How to stain treated timber fence? ("lap and cap" style)

[GVO]

HI, i have 2 x boundary fences which are the treated timber "lap and cap" style.

Lengths are 20m x 1.8m high each. Therefore 72SQM. assuming 2 coats then call 142 sqm. 

I had previously attempted to stain these using a water based stain  by Johnstones professional interior/exterior clear  product, using a simple ozito sprayer.

However i did coverage was an issue and very quickly ran out of product. Needless to say, more than half of the project did not get completed. 

I would like to ask please if there is a better product that should be used ? my preference is for water based due to the clean up and being able to spray it using the ozito sprayer.

Thanks,

[MitchellMc]

Hi @GVO,

I presume you still wish to stain the fence and not paint it? Was one fence stained and not the other?

Can I please clarify the issue you ran into previously, which caused you not to complete the job? Did you run out of product because you didn't calculate requirements correctly, or was there some type of issue spraying that product? Typically, spraying does use a fair amount of product, and if you're a little heavy-handed, it can use excessive amounts. However, this would be for every brand, not one in particular. 

Raw timber, especially rough-sawn fences, does suck in quite a bit of stain/paint. I would say paint-wise, you'd be looking at one litre per eight square metres. So, for your 72 square metres, you'd need around 10 litres of product for one coat. You'd use far less for your second coat, around one litre per 16 square metres.

I note you mentioned you stained the fence using a clear product. Did you stain it with a colour as well, or just clear coat it?

Keen to hear more about your project.

Mitchell

[GVO]

Hi Mitchell, yes staining - not painting. Iam prefering the natural look.

I have only used Johnstone's 4L Gloss Water Based Clear Interior / Exterior Varnish - Bunnings Australia so far. 

I had 10L bucket. Based on their website, it should have been 1L per 12m2. Therefore i was expecting 120m2 coverage and should have been enough to cover most of the boundary fence. Which was not the case as i ran out of product. I managed to only cover 10m x 1.8m x 2 coats = 36sqm. 

The treated timber lap n cap fence is newly installed and didnt have any pre-stain or paint on it. I agree with your comment that it does absorb quiet a bit of product. Being clear coat it was tricky to follow as i applied it as well. 

I will follow your recommendation on the application rate. However could you recommend a product please? Otherwise is Johnstones still OK ? 

[EricL]

Hello @GVO 

I suggest staying with the Johnstone's 4L Gloss Water Based Clear Interior / Exterior Varnish in order to keep a uniform finish. Using another product halfway through the project might produce different finishes. It's best to use the same product so that the finish will be the same.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric