Can I Stain Pressure Treated Wood Fence

Staining pressure treated wood is ineffective if the wood is still wet.

Can i stain pressure treated wood fence.

On average you ll want to wait 4 weeks to 6 months to wait before staining the posts. Before you stain pressure treated wood you should clean it first. If it immediately beads up and rests on top of the lumber then you will have to keep waiting. The easiest way to wash new wood is to knock loose any dirt or residue using a pressure washer.

If you re dealing with older wood. Most fences are built with pressure treated wood. Kiln dried wood will be dry at purchase and can be stained immediately. Drip a couple of drops of clean water onto the surface of the lumber.

If you don t want to wait the 6 to 12 months before staining your fence consider using a pre colored fence like microshades or select cut colorpro. If it absorbs into the wood within ten minutes then you are good to stain. A simple test to check whether pressure treated wood can be stained is called the sprinkle test. This is largely dependent on how humid your area is.

If you installed a cedar fence you can usually stain or seal your fence right away without waiting. Wet treated wood still contains significant moisture when purchased and may take longer to dry than other types of pressure treated wood. The color is infused as the wood is being pressure treated so you get the color you want from the very beginning. Microshades is a pressure treated wood fence that has the red tone color of cedar.