Arcturus
enthusiast
Posts: 265
Reg: 05-11-10
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11-16-10 01:21 PM - Post#121339
My fence is going on 6 years old, and is the original one that the builder put up. Nothing great, but really not in the worst of shape. It is grey, and definitely needs a stain, a seal, and a few boards seated properly, and one replaced, but otherwise, I see no need to tear it down and put out the cost of a new one.
Anyway, just thinking about a couple of options here. A) I was thinking of doing the little repairs myself, and then hopefully finding a stain/sealant that I can just spray on. I have seen some things online that you can buy that hook up to your garden hose, as well as some you can apply with a sprayer, similar to the kind you use with weed killer, but I am wondering if any of these are effective.
B) I was thinking of just hiring a company to basically just touch up the fence and get it stained and sealed, and if it isn't terribly expensive, I would just have it done.
Bottom line is, I don't think it is time to tear this fence down just yet, and I know I can probably get another year or two out of it, but I am not about to pour hundreds of dollars into a fence I will just tear down in the next few years.
I live in a pretty standard size house for the area, lot is ~9000sqft I think, and I have I think around 150ft of fence that needs staining and sealing.
Any experiences, advice, warnings ?
Thanks
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Brewer
enthusiast
Posts: 1421
Reg: 06-02-07
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11-16-10 02:54 PM - Post#121342
In response to Arcturus
Go get a few white pine pickets from Lowes and make sure you get the correct nails or screws either galvanized or coated. Otherwise you will have streaks of rust from the nail holes after the first rain. You could get a wood "cleaner" from Lowes as well that you spray on and hose off. It will lighten the wood and can help it take the stain a little more evenly. Any of the big brands of stain will work and the more you spend the longer it will last. You might look at an opaque "stain" that has fewer solids than a paint but more than a stain. It will even the color better than most other products. My fence is over ten years old and other than replacing some of the CHEAP builder grade posts it still looks okay with no rot. I try to stain it every 3-4 years.
A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.
-GEN George S. Patton
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Arcturus
enthusiast
Posts: 265
Reg: 05-11-10
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11-16-10 02:57 PM - Post#121343
In response to Brewer
So can most of the stains be sprayed, or do I need to get out there with a brush?
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Al C
enthusiast
Posts: 5920
Loc: McKinney/Allen, TX
Reg: 02-16-01
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11-16-10 02:57 PM - Post#121344
In response to Brewer
But be careful when staining your own fence if you plan on using a sprayer. A neighbor I had some years ago did his own ... I still have stain spots on my car today.
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Brewer
enthusiast
Posts: 1421
Reg: 06-02-07
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11-16-10 05:15 PM - Post#121355
In response to Al C
I get about 6 linear feet per gallon of stain. I spray it with the cheapest pump sprayer I can find. Al is right about the over spray. Do it on a still day and ask your neighbor to move the cars.
A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.
-GEN George S. Patton
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Al C
enthusiast
Posts: 5920
Loc: McKinney/Allen, TX
Reg: 02-16-01
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11-16-10 05:25 PM - Post#121356
In response to Brewer
Or better yet, put 'em in the garage. Neighbor's fence was clear on the other side of my yard from my driveway and our fences were separated by a wide drainage gutter. Must've been a windy day.
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Arcturus
enthusiast
Posts: 265
Reg: 05-11-10
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11-16-10 05:53 PM - Post#121359
In response to Al C
Thanks for the tip on the wind, it tends to at least be breezy in this area. Luckily the only cars I could possibly hit would be the people behind me in the alley, but they always keep their cars in the garage, and really I think all my neighbors do(I know, a total rarity around here)
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goingplaces
enthusiast
Posts: 117
Loc: allen, tx. usa
Reg: 04-02-02
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11-17-10 08:22 PM - Post#121426
In response to Arcturus
We had a fellow who spray painted our redwood deck and we didn't like the outcome. As he sprayed and went back and forth, parts of the deck have two coats of stain and other is one coat. Looks bad. Wish we would have had him use a roller or brush.
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denisew
Community Expert
Posts: 9241
Loc: Allen, TX
Reg: 02-18-02
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11-18-10 09:36 AM - Post#121437
In response to goingplaces
I think you'll get better coverage with a brush/roller and won't have to worry about the spray. Usually with a sprayer, you'll have to thin it down so it doesn't clog up the tubing in the sprayer.
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Brewer
enthusiast
Posts: 1421
Reg: 06-02-07
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11-18-10 12:00 PM - Post#121445
In response to denisew
I have sprayed many hundreds of linear feet of fence with stain right out of the bucket. I can't imagine brushing or rolling out the spaces between the pickets. I would be nuts after the first 3 feet.
A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.
-GEN George S. Patton
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