Lol, all jokes aside...I'm passing on both vinyl and composite this time. Biggest reason, they definitely do not last like they say. Just like those 15 year LED bulbs.😅 Second, I can buy, build, and repair at my pace. No need to spend 5K buying up a bunch of fence that I can't match/find 6 months from now. It's always in the lumber aisle.
Summary: Oil-based Pro: 1. Lower maintenance cost because 2-3 year after you can reapply without having to strip the old off. 2. Oil mimics natural wood, moisture and preserve the wood. Oil-based Con: 1. Very moisture sensitive so if the wood is at all moist then the oil won’t penetrate. 2. More transparent which means if you have different color wood boards then you’ll be able to see the difference between. Water-based Pro: 1. If you have uglier, older wood you want to cover the water-based will do a better job covering it. 2. Can be applied to wood that still has 20-25% moisture. Water-Based Con: 1. More likely to crack or peel because water based is film-forming as in it creates a peel on top of the wood because it doesn’t penetrate. 2. Seals everything inside the lumber, so whatever you seal in when you do it, it will be sealed for good which can increase early wood root if the wood was too wet when you painted. The one they choose as a company: 1. Oil-based stain and sealant. 2. “Expert Wood Care” company: Kaleb’s company, started in 2012, and comes from a multigenerational fence company. So they know their stuff. 3. Pros: low VOC which means it is safer for kids, pets, the carpenters who paint it, and the environment. Plus they are made in Nashville, USA. Very much appreciate this video - thank you!
I never comment on youtube videos even though I've watched thousands of them. . This is probably one of the clearest, most helpful videos I've ever watched. Thank you so much for keeping it short and sweet, but sharing the info in such a clear way. You're awesome.
Joe, thank you for the video. I am going oil based on a 15 year old cedar fence, and will have look at Stain & Seal. How about a link in the description to your moisture meter of choice. Perhaps two. One professional grade, and a DIY'er. Cost being the driver
I only use deep penetrating water based deck and fence stains, Not top filming stains. I prefer water based because of ease of use, application and easy soap and water clean up. There are many companies now that make deep penetrating water based stains. They act just like oil in a water based formula. I do like the look of oil based stains, I just don't like dealing with the clean up with brushes and sprayers after using oil.
I never noticed all your ink before, Joe!! Lotta tattoos on that right arm! Not that it's a bad thing, just an observation. Your expertise is always great.
You should do a overview on hybrid stains. I just used one on a pine fence, mostly because it was the cheapest bucket they had. It went on like water based and dried like oil. Was not as cost effective as oil because of all the back brushing required but turned out pretty nice. We shall see about longevity tho.
You forgot to mention that water based stain won't allow moisture in the same as it won't let it out. So if you dry the wood first and then apply water based stain, that stain film protects the wood better from moisture.
He did mention water based seals everything as a con for water based. This point should infer that it traps in the moisture content of the wood, but likewise keeps much of the environment and weathering out as well. This would be a pro, but I think he wants to drive home the importance of how well water based seals because not many people realize the early rot, this was news to me, actually
The best fence stain is my mix of 50% used motor oil with 50% diesel fuel. Water repellent, kills any growth on the fence, dry in 15 minutes and no odor after a week. The wood sucks it in like a sponge, it lasts for years and the price is right. Add some Dexron VI for a fine red tint.
Great video Joe! Could you by chance do a video on fence design when it comes to engineering and what limits fences are able to withstand? That would be cool to see and learn. Thanks!
Joe Everest Thanks! I think it’ll help show homeowners and clients what standard built fences can handle, and maybe more importantly, what they are designed not to handle or withstand. Looking forward to it if you put one together!
After walking through a number of price and product comparisons, I went with a Stain & Seal Experts Chestnut semi-transparent oil. I just got off the phone with Ashley, Kaleb's wife, who took the time to answer a ton of questions for a noob like me. I haven't experienced that level of genuinely friendly, informed customer service from any company in so many years, my head is spinning. Thank you, Joe, for both the video and recommendations. Cheers -
@@JoeEverest The Chestnut finally arrived - YAY! The color is absolutely gorgeous and it couldn't apply easier. THANK YOU for steering me over to the folks at Stain & Seal!
@Joe Everest - at 2.45 in video you state that oil based is more transparent. Sorry but I disagree strongly. In Australia where I am, oil based stain contains a color which is impregnated in the wood when it is used (Cabots Oil Based Stain), in Australia where we have temperatures ranging from 3 Centigrade to 40 Centigrade Oil based stain is far superior. Question re fence stain - do you stain the back side of fencing boards before fixing them, if not , you are doing it wrong. I reseal my deck every 4 - 5 years, friends who use water based have to seal every 2 - 3 years. This maintenance speaks for itself really. John
Thanks to your video I am going to stain my porch timbers with an Oil Base Stain. The wood is kiln dried and we want the wood grain. We can reapply the oil stain without stripping the sealant. Thanks great video.
I feel and studies show that oil based paints penetrate the wood much better than water based also I should mention I’m a chemist for a major paint factory
It's not even close, oil based is the only way to go. I tried cheap and expensive water based and you don't even get a year without terrible flaking. I prepped the wood with a belt sander then finish sander then broom, then vacuum, everything and it does not matter, water based will look like crap in less than a year and will not protect your wood, waste of money.
You don't cracking and peeling with wood rx water base stain. You have to wet the fence to apply the first coat this absorbs the stain into the wood. My fence from my old house from 6 years ago still looks like day I stained it. 2 years now on my recent home.
The difference around here is water based = $29.00/gallon on sale. Oil based is $68/gallon - NEVER ON SALE!! I stained all my lumber, fencing, everything this summer. But, I much prefer solid oil based stain though it's too expensive. I've had my fence for 27 years. I've stained it about 3 times as I remember and I have never had a rotten 1x6x8! David Alberta Canada
My brother and I just finished a pressure treated 6' wood fence I'm having a hard time figuring out what finish to use. Does stain look good on pressure treated wood or should I paint it? Any advice would be really appreciated.
Fun video! I've been staining fences since the 70s. Back then I use water based product which really was like a solid paint .Zero wood grain showed. YECH. In the 80s I switched to oil base. My favorite was DuckBack* oil base stain. I loved their Cedar Semi-transparent. It had the wood grain look that I like. Even when replacing boards - I enjoy the uneven appearance. And it applied so easily. Usually used one coat. But if I wanted it darker, just applied a second. For me, the negative was the vapors knocked me on my behind. And the cleanup was messier. The old DuckBack (Outback Duck " Like water off a duck's back) company was sold to Sherwin Williams. Reason I liked the original, in the early 80s, they had several colors that were on brochure, but never in the stores. (like Century Redwood, Heart Redwood, Grove Cedar, etc). So, I gave them a call for better color chart & they mailed me, FREE of charge & unsolicited, full pint cans of all 8 of their colors, plus a wooden color disc, updated brochure, discount coupons for use in any store they were carried. AND a logo painters cap & keychain! I miss them.
My pressure treated pickets from Home Depot came with Weathershield on them making the water bead. How long for it to wear off or what can I do to remove it so I can stain it? It’s been 5 months.
Quick question, Joe. I have about 275ft of fence. Made out of Kiln Dried Cedar pickets 1x6x6. How many gallons would I need roughly to cover that area front and back?
Hear me out. I want to take pressure treated fence pickets, pop off the dog and lay like hardwood…. In my home so… gel /oil with the nano poly?? (I’m gonna use wood filler ) how’s that sound?
This was as great video of information! We are about to seal out new wood fence and was prepped what's best for us and you helped solve that question. Now, what's the best way to apply?
oil is always better on raw wood. it penetrates deeper. the problem is when the boss wants you to spray oil-based products on the fence. the overspray is very persistent and unless you have ideal conditions, it's usually a bit of a mess. ALWAYS try to get wood prestained and sealed as it gets the end grain and encapsulates the wood. Something which is time and cost-prohibitive once the wood is installed.
Greetings Joe from Pensacola, Fl. Hurricane Sally happened here on September 16, 2020. I had a new fence installed after the storm by a local fence company that has been in the business since the 60's. The fence is 272 feet in length which is 272 X 6 (fence is 6 feet high) which equals 1,632 square feet. The fence comes out 7 feet on each side of the house and has 5 foot gates to accommodate my riding mower. So to add the square footage of the front gates, I need to color the front. That would is 84 feet. So the total square footage that I need to be oil based stain cedar is 1716 square feet. I am doing only one side of the fence and that is the inside only which faces my property line. I know oil based fence stain can be applied by paint roller and brush which I could do myself but it will take a while. I could hire a handy man but that, believe it or now could be as high as $3,000. Lastly a electric paint sprayer. With the electric sprayer, overspray would be an issue. I could always use a hand pump sprayer but I understand the results are mixed. I have 10 gallons of a oil based cedar stain to do the job which should be enough to get the job done. Any recommendations on applying for a Do-It-Yourself? The product I purchased from Home Depot, according to the label, can be applied with a hand pump sprayer.
