cleaningfencesealing
I just finished installing a redwood privacy fence two days ago. I want to seal it as soon as possible before it starts to weather.
I am going to use this product from Home Depot but it recommends that I clean the fence with this solution first.
Do I really need to do that with a brand new fence?
Ok let's talk outdoor staining. You are right that the first thing you need to do is clean off any mold, dirt and green slime. As with decks, a good and cheap solution of TSP, bleach and water is a fine cleaner, no need for expensive premixed stuff. Using a one gallon garden sprayer, apply your TSP/bleach solution. Let it sit a bit, but not dry. Scrub with a stiff brush and rinse with a pressure washer or high pressure hose. The drying time is obviously tricky in your area, but usually a couple of days of decent weather does a good job. You can somewhat judge the dryness by it's color as compared to the color when wet.
Since the last stain you used was a urethane based acrylic, you really need to stay with an acrylic product this time. A pure oil based product may not sit well and raise the acrylic and create a mess. Also, since there was spar urethane in the last application, a stain only may not want to stick to the areas where the urethane is still in good condition. The urethane is a hard resin and will repel a simple stain. I would probably look towards using a similar product to what you used last time.
As far as what brand to buy, don't over think it. You are painting a fence, not a church! Avoid any bargain basement crap that is most likely low quality. I love Sekins, but it is very pricey. Most major brands are good. My advise is to try to use the same Behr you used last time. It will be formula compatible and the color will match. Good luck
The first thing I would do is cross-brace the gate. You need to do something like this:
If you Google search for "wood gate diagonal bracing" you'll get lot's of images showing the proper way to do this.
Best Answer
If the wood hasn't been pressure treated and is dry and clean, I'd skip the cleaning solution. If it has been pressure treated, the product suggests you wait a few months to let the wood "air out". In that case, you'd want to then use the cleaning solution.