Fence staining for wood and cedar fences across Lake County.
Cleaned, brightened and stained by the owner himself, with the overspray kept off your house, your plants and your neighbor’s side. Finished to hold the color through Illinois winters.
Why fences go gray and split.
A fence takes weather on both faces and from the ground up. Snow piles against the bottom boards, sprinklers soak the same pickets every summer, and UV breaks down the surface fibers until the wood turns gray and fuzzy. Unprotected, cedar and pressure-treated fences start checking and cupping within a few years.
Stain stops that cycle, but only when it soaks into clean wood. Stain sprayed over gray, dirty boards looks fine for a season and then fades unevenly, because it never got past the dead surface. Most of a fence job is the cleaning and prep that comes before the stain.
What a fence staining job includes.
The same prep standard as an exterior repaint:
- House siding, plants, patios and neighboring property protected first
- Fence washed to lift dirt, mildew and gray surface fibers
- Wood brightener to bring back the natural tone
- Loose pickets and popped fasteners flagged before staining
- Penetrating stain chosen for the wood and the look you want
- Bottom edges, post tops and end grain sealed where water gets in
- Both sides stained where you have access, with your neighbor’s permission
Which finish is right for your fence?
Semi-transparent stain
Shows the grain and wears gradually instead of peeling. The right choice for cedar and for any fence in good shape, and the easiest to recoat because nothing needs stripping.
Solid stain
Opaque color that still soaks in and flexes with the wood. Hides weathered, patched or mismatched boards and lasts longest between coats. Once a fence goes solid, it stays solid.
Paint
Possible, but paint sits on the surface, traps moisture and peels on boards that move with every season. Stain is almost always the better choice for a wood fence.
If your fence is in an HOA community, check the approved colors before choosing. We will ask what your association allows before you commit.
When fences can be stained in Illinois.
- Late spring to early fall
- Dry wood
- Dry days after
Stain needs dry wood, mild temperatures and a dry day or two after it goes on, which gives Lake County a window from late spring through early fall. It helps to get an estimate before the season opens, so the work can be scheduled for the first good stretch of weather.
A brand-new pressure-treated fence usually needs a few months to weather before it will take stain. Sprinkle some water on it: if it beads, it is not ready yet.
A painter’s eye for exterior wood.
Same owner on the job, same prep standard as an exterior repaint.
“Mike is great to work with — he just finished the outside eaves with stain, and previously did our entire interior after a renovation. Hardworking and neat. We'd have him back anytime without hesitation!”
“An exceptional experience. Mike painted our exterior trim, repaired a damaged threshold, even patched and painted damaged bricks. We loved his commitment to detail — meticulous. We'll definitely use him again.”
Mike has painted out of Grayslake since 1986. Every estimate is his, and so is every fence.
Meet MikeWhat fence staining costs.
Every fence is priced on site, in a written estimate. What moves the number:
- Length and height
- Linear feet and height set the surface area to clean and stain.
- One side or both
- Two faces is roughly twice the work, and needs access to both.
- Style of fence
- Board-on-board, shadowbox and lattice tops take longer to coat than flat pickets.
- Condition of the old finish
- Sound stain gets cleaned and recoated; peeling finish has to be stripped first.
Estimates are free and come with no obligation. Mike walks the fence himself and puts the scope in writing.
Fence staining near you, across Lake County.
We stain fences out of our Grayslake shop across Lake County. For decks, see our deck staining page.
See all service areasMost fences every three to five years, sooner for semi-transparent stain on a fence in full sun or one that gets hit by sprinklers. Solid stain lasts longer between coats. We will tell you at the estimate where yours falls.
A new pressure-treated fence usually needs a few months of weathering first, until water soaks in instead of beading on the surface. Staining too early traps moisture and the finish fails. Cedar can often be stained sooner.
We can, where there is access. The neighbor’s side needs your neighbor’s permission, and some homeowners split the cost with them. Staining both faces protects the boards better than doing just one.
Not if the job is done right. Siding, plants, patios and anything nearby are covered before staining, and stain is not sprayed on windy days.
Usually, if the boards are still solid. Cleaning and brightening often brings gray wood back closer to its original color, and stain then protects it. Rotten posts or pickets should be replaced first; we will point them out at the estimate.
Get on the schedule before the season fills.
Free, itemized fence estimates across Lake County. Mike walks every fence himself.