How To Re-Finish A Wood Fence

A few summers ago I decided to start a small business re-finishing wood fences. The process is fairly simple and the results are amazing. I would say that this is one of the quickest ways to significantly add to the aesthetic value of your home.

A wood fence eventually turns grey if left untreated. The grey is actually just dried oxidized and dirty "junk" covering up the fresh wood underneath. You need to remove this in order to stain the fence and make it beautiful. You start with a type of wood brightener. You can buy this at a home improvement store or you can mix up your own potion. I found that the store's concoction was based primarily off of oxalic acid. This is one of the main ingredients in Oxy Clean. You can buy this in powder form and create your own "wood bleach". Either way, you need to wet the grey wood and then start spraying the wood bleach onto the part you want to treat, most likely the whole fence. Depending on the severity of the "junk" on your fence, you should keep the wood moist with wood bleach solution for at least 10 - 15 minutes. Eventually you'll notice grey liquid dripping from your fence. The next part is my favorite.

I purchased a Dewalt pressure washer with the Honda GX 390 engine. It puts out 3750 PSI at 4 gallons per minute. If you use the jet stream nozzle on this beast you'll cut through tree branches. For the purpose of cleaning your fence, you'll want to use a fan nozzle of 30 degrees or greater. In smooth sweeping strokes, go up and down along the boards, paying close attention not to pause too long in one spot. this will give you a more even finish. If you stay in one spot you'll most likely create a bright spot which will be noticeable even after you stain the fence. After cleaning the entire fence and washing off all the wood bleach you need to make sure the wood has adequate time to dry. On a hot day this can happen over the coarse of a few hours. To be safe, you may want to wait till the next weekend. If you're using a water based stain, you don't have to be as careful to work with completely dry wood.

I use an HVLP (high volume low pressure) paint sprayer to apply the stain. After trial and error, not too much error, I learned that you must spray the paint along the length of the boards. Pay special attention to cover all corners, crevices between boards, and the tops. One coat should be enough. Most importantly, you don't want to apply too much or the sealant layer won't breath and you'll actually get a shorter life out of your stain. Sit back and enjoy your newly finished fence. Make sure to thoroughly clean all you're paint equipment. It'll be much easier immediately after being used.