How to Stain a Fence

You can protect your fence from water, sun, and rot damage by applying a stained layer to the wood. Fence stain will prolong the life of your fence and can bring a fresh look to your yard.

Picking the Right Stain

There is a wide variety of stains, and they are made with various intended uses. Unlike paint, stain soaks into the wood rather than coating the top layer of it. Because stain treats the wood, it is important to pick the right kind of stain for your project.

Latex Stain

Latex is a water-based stain meaning the main pigment binder is water. Water-based stain is easy to clean up and clean and is intended for interior use. Latex stain is great for highlighting wood grain on furniture and trim pieces. Latex stain will also require you to apply a clear finish to protect it from rubbing off.

Oil Stain

The pigment in oil-based stain is suspended in either linseed oil or mineral spirits. Oil stain is thicker and holds up longer than water-based stain when exposed to the elements. The main use of oil-based stain is for exterior finishing of wood decks, siding, and fences. Oil stain will wick water away from the wood making it a great weather barrier.

Stain Grade

Stains will have an absorption grade which will tell you how strong the stain is. Light stain grade is great for applying a light patina to wood, and high grades work for decks and high traffic surfaces. The grade also affects the quality of the stain. Lower grade stains will not last as long and will require you to stain your fence more often.

For outdoor fences, you will want a medium to heavy grade stain

Stain Transparency

Similar to the grade, the transparency is a measurement of how much pigment is applied when the wood is stained. Semi-transparent stains are great for dark woods that do not need much to accent the grain. And transparent stains are great for light coloring while retaining full fence weather protection.

Our semi-transparent fence stain offers fuller and darker tones. We have unique colors like greystone, coffee, and barn red that will transform a fence into a stylish statement piece.

Color

Most stains come in dark and earth tones. If you want something more colorful, some stains offer green and vibrant varieties, but colored stains tend to be more expensive.

We can help you pick out the right stain to make your fence look exactly the way you want it to. During your free fence staining consultation we will show you all of the colors available, and give you an example of how it will look on your fence.

Prepping Wood for Stain

Your fence will need to be clean of any dust, dirt, sawdust, oil, solvents, paint, and water. When you stain your fence, you will also need to pick a time when it will not rain within 24-hours of the application.

If your fence is weathered and browned, you will need to bleach the wood to get rid of any moss, mold or mildew. You can mix a small amount of bleach with some water and apply the solution to the fence with a sponge. If you apply the bleach solution to the fence, you will need to wait until the wood dries to stain.

Applying Stain

There are four ways to apply stain to a fence, brushing, rolling, wiping and spraying. All methods can get the same result, but some methods are more effective and efficient than others.

Brushing

You can stain a fence with a brush or sponge, this method will take more time than spraying, but can get a rustic look. When you are applying stain with a brush you will need to get an even amount distributed, and you will need to brush with the grain of the wood.

Rolling

A paint roller can be used to apply a large amount of stain to a bigger area. Paint rollers will have trouble getting into corners and cracks, so you will still need a finer brush for finishing.

Wiping

Stain can be applied to wood with a cloth or rag. This method is great to apply just the right amount of stain, but is messy and requires multiple coats of paint.

Spraying

The best way to apply stain is by spraying it from a pressurized paint sprayer. The sprayer can apply just the right amount of stain to a fence and will easily coat cracks and hard to reach areas.

We Can Help

We at Discount Fence USA can tackle your staining project at a fair price. Give us a call today at (512) 334-9546 to talk about your project ideas.