Staining a new fence

[bustednutz]

Hi all,
Tomorrow I am having a new privacy fence installed. I want to keep it looking new and don't want it to get grey. It is pressure treated fence boards. My question is:
How long do I have to wait for it to get dry enough to accept stain. Also will a clear or natural stain help keep its natural color? Provided that it has some UV blocking ability.

 

[Clevy]

You can stain it immediately. Wood dries out the ends,not the flats,so its a non issue.
And stain doesn't seal anything. It stains the wood. Paint or a sealant type product would seal the lumber but stain doesn't.

 

[mrsilv04]

It'll tell you in the instructions, on the label of the stain that you choose, if you need to wait and how many days.

"Immediately" is not the correct answer in all cases.

 

[Michael_P]

I would put some Thompsons water seal on it for the first time. Put it on thick and then stain to color in the fall. Most stains are water based these days. Since it is pressure treated, I would wait til it looks and feels dry to do anything.

 

[Donald]

Look for something with some oil in it. Cabots in the yellow label is worth considering. I would try and stain it right away. The unknown is how long since the wood was pressure treated at the factory.

 

[Coprolite]

I installed my cedar fence around New Year and stained it in May. There wasn't any noticeable color change, but a heck of a lot of shrinkage.

 

[dwcopple]

use penofin with a pump sprayer and back brush if necessary. DOn't waste time and money on latex or acrylic based crud or you'll be doing this annually, and the job sux!

 

[threeputtpar]

For staining, I believe that you have to let it weather some otherwise the pressure treating will have all the pores in the wood closed and it won't absorb the stain.

Same thing for the suggestion about using a water sealant and then trying to stain. The stain won't be able to penetrate the wood because of the water sealer.

I second the suggestion about using a stain with an oil base. It's probably the last good use for any oil based products anymore, maybe with the exception of artist's colors.

If you're looking to keep the natural color, you may consider a semi-transparant stain tinted as close as you can get to the color it is that you want to keep. It will allow most of the natural grain of the wood to come through, and the slight tint will correct any weathering.

 

[sleddriver]

Look up Penofin Red. I use it on outdoor furniture I make out of cedar.