Roofing & Exterior
Seal It Now, or Replace It Sooner
Cleaning, proper drying, the right stain, and a sprayed-and-back-brushed finish — the maintenance that turns the Northwest wet-dry cycle from your fence's enemy into a schedule you control.
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Signs to watch
Is this you?
The wood is graying or going silver
That gray is UV breaking down the surface of unsealed wood. It's cosmetic at first, but it's the leading edge of the drying, cupping, and cracking that follows. Cleaning and sealing now resets the clock; waiting means the damage is already in the grain.
Boards are cupping, splitting, or feel dry
Unsealed wood in the PNW swells every wet season and shrinks every dry one, and that cycle is what cups and splits pickets. A penetrating stain slows how fast the wood takes on and gives up water, which is most of what keeps boards flat.
Green film, mildew, or grime on the surface
Our climate grows a film of algae and mildew on shaded fence faces. It has to come off before any finish goes on — stain over dirt and mildew doesn't bond, and it seals the growth in rather than out.
A new fence that's never been sealed
New cedar or pressure-treated wood looks great and is completely unprotected. Sealing it after it has cleaned up and dried to the right moisture level is the single highest-value thing you can do for its lifespan — and the step most installs skip.
Your options
Clean, dry, choose right, spray and back-brush
The finish is only as good as the prep, so we do the whole sequence: clean the wood of mildew, algae, and old failing finish; let it dry to a moisture level that will actually accept stain rather than trap water; then help you choose between a clear or lightly tinted sealer that shows the grain and a solid or semi-solid stain that adds color and blocks more UV — a real trade-off between look and protection we'll walk you through. We spray for even coverage and speed, then back-brush to work the finish into the grain instead of letting it sit on top, because a sprayed-only coat looks done and protects half as well. And we set you up with a realistic re-coat schedule, because sealing is maintenance, not a one-time cure.
The method
How we do it
- 01
Clean and assess the wood
We wash off mildew, algae, and any failing old finish, and check the wood's condition — sealing can't fix rotted or broken boards, so we flag repair needs before finishing over them.
- 02
Let it dry, then choose the stain
Wood has to reach the right moisture level before stain will bond and penetrate — sealing wet wood traps moisture in. While it dries, we help you pick color and opacity against the look-versus-protection trade-off.
- 03
Spray and back-brush to finish
Even spray application followed by back-brushing to drive the finish into the grain and cover every edge and end-cut — the ends and bottoms that drink up water first are where we're most careful.
Straight numbers
What staining and sealing costs
It scales with the length of fence, the number of sides finished, how much cleaning and prep the wood needs, and the grade of stain you choose — a clear penetrating sealer and a premium solid-color stain are different products at different prices. Prep is where the labor lives, so a neglected fence that needs heavy cleaning costs more to finish than one kept up. We quote the whole job against your actual fence, and it's a fraction of what replacing prematurely aged wood runs.
Where we do this work
Fence Staining & Sealing: straight answers
How often does a fence need to be re-stained in the PNW?
It depends on exposure and the finish you choose, but our wet-dry climate and long gray winters are hard on any coating. Clear and lightly tinted sealers generally need refreshing more often than solid stains, which carry more pigment and block more UV. We'll give you a realistic schedule for your fence rather than a one-size number — sealing is maintenance you repeat, not a permanent fix.
Should I stain a brand-new fence right away?
Not the same day, but soon — after it has cleaned up and dried to a moisture level that will accept the finish. New wood is unprotected wood, and the wet-dry cycling that ages a fence starts immediately. Sealing early, once the wood is ready, is the highest-value maintenance there is; letting a new fence weather gray first just means finishing over damage later.
What's the difference between a sealer and a solid stain?
It's a trade-off between look and protection. A clear or lightly tinted sealer shows off the wood grain and color but carries little pigment, so it blocks less UV and needs refreshing sooner. A solid or semi-solid stain hides more of the grain but adds color and far more UV protection, so it lasts longer. We'll walk you through where your fence and your taste land on that scale.
Why spray and back-brush instead of just spraying?
Spraying alone lays finish on top of the wood and looks done, but it doesn't work the product into the grain or reliably cover edges, laps, and end-cuts — the exact spots that soak up water first. Back-brushing after spraying drives the finish in and catches those spots, which is the difference between a coat that protects and one that just looks good until the first hard winter.
Get the fence staining & sealing conversation started.
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