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How to Choose the Proper Stain for Your Fence

If you have a natural cedar fence, most likely you'll choose a nice water born acrylic stain to allow the beauty of the natural grain to stand out. You can also opt to paint your fence any color, but many true cedar lovers choose a stain for long lasting protection and beauty. Don’t be overwhelmed by the multitude of staining products to choose from , Custom Fence can help you choose a beautiful stain to bring out the best in your beautiful cedar fence or deck.

When choosing the proper stain for a cedar fence, there are three basic types of stains to consider: opaque, semi-transparent or transparent. Opaque stains have more pigment and generally are darker than transparent or semi-transparent. The opaque stains usually last longer, but they don’t allow any wood grain to show through. The wood grain is best seen through transparent stains, which have smaller pigment particles. Semi-transparent stains have pigment particles larger than in transparent stains, but smaller than opaque stains. Therefore, semi-transparent stains provide more color than transparent stains, but do not totally cover the grain of the wood like opaque stains do.

Choosing the proper stain for your cedar fence will ensure that the rest of your home is enhanced to its fullest potential. Therefore, it is best to try to use a stain that coordinates the surroundings of your home. You should look at the colors incorporated in the exterior paint on your home, the trim, any wood or rock that surrounds your home, and any trees that are nearby. The stain you choose should enhance these other colors or tie them all together into one eye pleasing pallette.

For best results, you should use a sealant after you stain the wood to further protect your fence. Some stains have sealants mixed into them. A product like this will save you a great deal of effort if you are painting the fence yourself. As with any product, you should choose a small area of the fence in which to test the stain before staining the entire fence. The natural color and grain of the wood will affect the color of the stain when you apply it, and it may turn out to be darker or lighter than you had expected.