My neighbor's comment about my fence stain made me stop and look

He said, 'You know, that cedar will silver on its own if you just let it be.' I'd spent $120 on stain and a whole weekend applying it, but now I'm wondering if I should have just let nature handle it. Anyone ever skip the stain and just let wood age naturally?

4 comments

4 Comments

cole5492mo ago

That weathered gray look is nice, but it's not for everyone. My cedar fence would look patchy and dirty without stain, especially in the shady spots. The stain also protects the wood from splitting and rotting faster. A good coat buys you years before you need to replace boards. Don't you want it to last longer?

ryanm602mo agoMost Upvoted

Yeah, the shady spots are the worst for that patchy look, you're totally right. I tried leaving part of my deck unstained one year and the shaded side looked awful while the sunny part turned gray evenly. The protection part is huge too, it's not just about looks. Replacing boards is such a pain, so a stain job is worth it just to avoid that hassle for a few more years.

karencampbell2mo ago

Totally agree about the shady spots, they're a real pain. I ended up using a solid color stain on my own deck last summer because the patchy look was driving me crazy. It evened everything out and the wood still feels protected, which is the main thing. Honestly, it was a weekend of work but so worth it for the peace of mind.

claire8728d ago

Used to be one of those 'let it go gray' people myself, but after seeing how ROTTEN the shady spots got on my fence I'm fully converted. A solid stain buys you SO much more time before you have to replace wood.