If it absorbs into the wood within ten minutes then you are good to stain.
Can i stain pressure treated wood fence.
Most fences are built with pressure treated wood.
If it immediately beads up and rests on top of the lumber then you will have to keep waiting.
If you installed a pressure treated pine fence you ll need to wait until the wood is completely dry before staining or sealing it.
On average you ll want to wait 4 weeks to 6 months to wait before staining the posts.
Wet treated wood still contains significant moisture when purchased and may take longer to dry than other types of pressure treated wood.
This is largely dependent on how humid your area is.
You have posts for the frame 4x4s and 2x4s and 1x4s or 1x6s for the pickets.
Kiln dried wood will be dry at purchase and can be stained immediately.
Drip a couple of drops of clean water onto the surface of the lumber.
The easiest way to wash new wood is to knock loose any dirt or residue using a pressure washer.
Before you stain pressure treated wood you should clean it first.
If the wood is not dry when you stain or seal the fence the treatment will not adhere properly to the wood.
A simple test to check whether pressure treated wood can be stained is called the sprinkle test.
The color is infused as the wood is being pressure treated so you get the color you want from the very beginning.
If you re dealing with older wood.
If you don t want to wait the 6 to 12 months before staining your fence consider using a pre colored fence like microshades or select cut colorpro.