Should I stain and seal my new wood fence?

This is a question we get often. We install a lot of custom wood fences in the Sarasota and install wood fences in Bradenton area and the pressure treated lumber typically used to build these fences should always be stained and sealed. When the lumber is first installed it is wet. It contains the treatment chemicals that help preserve the wood and keep it from breaking down in the elements. It also has a mill glaze on it. After installation the sun will dry out this chemical and that is typically when the fence can start to warp, check, split and crack. Often times in a warping situation it will cup toward the direction of the sun. The sun shines down on one side of the lumber, drying it out which causes that side of the surface to shrink and the lumber will bow toward the side that is not as dried out and more wet. 

To best avoid these situations, it is best to stain and seal your fence after it has had appropriate time for the pressure treatment to dry out. If you stain and seal it when it is still too wet you won’t get good penetration into the lumber or it will just peel and flake off causing even more work and money spent to get it done properly. The best process is to give the fence (depending on the season and weather) at least 3-4 weeks to dry out. Your painter or stain company can check the moisture content of the lumber with a moisture meter and advise you on when is the best time to stain and seal the fence. Once that has been decided the fence needs to be properly cleaned before being stained and sealed. It should be washed to remove all mill glaze from the lumber and any sawdust. This will also help the pores of the lumber to open and accept the stain and sealer. You want it to soak up as much of the stain and sealer as possible so you don’t need to redo this for as long as possible. After the fence is washed it needs another few days to dry completely and then it is ready to be stained and sealed. 

When choosing a product to stain and seal the fence with we recommend going with something that will penetrate the lumber and not just sit on the surface. This is because over time, the surface level stain and sealer will flake and peel. This is a massive job to get clean and prepped for a second coat when the time comes. When you use a highly penetrating, oil-based stain you won’t get the flaking and peeling. Overtime (typically 4-5 years) the stain and sealer will just fade and you are able to rewash and re apply. 

We get a lot of feedback from people saying “we don’t want to stain the fence, we love the natural look”. Our response to that is that you don’t need to solid color stain and seal the fence. You can use a product like Sherwin Williams Transparent Oil Modified Natural Stain, Super Deck Brand. This will give the fence a natural look but still have a penetrating finish to keep it looking sharp for years to come. 

One final thing to remember is that staining and sealing your fence is no guarantee that it will last forever. It needs to be properly constructed, properly stained and sealed and properly maintained over its life. Staining and sealing your fence is no guarantee that it won’t warp, bow, check, split or crack but it will significantly increase your odds of avoiding this issue. 

If you are looking for a fence with a lifetime warranty (wood has no warranty on the product itself), you should consider a vinyl fence for privacy of an aluminum fence for no privacy but high security. Both vinyl and aluminum have excellent warranties and don’t require any maintenance like wood fences do! 

If you are in Sarasota or Manatee county please give us a call if you need help with any of your fence projects!