We Can Stain or Paint Your Fence or Deck

By Texas Rural Fence, Inc. · Gates and Other Services

A wood fence or deck is only as good as its finish. Unfinished cedar goes gray in a season; unfinished pine checks, splits and soaks up water until the boards cup. A coat of stain or paint, on clean dry wood, every few years, is the cheapest thing you can do to make a fence or deck last twice as long. We do it as a standalone service around Lake Livingston, and here is how to decide between the two and what the job involves.

Stain

Stain soaks into the wood. It wears away gradually, so it never peels, and it recoats without stripping. Transparent and semi-transparent stains show the grain and are the usual choice for cedar. Semi-solid and solid stains cover more, hide weathered or treated pine, and last longer between coats. For fences, decks and pergolas, stain is what we recommend most of the time.

Paint

Paint sits on top of the wood. It hides more and comes in any color, and it is right for trim, a white picket fence, or a cross buck fence on a horse property. It peels when water gets behind it, so prep and recoating matter more. Painted wood stays painted; going back to stain means stripping.

How each ages here

The East Texas sun hits south- and west-facing runs hardest, and the humidity feeds mildew on everything. Stain fades evenly and the wood underneath stays protected until the color is mostly gone; a timely recoat brings it back. Paint looks best on day one and worst in year four if it is not maintained, because the failure is peeling rather than fading. Either way, two to four years is the recoat interval, sooner in full sun.

How we do the job

1. Wash at low pressure with a wood cleaner to lift mildew, dirt and the gray surface. See pressure washing.
2. Dry for two to three dry days. Finish on damp wood fails.
3. Prep: loose boards fastened, splinters knocked down, plants and concrete covered.
4. Apply: stain sprayed and back-brushed so it works into the grain; paint primed where needed and brushed or sprayed for coverage. Cut ends and picket bottoms covered.
5. Cure dry until the finish sets.

New wood

Cedar can be finished as soon as it is dry, usually within a few weeks of being built. Pressure-treated pine needs a season, until water soaks in rather than beading. When we build a fence or deck, we tell you when it will be ready and can come back to finish it.

What a fresh finish does

Keeps water out of the wood, slows checking and cupping, stops mildew from getting a hold, and brings the color back. It is the difference between a fence that looks tired at five years and one that looks new at ten. See fence and deck staining for the service and protect your fence this winter for timing.