Stain and seal a wood fence
Unsealed cedar turns gray in six months. A proper stain job doubles fence life. Here's how to clean, dry, and seal a wood fence in San Diego's climate.
What you'll learn
- Why penetrating oil stains beat film-forming paints on wood fence
- How to prep, pressure wash, 48-hour dry, light sand
- Which stain brands pros use (Ready Seal, Defy Extreme, TWP)
- How often to re-stain in San Diego (every 2–3 years)
Step by step
- Pressure wash the fence, 1500 PSI max, 18-inch wand distance.
- Let the wood dry at least 48 hours, longer after coastal fog.
- Light-sand any gray or fuzzy surface wood with 80-grit.
- Mask off masonry, plants, and gate hardware.
- Apply penetrating oil stain with a pump sprayer and back-brush.
Never paint a wood fence. Paint traps moisture, cracks, and peels. Solid-color stain gives paint-like color while still letting the wood breathe.
Rather have a pro handle it?
Fence installation and repair across San Diego County. Leave a message and we match you with a local pro.
Keep learning.
Straighten a leaning fence post
A leaning fence is almost always a post problem, not a panel problem. Often DIY-fixable. Here is how to find the bad post and straighten the fence yourself.
Fix a sagging gate that drags or unlatches
A gate that drags or won't latch is usually a hinge-side post that moved or a racked frame. Here's how to diagnose it and rehang the gate so it swings clean.
Replace broken fence pickets
Wind, impact, or rot, a few broken pickets don't need a full panel replacement. Here is how to match the wood and swap broken fence pickets in an afternoon.