Hey Joe. I just put 200sq ft of board on board around my house. What do you recommend I should stain with living in Jacksonville Fl where it rains a lot. It’s not rainy season now so should i go with oil? Also is it too early to stain my fence since they just got put up. Thanks joe
I always prefer an oil-based stain, simply because oil naturally repels water. As for the timing of when to stain, I would suggest picking up a moisture meter to test the fence; they’re around $30 on Amazon. Wait until the moisture content drops below 13% and then apply the stain. Great questions!
All your videos are highly informative, thank you very much! They were of great help when I built my fence here in Hokkaido, Japan. I just applied my first coat of a high quality water based stain but it rained before I could apply the second coat (it rained more than 24hrs after the first coat was applied, so it had time enough to dry). Will that be a problem?
Oil based stains even when marked “clear” are really clear yellow. I ended up sand stripping a deck because I bought an oil based stain that read “clear”. So unless you like yellow, go with water based.
SO...I have a question about all this, hopefully you'll get back to me sooner that later. I need to spray my backyard fence with Austrian lumber oil stain. I have about 1,000 foot of fence that I need to treat. I haven't purchased my spray gun yet and nor do I have a compressor. What would you recommend for this type of job? Thanks for reaching out! Any insight you might have is going to be greatly appreciated.
@@ricardorodriguez4353 Thank you.., after prepping the fence, meaning, the board to be exposed at or just below ground level, took the longest. Once that was completed, I used an airless sprayer, it took just a little of four hours from start to finish, Spraying over 600 ft. of fence and 20 gallons of Austrian Lumber Oil
I've had my new front porch about 5 years and have restained twice. Pine with cedar trim and handrails. Sherwin Williams brown oil base stain. The red of the Cedar still shows through a bit. I like it. Fair winds and following seas.
Im confused. You said I can just re-apply oil-based stain over old stain. But that water based needs to be stripped before re-application. But every other video I've watched has said the opposite. what am I missing here?
Good presentation but he doesn't give us the active ingredients of the product, the life span, is he paid for the endorsement, etc. It's worth investigating the product.
Hi Joe, I’m in the UK. I’m doing a cedar fence and had the battens stored in the garage for 6 months. I love the natural colour of the wood, and want to enhance and protect it at the colour it’s at. Would you recommend oil or water based? The oil based said I need to install and let it weather for 6 weeks before staining. I’d prefer to do it before I install so it’s all protected. Thanks In advance. Matty
@@JoeEverest thank you very much for your reply. I’d kinda come to the conclusion since typing this earlier, that I was moving towards an oil based, looking at one called Owatrol Textrol HES Thanks again Joe much appreciated
Motor oil thinned 2 -1 with lacquer thinner and sprayed with garden sprayer will make a fence last longer than any commercial products if you like it dark use waste motor oil
@@JoeEverest Weirdest endorsement ever! you mention the company once and the mention is in then 'Where section' not the 'Who section''. It's the opposite of most commercials. You know where they mention the product 10 times per minute. You should have also provided a link to the product site.But you are very well spoken .. nice job you seem likable and believable....
Hi sir, i will be staining my hous siding with min wax colonial maple stain, however this prododuct doesnt has any uv or waterproof properties. i am planning to apply a polyurethane or spar varnish on top. however my concer is that this protective coat will peel off after time. will i need to sand again or just re-apply?? thank you so much
Rough cut shed .... wait a year to seal or just wait till moisture content is low enough? Centeral ny east of Lake Ontario where we get nailed with snow yearly I want to seal it before winter. Help?
I accidentally bought interior stain for an exterior fence. Is it true it wont be protected from UV and water? Its an oil based miniwax penetrsting stain
Yes, what they call "oil-based" is really water-based. I used Cabot bark SS before, but now even their "semi-transparent" stain looks like paint and has a totally different hue, so I switched to Flood CWF-UV clear/cedar. Looks great so far and much easier to work with. We'll see how it wears.
the best way to stain a fence is if its new or bare is linseed paint thinned with raw linseed oil and turpentine not white spirit until its translucent will last wont peel or flake after every 10-15 years just rub over with raw linseed oil. alkyd stains are ok though.
I live in south FL. Bought a new (old) house and fence is weathered and ugly. I don’t see how to do anything to it because it’s 70% humidity here pretty much year round. Especially damp towards the bottom. Any advice?
If the fence is structurally sound it should be able to be cleaned and sealed. In such a damp climate and oil based stain would certainly be preferred.
