How to Seal a Wood Fence
If you plan to install a new wood fence, you probably want to ensure it lasts as long as possible.
That might be why you’re wondering how to seal a wood fence. Let’s take a closer look at how to seal a wood fence, what products you might want to use, and how often you need to reseal a wood fence.
Do You Need to Seal a Wood Fence?
The first thing you might need to know if you’re trying to figure out how to seal a wood fence is whether you need to do this at all. The answer is that it depends.
If you are using treated wood or cedar to build your wood fence, you probably don’t need to seal the wood.
However, if you are using untreated wood to build your fence, it’s probably a good idea to treat and seal it to prolong its lifespan.
Although cedar and treated wood cost a little more upfront, this is why you might want to consider using them instead of ordinary lumber. Treating, sealing, and maintaining a wood fence is expensive and needs to be done more than once.
What Should You Use to Seal a Wood Fence?
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You can use several products to stain, seal and protect a wood fence. You could choose a wood sealer, which is usually transparent, although it might be tinted. Or you could opt for a stain and sealer, which is usually opaque and lets you color your fence to match your décor. There are also special oil-based products that you can use to protect your wood fence. If you’re not sure what you want to use on your fence, talk to the staff at your local hardware store. They should be able to advise you about the pros and cons of the more common options, which will help you to make the right choice. |
How to Seal a Wood Fence
If you are installing a new wood fence, the best way to ensure it’s properly protected is to stain or seal it before installing it. This will ensure that the product penetrates the wood properly and that it covers all of the surfaces of your wood fence.
If you are sealing an existing wood fence, you will first need to clean the fence, which you could do with a pressure washer or similar. This will take any dirt, algae, or moss growth on the fence off.
If you have stubborn dirt on your fence, you might also need to sand some areas of the fence – but make sure you get all the dust from the sanding off the fence before you apply any product.
If your fence is damaged or rotten in places, make sure that you replace the damaged fence components during the preparation process. Remember that badly deteriorated wood fences cannot be repaired by sealing or staining them!
Stains and sealants for wood fences can be applied in various ways, including spraying, brushes, or rollers.
Fence Companies That Offer Staining
If you don’t want to undertake the task of staining or sealing your wood fence, some companies will do this for you.
Some fence companies that do wood fences also offer fence staining and sealing or maintenance. There are also companies that just stain and seal wood fences.
So you should be able to find a company that can help you with this type of project.
