If you are planning to stain your fence, deck, or siding, you may wonder how long outdoor stain should last. Oklahoma City’s weather can be unforgiving on exterior wood structures. Even so, if you purchase a quality stain product and it is applied properly outdoor stain should last years before it needs to be reapplied.
Transparent and Semi-transparent stains: Restain every 2-4 years
Solid Outdoor Stains: Restain every 3-5 years
We look at staining exterior wood as a long-term investment in your home. There are many factors that can increase or decrease the lifespan of an exterior stain job. Taking these factors into account will give you a good estimate as to how long a stain job will last.
Read more to find out what factors will increase your stain’s life expectancy.
Factors That Affect How Long A Stain Job Will Last
The Age of the Wood
The age of the wood will have an effect on how long the stain will last. Brand new wood will not be a porous as older wood. It takes times for these wood pores to open up. This means that new wood cannot absorb as much stain as lumber that is a couple of years old. Because more stain is absorbed, a stain job on aged wood will likely last longer than one on new boards.
This is more true for penetrating type stains. Surface stains won’t be affected as much by the age of the wood.
An older fence or deck will be able to absorb more stain but at some point the wood will have broken down to the point that it will not hold the stain well. Stain jobs on severely weathered boards will not last as long as they would on sound boards.
Sun Exposure
UV rays from the sun are very damaging to outdoor wood. A quality stain will absorb these rays and protect the wood from damage. This means that the stain itself will degrade instead of your wooden structure. The more sun exposure a stain job gets the quicker it will fade and need to be recoated.
This is why the siding on the south or west facing sides of a home need to be stained more regularly than the other sides. A deck that is completely shaded by a porch or trees can last year longer than one that is open to full sun.
Type of Stain Used
As mentioned above, solid stains tend to last a little longer than transparent or semi-transparent stains. In general, the more pigments a stain contains, the longer it will resist fading. The more transparent a stain is, the less pigment is used.
It may seem obvious to use a solid stain for increased longevity, but we still recommend using semi-transparent penetrating stains. Solid stains form a film on the surface and do not penetrate much into the wood. Semi-transparent penetrating stains on the other hand soak completely into the wood.
The benefits of sem-transparent stains over solid stains are:
- You can still see some of the wood grain. They enhance wood instead of covering it.
- They are not as prone to peeling or flaking.
- They can often be applied in one coat.
- They don’t require stripping or sanding to put on a new coat.
All of these benefits combined mean that penetrating stains are easier to maintain over time. Since this is a long term investment, we recommend using the product that makes the most sense in the long run.
Conclusion
After reviewing the factors mentioned above, you should be able to estimate how long your stain job will last. Start by looking at the age range for the type of stain you chose. Then look at the factors like the age of the wood and sun exposure to decide if you should expect to get the lower or higher end of the age range.
