Making a Redwood Fence Last

[F.H.]

Any secrets out there? All I have been told so far is to treat the wood with Thompson's sealer. Like to have it keep that Redwood look for as long as possible. TIA

Frank

[RicodJour]

Very difficult to do without lots of effort. Many people give up and use a solid-body stain.

R

[F.H.]

You mean a redwood stain on redwood? I'm clueless when it comes to wood.

[upand_at_them]

Yes, that's what he means. Because redwood will turn gray.

Mike

[tinacci336]

Redwood is in itself a long lasting wood in that it contains phenol . To keep the color I would say use stain. Here is a bit of info for you. In certain areas if you put redwood post in the ground there is a fungus that will eat the post off at ground level in a very short time , from about two years. This is true in Florida particular. The post only deterates right at ground level. Jack

[Bob]

Thompson's would be my last choice to protect wood.

Bob

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Penofin oil. It has UV inhibitors. I've finished a few outdoor pieces with it and like it very much. Look at my web page for some photos of a mahogany bench and tables with Penofin.

[F.H.]

Thanks, Looks like Thompson's is out and it's down to Penofin or Behr's clear Premium Weatherproofing Wood Finish. Just discovered I had saved a post of a couple years back on the latter and it was highly recomended.

[James "Cubby" Culbertson]

Thompson's is about the worst product I could recommend for repelling water. I've never had any luck with it and have just written it off my list of possibilities when it comes to preserving wood. The gray comes from exposure to UV light. Whatever you put on it, will have to have UV blockers in it to prevent the gray. Staining works pretty well as the pigments in stain also serve, to some degree, as UV blockers. I'd look for a good deck or outdoor treatment that has UV blockers in it. That said, the best stuff I've used is Penofin. Unfortunately, there is no clear Penofin although their Cedar color is pretty close. Cheers, cc

[F.H.]

Thanks much. Luckily I only *bought* the Thompson's but inquired here prior to using it. :)

Frank

[James "Cubby" Culbertson]

Keep in mind that whatever you do will still require some maintenance. Penofin for instance, recommends recoating every few years (I forget the exact timeframe). I put it on a cabin in the high mountains here in NM (a fair amount of moisture, cold, sun) about 4 years ago and it still looks great. Unfortunately, there is no sealer/stain that will last a lifetime! Cheers, cc

[William Brown]

I've had good results with Flood clear with UV protection, but we do recoat every two or three years.

I th> Any secrets out there? All I have been told so far is to treat the wood

[F.H.]

LOL, guaranteed it won't last, (I'm in Los Angeles). I have 2 X 4's attached to 1 7/8" dia metal posts with the redwood planks attached to the 2 X 4's with clearance of about an inch on the bottom for the redwood.

[anoldfart2]

I have had excellent results with Thompsons. I treated a homemade canvas tent that leaked like a sieve with Thompsons. 15 years later that tent is still leakproof. I painted an entire brick building with it, because the brick was starting to chip off the surface in some places. The flaking stopped (although I have not been there in several years now), and two years ago I painted my plywood sided garage with Thompsons solid stain, and it has held up very well. (This is just plain inexpensive 1/2" plywood for siding. I have been very pleased with their products.

[Boots]

treat the wood

look for as

Very difficult to do without lots of effort. Many people give up and use a solid-body stain.

R