# How To Properly Stain a Fence **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Off Topic\ **Created:** [August 12, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-properly-stain-a-fence/215436 "2011-08-12T18:02:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ieatpaint](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/ieatpaint/32/7311_2.png) [@ieatpaint](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ieatpaint)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-properly-stain-a-fence/215436/1 "2011-08-12T18:02:25Z")
Decided that it was time to finally get some protection on the much neglected fence at my house. I basically took a fence that probably should have been torn down and added a few years to it’s life. Maybe Willybeen has some more insight into it’s age but it’s at least 7 years without a coating on it. Needless to say it was extremely dry and gray (like your mom). Some of the before pics. ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0025.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0025.jpg) ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0036.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0036.jpg) ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0046.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0046.jpg) ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0055.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0055.jpg) ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0012.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0012.jpg) First step is to gather your supplies. A bucket, scrub brush, deck cleaner, bleach and a pump sprayer. I also used the power washer from my work, 2600psi capable. You’ll want to skip the whole bleach thing. When I mixed it with the deck cleaner it all foamed out of the bucket like a science class volcano. No pics of that. ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0075.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0075.jpg) My cleaner asked for 1 gallon to be mixed with 3 gallons of water. So I did. Wet a few sections of fence with the power washer first. Use the pump sprayer to apply a generous amount of the mixture. I did 3 sections at a time. Then wait like 10 minutes or so. If it starts to dry keep it wet with the power washer. After the 10 min is up, use the scrub brush to loosen everything up. Then proceed to power wash. Don’t hold the nozzle 3 inches from the wood or you will tear it up and make it look super furry. I used the green tip and was about 6 inches back, this distance worked well. Some during pics: ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0083.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0083.jpg) ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0096.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0096.jpg) ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0124.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0124.jpg) ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0116.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0116.jpg) And some next day afters ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0135.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0135.jpg) ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0145.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0145.jpg) ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0106.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0106.jpg) As you can see it took like 80% of the gray out. Not too shabby for an afternoons work. You’re going to want to let the fence dry two solid dry days before the stain. Next step is to choose your stain of choice. I picked Ben Moores alkyd exterior translucent stain in teak. ![http://www.benjaminmoore.com/ShowPropertyServlet;jsessionid=N0XpT71H8c2PQhJhGYw3zByjC2XwLvPPYksqzDgyhkwxVwnwmTbZ!-1554676351!NONE?nodePath=%2FBEA+Repository%2Fimagerepository%2Fpublic_site%2Fca_product_images%2FIA_pri_K326_ca%2F%2Fimage_197x193.content_en_CA&_pageLabel=fh_learnhow_ca](http://www.benjaminmoore.com/ShowPropertyServlet;jsessionid=N0XpT71H8c2PQhJhGYw3zByjC2XwLvPPYksqzDgyhkwxVwnwmTbZ!-1554676351!NONE?nodePath=%2FBEA+Repository%2Fimagerepository%2Fpublic_site%2Fca_product_images%2FIA_pri_K326_ca%2F%2Fimage_197x193.content_en_CA&_pageLabel=fh_learnhow_ca) Yes it’s oil based, no it doesn’t clean up with soap and water, no it’s not illegal in NYS. I picked this because the wood cleaned up so well. Had the wood not cleaned up as well I would have went with a little more opacity, such as a semi-transparent or semi-solid. I still would have used an oil based as water based just doesn’t cut it for me. I want something to soak into the wood, not just hang on top. Applying the stain I experimented with a few methods to find the happy medium between speed and not wasting a ton of product. Applying just by brush took too long, using a roller and back brush wasted way too much. I applied the stain with my pump sprayer and then back brushed. I sprayed a board top to bottom then brushed it in. I did the entire inside of the fence first and outside last. I got 150 sq ft per gallon of stain, which is about average. I didn’t take any during shots of the staining because frankly it sucked and pictures were the last thing on my mind. It was like 90 degrees and I was sweating my balls off. So you get to see just the finished shots. ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0166.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0166.jpg) ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0196.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0196.jpg) ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0186.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0186.jpg) ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0157.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0157.jpg) ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0206.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0206.jpg) ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0175.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/ieatpaint315/0175.jpg) Enjoy and ask any questions you have. No I will not be hired to stain your fence or deck, I want no part of staining ever again. ---
