15 Best Fence Stain For Cedar (2023 Updated)

Actually, none of the “describe this product” options is what I would choose for this product. It is a good product but way overpriced. I started using it years ago and feel like I am “hooked” in order to continue the maintenance on my home with the transformation stain.

I am looking for other options. I gave it 4 starts because it is good stuff, but any recommendation comes with a disclaimer due to the cost. Over $500 for a 5 gallon can. Really!??.

Redwood semi-transparent oil-based stain: before and after pictures. This playset was coated twice and used 4 gallons out of a five gallon bucket. The stain is oily and wipes off metal easily; not as easy off of plastic.

The five gallons was well mixed. No noticeable separation or layering of the stain when first opened. It was still stirred before application though. Brushes, rollers, and pads were used. This stain would work well in a sprayer.

This stain seems less viscous than a solid stain. Imperfections in the wood show through this stain. The second coat gave it a consistant appearance overall. Light colored wood filler will show through this stain no matter how many coats are applied.

I would use this again only on wood that has a consistent (previously stained or bare wood) color at the start of the stain application. Power washing marks will show through this stain even with two applications.

Surfaces remained oily to the touch for many hours after the second coat was applied. Unsure how long the color will last. Good price for decent stain. 4 stars overall. This site states that the pictures were too big to upload.

I stained both sides of a more than 300 foot, four foot high cedar fence, and I could not be happier with the results. The stain was very forgiving, easy to apply, and has a uniform color despite some inconsistent application on my part.

It also dried quickly holding up to a storm 16 hours after the project was completed. I did power wash several days prior, and it being a two year old fence, I had dry wood to work with when I applied the stain.

It did come out a bit darker than the image on the can shows, though part of that is certainly from the fence being cedar to begin with, and the end product is a wonderfully rich color. This was comparatively inexpensive to other brands I considered.

Highly recommend.

I’ve used the Minwax brand for years but always skipped the pre-staining conditioner until now. After some disappointing staining results on a pine desk (areas of the wood turned black instead of the light brown color that I was going for), I decided to try this product for my pine rounds project.

It was easy to apply with a rag. It soaked right in. I wiped off the excess after 15 mins and applied the Minwax honey stain. I also stained the backside of the rounds that weren’t conditioned to compare.

In the end, there was not a huge difference between the conditioned and bare surface after staining. However, the pre-conditioned side matched the color reference more closely. It had a slight extra sheen and the knots didn’t get black so that’s a plus.

My personal opinion is that it’s not necessary for all staining projects but if you’re working on something that you want as perfect as possible, this will give the finish a little boost when it’s all said and done.

This was my first time using Minwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner for oil-based stains. It helps with blotchiness and evens out the color of your stain. Basically, it preps the wood for staining. Before using the product I sanded the wood I was going to stain.

Then I made sure I removed all the sawdust. Next, I stirred the Pre-Stain to make sure it was mixed well. Now that the wood was ready, I grabbed a brush made for oil-based stains. At this point, make sure to go slow and steady covering the wood.

Otherwise you will make a mess. You need to wait 5 to 15 minutes before wiping down the wood to remove the excess. The stain must be applied within 2 hours after using the Pre-Stain. I loved how smooth and even toned the stain left my project because of the Pre-Stain.

Also, this product is made in the U. S. A. with global materials by The Minwax Company. #KeepOnFinishing #FinishedWithMinwax #Minwax #Reesetishas2cents #reesetisha #DIYProjects #ProductTester #HonestReviews @minwaxusa @reesetisha.

As someone that works with wood on a regular basis, I will be honest I was little skeptical about this product, I was concerned that more product would be too much hassle for little pay back. I can honestly say that I was wrong, this product is absolutely amazing and I am so disappointed that I did not find it sooner.

I tried Minwax® Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner on a set of pine shelves that I was constructing, and as anyone that has worked with pine will tell you, pine can be a nightmare to stain. I have ruined many pine creations in the past with stain, due to too much variation in the way that the satin applies to the wood.

I used the product as instructed on the can and once complete I moved on to the stain and I was stunned at the difference this product makes. The stain applied beautifully and I was really able to bring out the natural beauty of the wood, with out any flaws.

I am absolutely stunned and I am so happy that I have found this product. I thoroughly recommend this product to others and will be using myself when ever I stain wood in the future.

I bought this to add colour to a Alder wood live edge table I made. I tested it before use and the piece I had it looked fine. I followed all the directions using pre-stain, waiting 1. 5 minutes for stain to penetrate before wiping off.

As you can see when I applied it to the entire table, some places are super dark and some really light. The stain didn’t absorb evenly at all. Even in the light places it’s almost completely covered the grain.

Maybe other colours are better, but “dark Cherry” is awful! Debating sanding it and starting over.

I needed a dark colour stain for a cabinet and other brands did not match or were not in stock. I took a chance on this product. I did not realize it was going to set into a dark colour stain with varathane tough coat finish.

