How should I paint an exterior redwood fence?
The fence that I will be painting is made out of redwood and has been painted over before. It is in the SF Bay Area so there is no snow. Temperature generally ranges from 30-100 F. I would like to know if I have to use primer, what kind of paint to use, if I should paint at a specific time of day, if I need to clean off the first coat of paint with paint thinner or anything, etc.
Basically I don’t know anything about it. If you could back up your answer with websites or personal experience that would be great because I don’t want to paint it a second time đŸ™‚ Thanks!
3 Responses
ubbalinda
15 Feb 2010
Michael B
15 Feb 2010
Pressure wash it, prime it, paint it with exterior grade paint. Use a airless sprayer to paint.
sophieb
15 Feb 2010
It’s just my opinion and ideas here. If you are in cali then there is a reason why it was redwood in the first place. Redwood is a sign of wealth. Redwood is a wood that can be stained and preserved and it shouldn’t be peeling or anything like paint would be. Seems to me there are only a couple of kinds of paint and the latex which prevents moisture also peels. I would think if you wanted the fence to look nice you’d remove the paint that’s on there and go back to the redwood. I know it will be a pain the first time, but if it ever needs worked on again it will be a simpler job. Why not go to Home Depot and ask.
If it’s real redwood I wouldn’t want to paint it at all. I have a redwood deck in my backyard and I just refinished it last week. The wood is so beautiful and so rare nowadays not to mention expensive nowadays it would be a shame to paint over it. Depending on how many coats of paint you have on it will depend on what type of paint stripper you will need. They make all kinds of strengths to work with. It’s a very time consuming job but very worth while when you finish.
After the paint is scrapped away you will need to sand it down to it’s original state. Then you should condition it with a wood conditioner before you varnish. This will fill up all the little divits in it and allow the varnish to be applied smoothly and without little bubbles. You have your choice of gloss, semi-gloss etc. to choose from. I perfer McCloskey Man O’ War Spar Varnish. It has proven to be the most beautiful and effective against the elements (sun, rain etc.) I applied it with a sprayer that I bought specifically for refinishing wood with varnish. Or you could use a good durable paint brush (China Bristle) but this takes a lot longer to apply.
I guarantee that if you have the patience and energy to do this for your redwood fence you will never be sorry and will be the envy of the neighborhood. Hope this helped you.