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We bought a house last fall, and now are looking at the cedar fence. My wife and I have never owned a fence before and want to keep it maintained.
Our HOA sends out annual notices reminding us to stain our fences. I'm assuming there isn't any sealer I can put on the fence to increase the time between fence staining cycles? One a year seems like a lot.
What is the easiest way of doing it, short of hiring someone? We have a lot of fencing - full permiter. Some of it is near concrete and the house, and some is near shrubbery.
Any guesses as to what it costs to have it done professionally?
I have "an" answer though not necessarily "the" answer you're seeking.
One, I'm surprised the owner doesn't do this herself. Tenants will not do a bang-up job; why should they, it isn't theirs.
Two, inline with one, seek the least expensive option possible, in my opinion, if you must take your own time and expense to do this task.
Three, I stained a shed (300 sq ft of surface, more-or-less), built this spring, with Benjamin Moore oil-based semi-solid. Th finest rated stain I could find. That cost me about a hundred bucks in stain, more than I would have guessed. I believe my shed is Douglas Fir, and was "thirsty", so to speak. Guess that's true of many untreated woods.
Staining was (is) one option in this climate to keep structures viable, at least awhile. Will be curious how long my shed lasts: hoping for ten years or more.
Fourth, there is probably a fast way to do this, with a sprayer of some sort. I personally did the Tom Sawyer routine with a couple high-quality brushes for oil-based paints and stains. Took awhile, and it's dirty work.
Fifth, a cheaper way out is to use Home Depot "Barn Paint." I believe it comes in white and red, by the 5 gallon bucket, though one might wonder if other colors are possible with mixing. Pretty cheap stuff, designed for exactly what it says: outdoor structures painted and re-painted every few years. Might want to ask if you can use this instead.
Lastly, yes there are urethane-type sealers one can use. They are expensive. I need to treat my perimeter wood fence with something like that, probably in 2014, and will start a research project myself. Or, I will break out the Barn Paint (seriously, I just might).
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Whether the fence lasts depends on the people on the other side also staining. If you stain every year and they don't your side will look great but theirs can be rotten and it will still fall. Have you considered talking to them and going in together on renting a sprayer, and helping each other?
You can extend the life of a fence with a top quality sealer. The better the sealer, the longer it will last (depending on climate and exposure of course). Best stuff on the market-
TWP- period!
Do it yourself and save a bundle- sealing doesn't require Michelangelo brush stroke- just a pump up sprayer made specifically for wood sealers.
We recently moved, and our HOA requires us to paint our fence every 3 years, and provides 10 gallons of Kelly Moore oil based translucent stain. I used about 6 or 7 gallons in about 4 hours. You must cover everything you don't want overspray on. Clean airless with paint thinner and follow up with water.
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