I had expected to stain one day and varathane the next day. This product does both at once!! It left a beautiful glossy finish on my cabinet as if I had bought it that way. Very impressed with this product.

I used the Varathane wood stain on a Christmas porch board. It was easy to apply and dried quickly. The dark walnut color needed only one coat. I applied white vinyl to the board to produce an excellent result.

I also used the same stain on a few wooden crates that I use around the house. The results were great with only one coat.

I’m about halfway through my chinking project. Log jam applies easily and is looking good. My house was pretty leaky. We have had a couple of cold nights and I can tell it’s holding heat better than before, even though I’m not finished.

I’m not particularly good at laying a nice bead of caulk, but this stuff is pretty forgiving. I’m pumping it in over backer rod then smoothing it with a wet foam brush. Put down some plastic to catch any droppings.

I didn’t think it would stick to an unprepared surface. It apparently will stick hard to anything once dry. I tried pulling on some that was throughly dry, I couldn’t pull it at all. It looks like mortar, which is what I was after.

Log Jam Chinking Rocks!!! We relocated an old tobacco barn to our property 20 years ago before HGTV – Barn Wood Builders – or any How To Shows. My husband & I reconstructed the old tobacco barn ourselves the best we could.

Found a great crew to help install the rafters, tin roof & front porch. Well we found a recipe for sand & concrete mix (no gravel). plastic gutter wire to place in between the logs & started working on our chinking project Summer & Fall.

Recently some of our logs have begun to rot & we’ve replaced them. Luckily we did an internet search on chinking. We knew that there was chinking that was pliable & that’s what we needed (actually 20 years ago is when we needed it!!) Long story short, we love your product, I am the “chinker” in the family – Fancy Cake Decorating !! We will certainly purchase more as our repairs continue but now we have a product that works so much better than our old recipe!! Thank you for a great product!.

This product is great! I’ve seen many of my YouTube channels using it in woodworking, mainly bourbon moth woodworking. I would say he is the reason I bought this and will continue to. This product is perfect, so easy to apply.

You need such a small amount so don’t let the price scare you, if your project is small or medium then you may even be able to use a sample size. We got ice brown and I’ve never used much besides film finish and danish oil.

This was easier than danish oil. Sanded to 180, cleaned the surface with mineral spirits and vacuum. Then I literally just mixed and poured it on, spread it with a plastic spreader, and used a scotch right pad to rub it in.

After a minute I buffed it with a clean rag and it was perfect. It leaves the wood so natural. I had a small blemish in my project. I just sanded it out and reapplied in that small spot and you can’t tell, it blends perfect.

It’s not as shiny as poly, def a matte finish, so if your used to poly get the renew and use that. Just as easy to put on and will give you a great sheen but maintain the natural feel. No plastic feel.

This was a tip from the wood whisperer who has a great video on how to apply. I love the results and will use this on a lot of projects moving forward.

We chose to do our own staining on a stairwell railing. Research brought us to Rubio. The reviews were all great. I also contacted a professional woodworker on line who had posted pictures of a knotty alder table he finished that had the exact look we desired.

He said to follow the directions closely and we will not be disappointed. He was spot on. Our project came out perfect. The online videos were very beneficial in the process. The only part of the process that was challenging was removal of the rubber seal on the mixture.

Seeing this dark mixture going on the wood makes you think you somehow made a mistake but when you wipe it off it is beautiful! Even our installation contractor loved how the wood looked but even more how it felt.

Great results!.

We hired someone to help us stain our new wood deck. The gentleman suggested applying Cedarshield before staining. He had so many great things to say about it; how it protects the wood from water, bugs, ect.

I was so happy to hear he recommended and loved the product. We had purchased it a while ago but had not had time to apply it. I was surprised that he knew about the product but he was more surprised to see we knew about it and had it in our basement already.

We ended up ordering more because our deck is very large.

I did not use a respirator and got rather ill from breathing the fumes. I have no sense of smell so I was not able to perceive that I was breathing much in. I was outside in the breeze so I’m very surprised it affected me.

I Heard from your company that it’s not typical to have any problems with the fumes. So I may be hypersensitive. I am eager to see how my recycled deck boards will fair over time after this cedar shield treatment.

In the past I sealed a log cabin with cedar sheild and it was awesome.

I have used Poly Whey on outdoor furniture and decided to use on our new fence. Stain looks great, no smell, easy clean up. Gave 4 stars on ease of installation because you need to apply the first coat and then go back and apply the second coat after a period of time while the first coat is still wet.

No big deal. You just need to watch the time and have start & stop markers. Also call GBS and they will walk you through it. I will use the product again.

I absolutely enjoy working with this product, it finishes with a beautiful even low luster sheen, that allows the natural feel of the wood as opposed to the smooth feel of spray on finishes that i have been using for 28 years.

