How Often Should I Seal or Stain a Wood Fence in Florida?

 

In most cases when it comes to a simple sealer like Olympic Waterguard for Wood you need to do a maintenance coat every 2 years. The caveat with just doing a clear sealer is that it will still show stains from irrigation spray and even growth like algae. While you can go ahead with a single layer coat over these impurities it is best to do a thorough cleaning with a product line Expert Stain’s Eco Clean to remove organic materials and Wood Brightner to open the wood to absorbing the new sealer coat.

 

If you have a water based stain from the main brands like Valspar, Sherwin-Williams, Olympic, etc.. you need to do a maintenance coat every 2-3 years depending on how faded the fence has become and what kinds of growth have started invade the fence. Water based stains REQUIRE cleaning before a maintenance coat can be applied. It is simply because water based stains are more like paint and sit on the surface without soaking in deeply. In some cases a simple pressure wash with clean water can remove the surface contaminants but it usually requires at minimum a chemical clean like Eco Clean or even a stronger chemical because algae loves water based stains and does not come off easily.

 

Now, if you have an oil based stained fence you should only need a maintenance coat every 3 to 4 years. Oil based stains actually absorb into the wood of the fence to protect deeper and longer than water based stains. With stain brands like Ready Seal, Wood Defender and Expert Stain you get a high quality stain that will last and is easy to clean and maintain. A typical oil stained fence will require a pressure wash prior to staining just to knock any dirt or contaminants off, but depending on your fence a simple recoat is all that is required. And a maintenance coat of stain works just like the original coat and is self leveling and color adjusting. It will bring back the original color and luster of the original application. Another benefit of using an oil based stain it that if you want to change the color, oil based stain is relatively easy to remove and change.

 

Here in Florida all the moisture and sun does a real number on a wood fence. And if you spent the money to have the fence sealed or stained when it was installed you need to protect your investment with regular cleaning, sealer or stain coats to keep it protected and looking good.