Is staining a fence worth it?

[Anonymous]

We had our fence replaced last year for $9k. Thinking of staining it now but we've gotten a few quotes and between labor and materials, staining will cost $3k. No, we do not have the time or energy to DIY. Is hiring it out worth it, i.e. will a stain increase its longevity in any meaningful way? I'm having trouble coming to terms with paying 1/3 of what we paid to install it.

[Anonymous]

What kind of wood? Pressure treated? Do you care about style or performance?

[Anonymous]

It is so easy to stain it yourself. I would not pay $3k to do it, but you can do it yourself spending a few hours over two weekends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What kind of wood? Pressure treated? Do you care about style or performance?

Pressure treated. Performance is more important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What kind of wood? Pressure treated? Do you care about style or performance?

Pressure treated. Performance is more important.

Then no. A new pressure treated fence should last 20 years. I'd only stain 15 years from now to extend the life a bit. The only reason to stain a new fence is for aesthetics/color.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What kind of wood? Pressure treated? Do you care about style or performance?

Pressure treated. Performance is more important.

Then no. A new pressure treated fence should last 20 years. I'd only stain 15 years from now to extend the life a bit. The only reason to stain a new fence is for aesthetics/color.

If one were to stain the fence once in fence's lifetime, wouldn't earlier be better than later because it would have preventative aging benefits?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What kind of wood? Pressure treated? Do you care about style or performance?

Pressure treated. Performance is more important.

Then no. A new pressure treated fence should last 20 years. I'd only stain 15 years from now to extend the life a bit. The only reason to stain a new fence is for aesthetics/color.

If one were to stain the fence once in fence's lifetime, wouldn't earlier be better than later because it would have preventative aging benefits?

The wood is already coated in chemicals...that's what pressure treated wood is. It'd be like putting a wax coating on a car that already has fresh wax coating. Is a double wax going to extend the life of the paint? Maybe? Is it necessary? Probably not. The only real reason to stain is to change the color for stylistic reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What kind of wood? Pressure treated? Do you care about style or performance?

Pressure treated. Performance is more important.

Then no. A new pressure treated fence should last 20 years. I'd only stain 15 years from now to extend the life a bit. The only reason to stain a new fence is for aesthetics/color.

Disagree. The thing that deteriorates pressure treated wood the most is UV light. Stain blocks it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What kind of wood? Pressure treated? Do you care about style or performance?

Pressure treated. Performance is more important.

Then no. A new pressure treated fence should last 20 years. I'd only stain 15 years from now to extend the life a bit. The only reason to stain a new fence is for aesthetics/color.

Disagree. The thing that deteriorates pressure treated wood the most is UV light. Stain blocks it.

+1

[Anonymous]

Another thing to consider: Staining is typically not a one-time thing, especially if you’re using a tinted stain. Except to restrain every 2-years depending on weather, sun exposure, product, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another thing to consider: Staining is typically not a one-time thing, especially if you’re using a tinted stain. Except to restrain every 2-years depending on weather, sun exposure, product, etc.

If you want to maintain the color, yes. But an aging stained fence that has not been restained is not going to look any worse than an unstained aging fence.

[Anonymous]

Staining is not going to make any difference to the longevity of pressure treated wood.