I have used it on several interior pieces and am currently using the hybrid on a exterior table top. I give it 4 stars though because if a custom color or effect is what the project calls for, although the products in the individual lines can be mixed to achieve a custom color or effect , it can get pretty expensive ordering samples to mix and test for customers approvals, for instance, the table top has a thinned version of Authentic #1, followed by a mix of Pure and Black 1st coat application, then a lighter combination of Pure and Teak as a second application.

To achieve this i had to order approximatly $300 worth of product to play with. Rubio having a color mixing recipe guideline would be helpful. As trends go it would be nice to have an effects and color mixing data base to refer to for furniture makers, i completed a exterior bench that i was able to accomplish a drift wood look on the seat , however not without another large purchase to play with the colors and layering effects.

However over all i believe strongly in this product and will continue to use it.

I used the product on an exterior deck that included builtin planters, railing, balusters, etc. I found the product super easy to apply everywhere except that large horizontal part of the deck. There I did not find it as easy to remove excess product (per Monocoat instructions).

The result still looked great. We waited a week, in warm dry weather before putting furniture back. Howevermoving a deck chair left visible scratches. This may be the result of not getting enough excess product off the surface during application.

Adding rubber stick on feet solved this problem. Its good to know that we can touch up without having to strip the finish. Also, while the product is rated as being zero-VOC, it not clear how to clean brushes, etc without using pain thinner, turpentine or a similar compound.

Monocoat does not provide guidance of cleanup anywhere that I can see.

Our pergola was installed a few months ago and in need of being stained. Traditionally, stain is applied after the wood has been weathered for a year, but with this stain, it allows you to either apply to new wood or weathered wood.

I like that this is self-priming and that it has stain and sealant in one, cutting down on the workload. Since our pergola requires a ladder, I was also looking for a product that would not have to be applied every year or two.

This solid stain protects up to 5 years on decks and 15 years on fencing and siding, so I am optimistic. Due to temperatures and rain, I have been unable to prep and stain my pergola properly, but I did a test on one of the pieces of board remaining from our project.

Since our patio is in the sun nearly all day, the UV protection is a must and should help the stain last longer, thereby protecting the wood. The mildew resistant coating is also an added benefit I like since I live in the humid south and it can be easy for surfaces to mildew if not properly treated.

I applied one coat and two coats on my sample board. The one coat shows quite a bit more of the grain, whereas the required two coats provides a more solid, protected surface. I found it helpful to back brush to get the stain in the dents and crevices and to leave a wet edge while working.

I only did 1 board, but I used a 1″ brush and the wet edge is a must to encourage uniformity. Although I only did a small sample, I am satisfied with this solid stain. It provides even coverage and I can’t wait to get it applied to my pergola.

Olympic Exterior Wood Protector Water Base Semi Transparent Redwood Stain made our deck and fence look so professional, Our fence looked so old and needed something, and this was the ticket to bringing it back to life.

Olympic Wood Protector Semi-Transparent, COLOR: Redwood Semi-Transparent. Is a durable semi-transparent stain that provides a subtle natural redwood stain color and allows the natural wood grain and texture to show.

Exclusive Scuff Guarf stain formula gives the wood a tough finish and an enhanced level of protection. 100% acrylic latex wood stain formula is self-priming and cleans up easily with soap and water. It does take time putting this stain on but its worth it in the end.

I recommend Olympic Exterior Wood Protector it looks and smells like cedar. Everything ive used it on looks great. For all exterior wood. Bare wood,Finished wood , Old reclaimed wood , Stained or unfinished wood This stain is great for wooden decks and fencing and thats what I used it for.

I wanted to keep my fencing looking good and preserve the wood which was our deck. Olympic Exterior Wood Protector, protects for 3 years its mildew resistant, UV protection, waterproof sealer, you can also use a roller or a sprayer.

You will love this product.

I got the Olympic Wood Protector Solid in Deep Redwood Solid to update my shed, which was several years overdue for some protective coating. I like that this is solid so it helps hide flaws better, but the color was not what I was expecting.

I know it is called deep redwood but the picture examples on the Olympic website show this to be closer to brown. I was shocked at the bright red color in the can so I started with a swatch test before going all in.

It applies just as bright but when I checked it the next day after it dried it did deepen, though it still has more red to it than what is shown on the website (see my attached pictures for swatches).

There is a color dot on the sticker label on the can, though I am not sure that it came from the color in my can as it too is more brown than what is in the can. So once I was over the color shock, I decided I was going to roll with it and have a pop of color in my yard for the shed.

I still give this 5 stars because I like that it is a solid stain and sealant in one with waterproofing protection and UV defense. It is nice that it can last up to 5 years for decks and 15 years for fences and siding so I won’t have to apply more for a long while.

My shed is exposed to plenty of sunlight so I haven’t had mildew issues, but it is nice that this has a mildew resistant coating for additional protection if needed.