[Shop-talk] Choosing exterior wood stain

[Pat Horne]

Karl,

I can't speak to what stain to use, I have some solid stain, but haven't 
had time to use it yet.

What I suggest is that you stain the boards before you put them up so 
that the stain will seal the areas that will be trapped between boards, 
where water can be trapped also.

I will be using my stain on stair treads, which will be removed for 
staining.

Peace,
Pat

Thusly spake Karl Vacek:
> We're getting a new cedar fence and arbor - about 250 feet, roughly half 6'
> and half 4', so it will take a lot of stain and time.  It's an incredibly
> heavy fence (no Home Depot specials here), so it's likely to last a long time,
> and I want to keep it looking good for a long time too.  Naturally I want to
> stain it immediately, especially the part that will be against the evil
> neighbor's fence and will be unavailable to us to stain again till she moves
> or whatever.
>
> I've always used the old-fashioned penetrating oil stains for just about
> anything I've ever stained, indoor or outdoor.  However, there's lots of
> evidence that a solid stain (I call that thin paint...) protects and lasts
> better for exterior applications.  And cedar doesn't have that much of a
> grain, particularly in a fence that you mostly see from a distance anyway, so
> I guess a solid is OK if it's really better.
>
> Test results are confusing and hard to follow.  Consumer Reports, an
> organization I don't always trust anyway, just rated lots of stains, but none
> of the most-premium ones we see right now on shelves from the same
> manufacturers that they rated (Behr, Olympic, Cabot, etc.).  They did,
> however, echo the solid vs transparent durability issue I've been hearing from
> paint dealers.
>
> I'm kind of intrigued with the hybrid (my term, not the manufacturers')
> products with acrylic and alkyd oils in the same formulation.  Many are water
> clean-up, which really doesn't matter to me, but it's not a bad thing IF the
> material is durable and protects the wood well.  But I really just don't know
> much about current products.
>
> Soooo...  Anyone BTDT recently ??  Any paint chemists on the list ?
>
> Thanks!
> Karl
> _______________________________________________
>
>   


-- 
Pat Horne, Owner, Horne Systems 
(512) 797-7501 Voice		5026 FM 2001
Pat at HorneSystemsTx.com	Lockhart, TX 78644-4443
www.hornesystemstx.com
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