Any cedar fence experts?

[HSMITH]

I have about 500 feet of 6" cedar privacy fence I need to seal this summer. I'd love for it to look wet like it does when it rains, it really looks nice when it is wet. Any suggestions on what product might work best for me? I need to have the protection last several years, time is super hard to come by and I can't see doing it more than every 3 years or so.....

[Kingman]

I just used thompsons water sealer. Around here they have tinted versions so you can get that darker look.

[Tom Mainus]

Howard,

I will see our painter tomorrow down in Moline. I will ask him what he would use. I will give you a call when I get some info.

Tom

[open17]

"SUPERDECK" Brand Products, transparent stain and sealer. Available in a lot of

colors. I like "Heart Redwood" for cedar, kind of a medium red. Lasts better than

anything else I've found around here. (Pacific Northwet).

[BlackBuzzard]

In the looooong run, most of those products give the fence a mottled or blotchy appearence.

Just my opinion, but keep it natural.

Having spent close to 10k on a Texas cedar fence I too considered wood treatments, except that my neighbors's was beginning to look like crap just a few years after wood "treatment" - dont know what he used.

Trying to use as many emoticons as possible.

BB

[downlow411]

I had very good results with oil based sealers, got that wet look and was very resistant to aging.

[PINMAN44]

Howard:

My friend has his own business for power washing and staining. I worked for him for quite sometime before I went back to school. If you need advice I would call him. Here is his website.

http://www.brownspressurewashing.net/home.nxg

Depends on how much money you are trying to spend on stain and how dirty the cedar is. Oil based stains are the best for that application. It's a hardwood application.

I think by far the best Oil based stains are Cabots austalian timber oil and Wood Tux. Wood tux is very nice but very expensive.

Robby

It's all situational, he can lead you in the right direction.

I recommend calling him.

Edited May 26, 2009 by PINMAN44

[G-ManBart]

We have 125' of cedar "coyote fencing" in our back yard...had it put up 3yrs ago and it still looks really good....no treatment of any kind. R,

[Storm52]

We have 125' of cedar "coyote fencing" in our back yard...had it put up 3yrs ago and it still looks really good....no treatment of any kind. R,

Bart: Remember too where you currently live. Add some humidity, lots of rain, humidity that stays around 80% on good days, more rain...and you end up needing to treat the cedar/redwood. I've used Wood Tux and reseal with a 'wet' clear. With Thompson's you have to reapply annually or you end up with a motley mess. Think ArmourAll and dash boards.

If the wood is mildewed or has mold, I suggest getting a jug of JoMax from Lowes (possibly Wal-Mart), a large jug of commercial bleach and a sprayer. Spray the fence and come back with power washer with wide spray pattern. You don't want the washer to etch the wood so stand at a distance accordingly.

[smokshwn]

I have wood fence of one kind or another for the last 18 years....I have tried most of the "sealers" and found that after a period of time the wood changes color too much....What I have settled on is a twice yearly application of Linseed Oil cut enough with mineral spirits to spray through a weed sprayer. Keeps the wood from changing to that whitewashed grey shade and seems to handle the elements great.

Good Luck, Craig

[HSMITH]

Thanks for the info guys. The fence is about 8 months old now and has had nothing done, I wanted to be sure the wood was dry before I did anything. With 500 linear feet 6 feet high everything is going to be expensive to do, cost isn't that big of a deal in that I would pay 3 times as much for 3 times the life.

Craig, I like the linseed oil idea a lot other than the twice a year part. How much does it take though on the first application? I am thinking the rough sawn cedar is going to drink it down the first couple applications?

I have a good power washer and intend to clean it first even though it is really pretty clean....

[Tom Mainus]

Howard,

Our painter buys all of his stuff from Sanders paint in Racine. I think it is on Hwy 11 but I am not sure. He said to use a product from Sikkens. It is an oil based product. He used it on the log home we built in Union Grove, on Hwy 11 about 2 miles east of the Piggly Wiggly. The stuff looks like it is still wet when it dries. You can get a clear or they have a few with a slight tint to it. Call me if you have any more ?'s.

Tom

[HSMITH]

Thanks Tom!

[JimmyZip]

Thanks for the info guys. The fence is about 8 months old now and has had nothing done, I wanted to be sure the wood was dry before I did anything. With 500 linear feet 6 feet high everything is going to be expensive to do, cost isn't that big of a deal in that I would pay 3 times as much for 3 times the life.

Craig, I like the linseed oil idea a lot other than the twice a year part. How much does it take though on the first application? I am thinking the rough sawn cedar is going to drink it down the first couple applications?

I have a good power washer and intend to clean it first even though it is really pretty clean....

Just remember redoing cedar light boxes on an estate in the mountains around here about ten years ago. This is what I used, and nine out of ten of the boxes still looks good. The one out of ten that doesn't was run over with a car, or small tractor, so nothing that can be related to the finish. This was pretty cheap, and you get a decent mild color. Yes you have to reapply annually, but the look is better than others. I even did our redwood front door with this stuff.

Just another opinion, and you know what they say about opinions.

[AWLAZS]

H the thing about painting or staining a wooden fence is you cant seal all four sides of the board. This allows moisture to get into the wood and affect the finish you put on. If you feel you must do something a natural colored water sealer is best do both sides No peeling or scraping to re apply it next year.

If it was mine it would stay untreated.

Randy

[smokshwn]

Thanks for the info guys. The fence is about 8 months old now and has had nothing done, I wanted to be sure the wood was dry before I did anything. With 500 linear feet 6 feet high everything is going to be expensive to do, cost isn't that big of a deal in that I would pay 3 times as much for 3 times the life.

Craig, I like the linseed oil idea a lot other than the twice a year part. How much does it take though on the first application? I am thinking the rough sawn cedar is going to drink it down the first couple applications?

I have a good power washer and intend to clean it first even though it is really pretty clean....

Howard,

That initial coat takes quite a bit. I used approx 10 gal on 250 ft the first round. However I use about 5-6 gal a year to keep it water repellent and that seems to work pretty well. I use 1 gal of spirits with every 5 gal oil btw.

[warpspeed]

I've only done cedar a couple of time and used Cabot semi-transparent stains. I'm pretty sure they were linseed oil based and they worked great.