**Author:** ![evilsrt](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/evilsrt/32/7470_2.png) [@evilsrt](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/evilsrt)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-properly-stain-a-fence/215436/2 "2011-08-12T19:42:00Z")
Great job, I really need to do this to my fence. ---
**Author:** ![Willybeen](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/willybeen/32/7351_2.png) [@Willybeen](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Willybeen)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-properly-stain-a-fence/215436/3 "2011-08-12T23:13:26Z")
Wow looks amazing ---
**Author:** ![Willybeen](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/willybeen/32/7351_2.png) [@Willybeen](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Willybeen)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-properly-stain-a-fence/215436/4 "2011-08-13T20:02:06Z")
Bump, he needs more cred. Nice job. ---
**Author:** ![Jeller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@Jeller](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Jeller)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-properly-stain-a-fence/215436/5 "2011-08-14T04:50:02Z")
Nice work :tup: ---
**Author:** ![Paulo](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/paulo/32/7328_2.png) [@Paulo](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Paulo)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-properly-stain-a-fence/215436/6 "2011-08-14T14:56:32Z")
That’s quite a difference. Great work. :tup: How long did it take just to stain it? ---
**Author:** ![deebo](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/deebo/32/5218_2.png) [@deebo](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/deebo)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-properly-stain-a-fence/215436/7 "2011-08-14T22:40:16Z")
Great job! and great write up too ---
**Author:** ![cougarspeed](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/cougarspeed/32/7468_2.png) [@cougarspeed](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/cougarspeed)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 11:51pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-properly-stain-a-fence/215436/8 "2011-08-14T23:51:23Z")
:tup: ---
**Author:** ![ieatpaint](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/ieatpaint/32/7311_2.png) [@ieatpaint](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ieatpaint)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-properly-stain-a-fence/215436/9 "2011-08-15T03:44:14Z")
Thanks, I think it took somewhere around 6 hours total to stain it. ---
**Author:** ![JayS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jays/32/15375_2.png) [@JayS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JayS)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 4:17am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-properly-stain-a-fence/215436/10 "2011-08-15T04:17:59Z")
Awesome job. I plan on doing the same thing with my deck this fall. ---
**Author:** ![nytalonTSi](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/nytalontsi/32/5399_2.png) [@nytalonTSi](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/nytalonTSi)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 5:29am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-properly-stain-a-fence/215436/11 "2011-08-15T05:29:03Z")
Nice man, that looks great:tup: ---
**Author:** ![Anonymity](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/anonymity/32/7215_2.png) [@Anonymity](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Anonymity)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 5:51am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-properly-stain-a-fence/215436/12 "2011-08-15T05:51:17Z")
ryan, great job. this dude knows his stuff. t-up ---
**Author:** ![boardjnky4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@boardjnky4](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/boardjnky4)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 5:58am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-properly-stain-a-fence/215436/13 "2011-08-15T05:58:02Z")
fiancee’s mother had the same situation with her deck. it’s amazing what a power washer and a bunch of stain can do looks great man ---
**Author:** ![Gus](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/gus/32/5112_2.png) [@Gus](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Gus)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 7:26am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-properly-stain-a-fence/215436/14 "2011-08-15T07:26:34Z")
Nice work! Staining a fence is the worst. ---
**Author:** ![jimmyfloyd](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jimmyfloyd/32/3077_2.png) [@jimmyfloyd](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/jimmyfloyd)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 10:01am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-properly-stain-a-fence/215436/15 "2011-08-15T10:01:03Z")
I might need to look into this. My fence looks about the same as you started with in color. Mine’s probably 25 years old or more, but I have some thick spaces between the slats and the back side bumps up against the neighbors. Was the Roof/Deck wash you used non-toxic? Neighbor’s garden is right along the fence. Thanks for the write-up. ---
**Author:** ![ieatpaint](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/ieatpaint/32/7311_2.png) [@ieatpaint](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ieatpaint)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-properly-stain-a-fence/215436/16 "2011-08-15T15:23:56Z")
Yeah, it is biodegradable. Just wet her plants and flowers first, then rinse them well after. The idea is to not let the stuff dry on anything that could be ruined, like plants or vinyl siding etc.