Remember when we used to stain fences with just a brush and rag

Back in the 90s my dad and I would spend all weekend staining our fence in Phoenix with those cheap foam brushes and old t-shirts. Now I pull out my sprayer and have the whole thing done in 3 hours including cleanup. But I gotta say the sprayer just doesn't give that same deep soak you got from really working the stain into the wood with your hands. Anyone else feel like the old way actually held up better even if it took twice as long?

2 comments

2 Comments

holly_flores791mo ago

Yo nah fr I read somewhere that the solvents in the sprayers actually evaporate faster than when you brush it in, so the wood doesn't soak up as much stain. Something about the air pressure breaking down the chemicals or whatever. My buddy swears by using a pump sprayer then going back over it with a brush just on the rough spots. Might be overkill but he says his fence looks fresh years later while mine fades after 2 seasons. Might have to try his method next time cause you're making me think the old way had some science behind it.

tara3451mo ago

Two years brushing and a fence that lasts barely two seasons? That would make me rethink everything too. My neighbor used a pump sprayer on his deck three years ago and it still looks like he did it last spring, but my brush job on the same wood is already peeling in spots. @holly_flores79, your buddy might be onto something with that brush-back-over trick. I wonder if the sprayer really does change how the stain bonds to the wood fibers.