Paint or Stain/Seal wooden privacy fence

[WannaFly]

I've got a privacy fence in my back yard and it's in sorry shape, very dirty and moldy, etc. I have plans to replace it but it's going to be a year or two before I can afford it. In the mean time i'd like to pressure wash it and paint or stain it.

Does anyone have any recommendations? I think i'd rather stain it, but I was hoping to rent/borrow one of the air sprayers to make it go quicker, which i dont think you can use with stain or sealer.

I know it's going to be a lot of work, but I think it will be worth it.

 

[Vette73]

Cheapest thing to do it power wash it then let it dry. After that goto HD and get the cheap stain/water protectant. it is $58 for 5 gallons but they have a $20 mail in rebate last week so it might still be going on? Put that on, and it can be sprayed as it is thin, and that should hold it for a couple years. It says oil based and is thin but cleans up with water.

Also check out lowes, walmart, sears, etc... and just use the cheapest wood sealer since you said you will be replacing in a couple years. The only reason i used anything from HD was it was cheap and fell into the better then nothing (which is what it has now).


Almost forgot. If you want really cheap then wal-mart has a redwood stain for like $6 a gallon. It is latex and very basic but should also work.

 

[WannaFly]

Marlin: Thanks for the info. I knew that stain was thin, but have you sprayed it before? I thought it had to be rubbed in like you would stain a smaller piece.

Also, how long should I let the fence dry for? In the florida heat would 1 day be good enough you think?

edit: I've also never sprayed before, how worried should i be about overspray or the wind? On one side of the fence i'm about 6' from my neighbors house. I'nm trying to see if the investment of a sprayer is worth it.

 

[Modelworks]

You can spray stain or sealer.
Brother does it all the time, using a wagner.

After you pressure wash it and you think its dry just take a knife and pull back a layer or two of the wood in couple different spots to see if its dry all the way.

 

[Vette73]

Well its not only the heat but you have humidity. So even if its 90 out if you have a high humidity it might take a extra day. But if you clean it on day 1 then do nothing on a warm day 2 then you should be able to spray on day 3.

Yea you can spray it. My sprayer was a larger pro type model but even a good basic one should be fine. Just put it on thin and spray a 2nd thin coat on afterwards.

But yea if it windy then spray a even thinner coat and stay close to the wood. Also have a small brush handy in case any of the stain runs. If so juts brush them out thin and move on.

I have not sprayed the fence in my backyard yet, still cold here in N.VA and also got plenty else to do, but I have used cheap HD protector on wood we used for framing up our remodel. Treated all the wood on the outside and also the bathroom with this. Not really needed but was applied as a just in case item as we removed some rotten wood.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

If you feel it needs to be replaced, then it must be in sorry shape, and not worth a good clear sealer/preserver, which a cheap sprayer could do. If it were me, I'd simply pressure wash it, if I owned one,(I do), if not just chip off, or drill sand the worst of it, grab a cheap w-i-d-e brush, a 6 pack, and slop a thick coat of some cheap white paint on it, which a cheap sprayer cannot do. This of coarse, is if your fence is less than 800', if more dial, 555-1234 ask for Manuel.

 

[alkemyst]

I took advantage of the sears sale a couple weekends ago and picked up a 3100 psi pressure washer.

Did my concrete, house and fence...my fence was brown and moldy (I live in Florida too)...after a few hours it looked like new.

I am debating sealing it or not...it's all pressure treated already.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
I took advantage of the sears sale a couple weekends ago and picked up a 3100 psi pressure washer.

Did my concrete, house and fence...my fence was brown and moldy (I live in Florida too)...after a few hours it looked like new.

I am debating sealing it or not...it's all pressure treated already.

Pressure treaded wood does not stop weathering. It does prevent rot but you still need to protect it. The cheap oil based HD stuff works well and is only $13 a gallon or so. Should slow/stop the mold and give the wood a nice natural color.

 

[DrPizza]

Before you go out and buy a Wagner paint sprayer, look into getting a decent air compressor and a sprayer for the compressor. I found last year that it was much much easier painting that way. The sprayer itself will be cheaper, and will be much less hassle. I used it to apply a latex based paint to black vinyl/plastic shutters. (I hated the black.) They looked like I purchased them that way when I was done. I used it to paint some steel/aluminum doors with an oil based rustoleum paint (white). That stuff was really thick. I didn't have to thin it and when I was done, again, the doors looked like they were made that way. Cleanup was much easier too. I'm actually looking forward to painting things this spring.

IIRC, the sprayer was only $40 or $50. I believe the compressor was around $200. While that's a bit more money than just buying a Wagner sprayer, it's worth pointing out that the air compressor has a lot of other uses as well, and a lot of other nifty tools that are relatively inexpensive to use with it.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: alkemyst
I took advantage of the sears sale a couple weekends ago and picked up a 3100 psi pressure washer.

Did my concrete, house and fence...my fence was brown and moldy (I live in Florida too)...after a few hours it looked like new.

I am debating sealing it or not...it's all pressure treated already.

Pressure treaded wood does not stop weathering. It does prevent rot but you still need to protect it. The cheap oil based HD stuff works well and is only $13 a gallon or so. Should slow/stop the mold and give the wood a nice natural color.

right, I wasn't doubting that...but I can probably pressure clean once a year a lot faster than painting and with less risk to overspray.

I am debating it since I just bought a nice air compressor as well . Nice and quiet and in the 5 scfms for 90psi and 120psi.

I have about 200' or so of fence.