At Witham Timber, all our timber fence products are manufactured from pressure treated wood to protect them against insect infestation and rot and can therefore be installed without further treatment. However, as your fence ages, an annual application of a fence treatment will prolong its life and freshen up its appearance, and the choice is often between staining a fence or painting it.
What is wood stain?
Wood stain is applied in liquid form with a brush or a sprayer and, as the name implies, it will alter the colour of the wood. Although thinner than paint, wood stain does not chip or peel and it will reduce the risk from water penetration while offering protection against UV damage.
Benefits of wood stain
- Wood stain does not bubble or crack like paint
- Reapplying a wood stain requires no preparation such as sanding to remove the old stain. Simply clean the fence and reapply the stain.
- Timber is able to respond to weather changes when stained (contracting/swelling with temperature and humidity) and can continue to ‘breathe’.
- Wood stain will not cover the natural look of the timber, just enhance its appearance, adding a hint of colour where preferred.
Types of wood stain
Wood stains are available as oil-or water-based, in a gel format or as a varnish. Wood stain is available in a wide range of natural and contemporary shades to suit all styles of garden.
Painting a fence
The biggest advantage of painting a fence is the wide variety of colours to choose from, allowing home owners greater choice, and the opportunity to personalise the look of their boundaries. However, beyond that wood stain does have the upper hand. A painted fence does require much more maintenance than a stained one, which takes time. When a fence needs to be repainted, the old paint will need to be scraped off and the surface of the fence will need to be prepared before new paint can be applied. Paint also covers the timber so that it is unable to breathe properly and will cover the natural beauty of the wood.
Wood stain from Witham Timber
At Witham Timber, we supply the Protek Woodcare range which is water-based and therefore environmentally-friendly and completely safe for animals and children. Everything you need to know about Protek wood treatments has lots of information about each of their products; the Protek Wood Stain and Protector is a cost effective wood stain available in 11 shades which offers excellent weather and UV resistance and can be applied with a brush or a pressure sprayer. The Protek Shed and Fence Treatment comes in 10 popular shades and is ideal for fencing, animal housing and planters, and can be used on masonry and terracotta too.
If you require any help or advice about any aspect of timber fence treatments, please call our friendly team on 01205 359188 or send us an email to sales@withamtimber.co.uk