Stain new cedar fence?

[311Hemi]

I helped the neighbor install a cedar fence between our houses this past weekend, the fence is his. I asked if he was going to stain it and he wasn't sure that it needed to be and I got the feeling he may not.

Does cedar need to be stained to keep it from turning grey, and if do you need to wait any certain amount of time for the lumber to dry out? These were just prefabbed cedar panels from Menards.

I would like to keep the fence looking decent from my side and not greying out and would be willing to buy the stain if need be. It's only 24' long.

[pureinsanity]

Is it green treated or no?

I would personally treat it with something. Maybe not stain if you don't want it darkening over time. Maybe even just some type of sealer would work great, or paint.

[crothmeier]

Cedar will gray out in a few months. It does not NEED to be stained, but to keep it colored good, find a good Transparent Deck stain. Ive personally used Sikkens, and Superdeck. Penofin makes a good product as well. My cedar fence has Superdeck Canyon Brown on it. A quality gallon of deck/siding stain will be $30-$40 on up.

a solid color stain or paint will cover up the beauty of the wood. A semi-transparent or transparent deck stain will enhance the graining of the wood. they come in a variety of stain colors, including natural.

[CAMAN]

Thompsons water seal will seal it and leave the beauty of the wood showing through. Let the wood dry for a couple weeks then seal it.

[skolfoppa]

Let the fence breathe until fall or next spring. I would recommend a good oil toner in a natural finish. Skol.

[walleyeseeker]

Thompsons is the last product you want to use on good cedar wood. Like was said earlier, let it weather for six months to a year, then treat it with something. It must be cleaned first, but will look good for many years.

[Walleye Guy]

Let it sit for a few months. Then avoid Thompsons. Its the most overrated garbage I have ever used. Superdeck makes good products. I have heard great things about Sikkens as well.

[Steve Foss]

If preserving the new color of the wood is your goal, do not wait until fall or next spring to stain. Stain it right away. There's no need to wait like there is with pressure-treated pine, and if you let the cedar sit for several months it'll be graying or grayed out by the time you stain it.

I'd definitely use a transparent, clear stain if it were mine and I wanted the wood to look new for a long time. Solid stains are basically paint, and they require more maintenance because they can flake off just like paint. Transparent and semi transparent stains are much better in that regard.

Personally, when I use cedar for some kind of outdoor project (house siding being an exception) it's because I want the grayed out look, so I leave it alone once I'm done building.

[walleyeseeker]

Steve, I would have to disagree with staining right away. Cedar should be left to weather for a minimum of six months before finishing. Cedar has natural oil in the wood that repels finishes. Letting it weather helps these oils disapate. The finish will last much longer if you let it weather, clean it, then finish it.

[fivebucks]

You could use a stain made for log cabins. Most of those are made so you put one coat on the 1st year and it will let the moisture breath out of the wood. After it is all dried then time for the 2nd coat.

[Steve Foss]

Seeker, we've had good luck with transparent and semi-transparent stain on new cedar (never tried the solid that way). I knew about the oils, but when we've gone ahead anyway it's worked out well. Not sure what to make of that.

[deerminator]

Depending on the look you want, you might want to consider Australian Timber Oil. I forget the color we got but its semi-transparent so you see the wood grain but get a deep rich reddish log cabin color. I stained a log driveway sign I put in with it and it looks wonderful. It reccomends staining every year but I'm going to go every other. It still looks good so I'll wait til next spring.

[crothmeier]

I am a lumber dealer, and my Cedar supplier reccommends putting a droplet of water on the cedar. If the water soaks in almost immediatly it is ready for stain. If you wait 6 months it will start the greying process, then you have the pain of using a cleaner/brightener to restore the original look, and then wait until its dry and then stain. Usually I tell my customers to leave it to the elements for 2-3 weeks, and brush/clean it off and then stain. Like walleyeseeker stated, there is a natural oil, which can form a "glaze" on fresh cut cedar, but I've had people stain cedar before installing it with no issuses. Avoid Thompsons. JUNK!

[BoxMN]

Hey Crothmeier, you helped me a few years ago when I stained my cedar deck. Time to do it again. I used Sikkens. I just need to do the deck itself, not the ballisters/posts/etc., just flat part. What should I use for cleaner to prep it, and any other suggestions. It is on a lake, so no phosphate type stuff. Hopefully there is an alternative that works. Have not been to Hirschfields yet... Thanks for any info.

[crothmeier]

Superdeck makes a Wood and Composite Deck Cleaner, that is 100% biodegradeable, and cleans stains from mold, dirt, mildew.

If you're looking to strip all the existing stain off they make a Wood Stripper that will accomplish that. This too is 100% Biodegradable, and safe to use, but they recommend using the wood brightener afterward, to restore your cedar to its original color/look, however you dont HAVE to use it.

If you do a google search for Superdeck cleaner it takes you to their HSOforum. There are other products out there that i'm sure work equally as good, this product is one i've sold and had good feedback on.