Tips For Protecting Your New Backyard Cedar Fence From The Elements
Posted on: 25 May 2016
If you plan to spend your weekend installing a new cedar fence around your backyard, then it is vital that you properly seal the fence to protect it from the elements. Without proper protection, the cedar fence boards will discolor and begin to breakdown from the sun and rain. To this end, follow these tips to protect your beautiful new cedar wood fence from the elements:
Choose the Proper Finishing Product
While you can paint or varathane most wood building products around your home to protect them from weather damage, these are the two worst products you can paint on your new fence. The cedar wood used to build your fence needs to be treated with a sealing product that will absorb into the wood's cells and provide more than just a surface layer covering.
Oil-based wood stains have the ability to penetrate into the fence's wood and to protect it from the elements. Additionally, by choosing a stain that is semi-transparent, you will still be able to enjoy the beauty of your wood fence while protecting it from the sun's damaging ultraviolet rays. The combination of these two things makes an oil-based, semi-transparent stain the best option for use on cedar fences.
Properly Apply the Wood Stain Product
The best way to apply the wood stain to your new cedar fence is by using a paint sprayer. However, if you do not own a paint sprayer, then you can use an inexpensive pump sprayer like the one you use to spray the weeds in your yard.
When spraying on the wood stain, spray the stain on the fence in an even pattern and then smooth out the finish using a low-nap paint roller or paintbrush. You cannot apply stain with a sprayer without going over the surface to smooth it out, or your new fence will have spots all over it that will be hard for you to ever remove!
You need to reapply the protective stain every few years to keep the cedar wood protected.
Apply Wood Stain to the Cedar Board's Cut Edges
Your cedar fence boards will last a lot longer if you take the time to apply a layer of protective stain onto all of the board's cut edges. Staining all of the ends and sides of your fence boards before you put them in place will keep water from absorbing into the boards and causing them to warp and crack.
For more tips about keeping your cedar fence in great shape, contact a company like Four Corners Fencing.
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