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Tips for how to properly complete a DIY FENCE
STAINING project by affordable fencing The number 1 rule to our fence staining process is to only power wash your fence before staining when using a water based stain. We like using water based solid color stain for most of our projects we do. The convenience of washing and staining all in a day is unbeatable. The use of an airless sprayer and a brush to "back brush" creates and unbeatable result that will last years and years without a new coat. Spraying and back brushing the fence is the most effective process to make lasting results that look great and professional. The fence pickets do not have to be 100 percent dry because of the water based stain. We use a 5-15 tip spray nose. 18 to 20 inch gun extension gives the best distance for the safest application of the fence stain. The more distance for the stainer to stand away from sprayer tip the better. Also this wand like light sprayer gives ability to reach to the top and bottom with spray strokes with minimum resistance. Stain brushes we use are typically a still bristle brush. The back brush method is super important for solid color stain especially. The last thing you want with your new stained fence is for it to look dry and show lat marks. How to avoid lat marks and dryness is using a good amount of stain in small sections and using the brush immediately after using the sprayer to minimize streaking. The trick is to really saturate the boards that way we have what we need to back brush the stain before it drys. Great thing to remember is it's way better to get more stain on than less. We try to make sure to minimize overspray.Windy days can make things difficult but you can always make a shield with cardboard to avoid overspray issues. Use of tarps to cover near by problem areas from the stain is never a bad idea. Rocks we generally use drop clothes to protect from stain but grass and dirt are less problematic because they grow up and move. Once overspray is considered we start. We like to use a 4” brush to do the back brushing generally and always brush with the grain or with the direction of the pickets. The lower the pressure the better on your sprayer to minimize the overspray and make sure board are good and wet. Really thin water based stain helps things along and is typically the best. We run our airless at 1800 PSI. How to control overspray is one of the more developed skills that come along with fence staining over the years. Wearing a respirator is always recommended and extremely important if a fence staining service is being done. Key things to consider: Complete in short sections. If it is really hot outside then you could get ahead of yourself and the stain will dry before you have the ability to back brush. Stain will dry really fast in direct sunlight so working in the shade is recommended but not necessary. Deck and siding brushes are what you would look for in the big box stores or your local paint store. It's important to make the fence last a lot longer and look like a professional did it in the end so do your research and take your time. Working in the sun vrs working in the shade makes a huge different into how much stain you may need to buy and how it should be applied. Obviously the sun will naturally dry it quicker so speed is essential. Slight angle spraying helps with overspray when objects are on opposite side. Shield holders with cardboard is a great, lightweight, and effective tool to help with over-spraying rocks and such. Also available at big box stores and from a local paint store. How long should you wait to stain after you power wash it is a common question. It all depends on whether you are using a water based stain or an oil based stain.If you are working with a fence with an oil based stain you would absolutely want to make sure the fence is thoroughly dry. 3 to 4 day minimum but even up to a week is recommended. With a water based stain you could stain the fence the same day as power washing. We will do this method from time to time because it helps to bring out the stain and also to give us more ease when back brushing when it comes to working time. The stain tends to dry slower because the wood is not so thirsty. That is one of the convinces to water based stains that we have found. We feel like the water based stains last a lot longer also. Fence staining how to 
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