sit on top and cover the wood grain. Our fence is only a few months old and I wanted to get something on it before winter comes, but on your fence you would want to use a deck cleaner on it first to get rid of the gray before you put a waterproofer or stain on it.

Vintage Restorations.....Formerly Closet Furniture · Answer

Cabot of course....

Susan Cryor · Answer

I definitely would pressure clean, let it dry and apply a sealer. It will help the wood last longer!
Just two things...do not use a white color, it will show mold...and you will be resealing because it looks 'bad'. Use a natural color, to complement your home, perhaps your deck, shutters etc

Two tell hubby, the dealer is easy, apply with a roller and use paint brush for places roller can not get. You can follow him with the paint brush!

Be sure to check your weather report before applying the sealer. It will need time to dry before rain.

Question for you, are you going to seal the back side, assuming it is on the neighbors side?

La Jolla Painting & Decorating · Answer

That is a good idea, Pressure wash and stain.
You can bleach dark spots also to a brighter color.
It won ever be, like it was in the first day it was installed.
Some people like the look of aging other prefer it  nice and clean.
Good luck, with your project. 
You also can paint the fence, eventually will be re-painted again and again.
Stain fences are to be maintains periodical other wise will dry out, spot and split.
I love the look of wood. I will stain and show the grains on the wood.

75591 · Answer

It look great the way it is. If you want to preserve it I would stain.

Pam Townsend Bies · Answer

I noticed in the background the painted stairs. I would use a stain to pull the two together. I used a light grey tinted stain on my fence before selling it, it came out so nice! The light color still shows the grain of the wood. I put the stain in a hand held spay pressure bottle, like the one you use to spray around the house for bugs. The grey worked well with the changing age of the fence and still looks great 5 years later! Be sure to pressure wash first to remove dirt, mold etc. Let it dry before you start.

Cor1382303 · Answer

It does sound like a good idea what Pam said about staining the cedar fence in order to match with the stairs. The fence itself looks like it's still in good shape but with a little bit of a stain or even a paint job it would look good. Hey, it's what I did on my neighbor's fence as well. http://www.newenglandcedarfence.com' >

Betty Johnson · Answer

It looks like you have some wooden stairs beyond this fence. If you wanted, you could paint them so that they match. At the very least I'd apply a sealer to preserve the wood, though. If there's any wood rot, it might be a good idea to replace the fence before you put too much time into it. http://www.allcountiesfenceandsupply.com/ ;

Ann|The Apple Street Cottage · Answer

I like the gray/aged look, but you can seal it with Thompson's Water Seal.

Cedar fence ...paint or stain??

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Cedar fence ...paint or stain??

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