Staining Fence-- Spray or Roll, or Co. Recommendations? (cabinets, cabin)

[brooke11112]

I need to get our new fence stained. I've called two people. With supplies, one quoted approximately $400 to stain my fence with a paint/stain sprayer. The other quoted $1400 to put stain on my fence with a roller, and stated that while it was easier to spray, that the spray does not do a good job of protecting your fence. I obviously want to protect my investment in my fence, but I'd rather save a 1000 bucks if I can justify the spray.

1) Anyone had their fence spray stained and do you like the results?
2) anyone ever used Waterboy with Waterboycleaning.com for any projects job, and if so, did you like the results?

Thanks!

[joe530]

Originally Posted by brooke11112

I need to get our new fence stained. I've called two people. With supplies, one quoted approximately $400 to stain my fence with a paint/stain sprayer. The other quoted $1400 to put stain on my fence with a roller, and stated that while it was easier to spray, that the spray does not do a good job of protecting your fence. I obviously want to protect my investment in my fence, but I'd rather save a 1000 bucks if I can justify the spray.

1) Anyone had their fence spray stained and do you like the results?
2) anyone ever used Waterboy with Waterboycleaning.com for any projects job, and if so, did you like the results?

Thanks!

Whenever anybody uses a stain whether it is for interior cabinets or exterior siding, decks or fences you will achieve optimal results by using a brush. I would not roll a stain on any surface without back brushing it later. The reason being is that a brush will allow the stain to better penetrate the surface and work its way into crevices. if a professional painter uses a sprayer it will be fine as the sprayer has enough pressure to penetrate the surface. You want to be sure that the wood is covered as per the manufacturer recommendation. Also, do not have the painter apply to many coats as that will lead to the stain peeling. Most manufactures recommend one coat two at the most. If you are looking for the most protection I would use a solid stain. This will have the best protection from UV/ultraviolet rays. If you are looking at a semi-transparent or toner, these will need to be applied more frequently. IE every 2 -3 years or so. DM me if you have any other questions.

[candlegirl]

I would personally never stain a fence by spraying it, just will not get the same results. There are special rollers you can get for applying stain but like the above reply said, you have to get crevices mostly with a brush. I have found that when applying fence/deck stain it needs to be brushed in for best penetration.

Also, FYI you can not stain anything outdoors unless the outside temp remains above 50 degrees during and 48 hours afters the application. Finally, be sure it gets power washed before applying stain to remove dirt and mold, otherwise it will get stained into the fence. If the people you have quotes from did not tell you these things, you might want to consider getting someone more knowledgable to do the job.