Have you installed a new fence to your house and want to stain it? Well, if you’re staining the wooden fence for the first time, it will hold lots of your interest.
You might want to stain your new fence as soon as possible. But, it’s not a wise decision to stain the fence stain right way after installing. If you do so, there might occur several negative impacts and inconvenience on the fence.
Installing a new fence is undoubtedly a remarkable investment for a house owner. And applying the fence stain enhances the beauty of this investment.
When you install a new fence, you must want to ensure its long lastingness. And that’s why you’re asking, when should I stain a new fence.
Let’s see our opinion through this article and understand why we say so.
When should you stain a new fence?
“When should you stain a new fence,” it depends on when you have installed the fence. A new fence shouldn’t stain immediately after installing it. Instead, you have to wait to hold the lastingness of the wooden structure without any damage.
Whether you stain or paint the wooden fence, you should usually wait at least 1-2 months after installation. You can apply the stain on the wood only after it gets properly dried.
And it takes 1 to 2 months for the normal wood to get dry properly. Unfortunately, for the pressure-treated wood, you have to wait for 2-3 months.
However, this timetable can vary based on the conditions of the weather. If there is warm weather outside, it might take a lower time to dry the new fence.
In contrast, the fence might need more than three months to dry properly in the cold and wet weather. Sometimes it also takes almost one year to dry the newly installed fence in the cold-prone country.
Symptoms of the stainable fence
Has your newly installed fence become suitable for staining or not? How will you understand that? It’s another remarkable question from the house owners.
There is a straight and easy test that you can do to check the dryness of your wooden fence. And that is sprinkling the water on the wooden fence.
Sprinkle some water on the fence with your hand. If the water dries swiftly into the wood, that means your fence has become ready for staining. Conversely, if the water drops exist on the wood fence, that means it’s not the right time for staining.
Why should you wait before staining a new fence?
Staining the wooden fence protects it from the rain, sunlight, storm, and so on. But back to staining a fresh fence, you have to wait at a minimum for eight weeks to dry it.
That’s because the penetration of staining becomes effective when you apply on the dry wood. The wetness of wood creates the mold and mildew of stain on it; as a consequence, you cannot get a smooth finish of stain on the wooden structure.
The result of the wet staining fence also makes you staining wood frequently. And hence, your overall house maintenance costs get increased.
We know that the expensive and quality stain offers a smooth finish on the wooden properties. But it happens when the properties are smooth and dry, which is ideal for staining.
So, before staining the fence, apply our given test, and ensure it’s prepared for applying the stain. Afterward, you have to prepare the fence for staining. But, the biggest mistake we make is not to wait for the raw fence to dry.
The sum up!
Staining and sealing wood is definitely beneficial for the wooden structure. But staining wood before the right time causes an unfinished and rough nature of the wooden properties.
The conscious homeowner hence frequently inquiries, “when should I stain a new fence.” That’s because they don’t want to have an ugly looking fence at their doorstep. Undoubtedly, the mildew on the fence makes the fence stain frequently.
