Staining Your Cedar Fence
Whether or not you stain your Cedar fence ultimately is a personal preference. Many HOA’s require Cedar and Wood fences are painted or stained. In those cases there is usually a requirement for a stain or paint color the HOA approved.
A quality Cedar fence will last for many, many years whether stained, painted or left natural. The most likely part of that fence to deteriorate first would be the part of the post that is below dirt grade level above the concrete footer. Rain and sprinkler watering, melting snow and ice and the natural expansion and contraction due to the nature of wood will, after years, cause that part of the post to deteriorate and eventually rot out long before other exposed areas of your Cedar fence.
Deciding to stain or paint your fence here are some instructions to care for and maintain your Cedar or Wood product fence:
- Stain new fencing with a high quality wood stain 2 weeks after installation.
- Stain fencing the following year (first two years, back to back). The Cedar/Wood will absorb the stain.
- Stain fence as needed as color starts to fade (every 3-5 years is typical).
- Adjust sprinklers away from fencing. Don’t water your fence. It will erode the exterior staining as the Cedar will absorb the water also. Water on the Cedar fence will stain with water marks. That will increase the maintenance required and frequency to stain and re-stain.
All fencing products will fade over time from exposure to the sun. Many composite fencing materials will list a Fade Factor or Sun Factor to show how the product reacts and fades in different environments like the sun. Natural Cedar fencing with or without staining will also fade due to sun exposure, and many people appreciate the silvering that natural Cedar becomes due to the exposure to the sun.
If you are looking to hire a professional to stain your fence, we recommend Fence Defense and Deck Defense and Woodstock Finishing. If you prefer to do it your self, give us a call and we can recommend multiple brands of stain that will meet your needs.
CFC Fences and Decks can be visited online at www.fenceanddeckutah.com. Our website is very user friendly and interactive and has extensive galleries showing our many styles and designs, both stained and natural of Cedar and Wood fencing projects we have done all over Utah.
