Thread: How to finish a treated pine fence?

Hi J. I would think that the oiling would be unecessary to preserve the timber but you would probably have to keep up the stain to combat UV radiation. What sort of treated pine (CCA or LOSP) did you use? Is it dressed, rougher headed/reeded or rough sawn?

I just oiled my treated pine sleeper retaining wall with Cabots Decking oil. I think oiling treated pine is a good idea because it's not a very stable timber and tends to warp and split badly when exposed to weather. I'm a big believer in the KISS principle for outdoor maintenance. I hate doing it, so the simpler it is, the more likely I am to do it! To that end I would just give the fence two coats of a coloured decking oil. I used a cheap automotive spray gun to do the retaining wall- brushing is a terrible way to apply decking oil to a vertical surface. Next time I'll be buying one of these to apply the oil:

Wagner Fence & Deck Paint Sprayer - Bunnings Australia

They get excellent reviews on Amazon.

Thanks for the answers guys!

It is a classic CCA treated pine fence with rough cut timber (the ones with overlapping pailings).

I wanted to use a coloured oil but couldn't find the color I wanted. Hence why I decided to go with the stain.

At this point, the clear oil (Feast Watson - Water Repellent Timber & Deck Oil | Feast Watson) seems to be a good option then...what do you think?

That oil will be fine, but at $119 for 4L it’s very expensive (as are all FW products). I’m a big believer in using the cheapest decking oil I can get as frequently as I can be bothered. I just use the Cabots decking oil in the yellow can ($178 for 10L). However it doesn’t come in a clear. It comes in Natural which has a light brown tint. Might work depending on what final colour you are going for.

My experience with these deck oils/stains is that they are just tins of dirty water and are of no advantage whatsoever thus need re-doing on a very regular basis.

Originally Posted by jack620

That oil will be fine, but at $119 for 4L it’s very expensive (as are all FW products). I’m a big believer in using the cheapest decking oil I can get as frequently as I can be bothered. I just use the Cabots decking oil in the yellow can ($178 for 10L). However it doesn’t come in a clear. It comes in Natural which has a light brown tint. Might work depending on what final colour you are going for.

Yep...I know that natural = light brown, hence why I was looking for something clear.

I got an answer from the guys at Feast Watson who told me that in theory, since it is treated pine, the stain would be enough, without any need for any oil...maybe it is worth a try?
After all you could leave a treated pine fence without adding anything, right?

Originally Posted by Jekkil

After all you could leave a treated pine fence without adding anything, right?

Yep, but the treatment only stops the timber from rotting. It doesn't stop it from bleaching, warping, checking and all the other undesirable things wood does when exposed to weather. I believe regular oiling helps reduce those effects by slowing the ingress of water and thereby slowing the wet/dry cycle. I can't prove it though. Just my experience.

Originally Posted by Jekkil

After all you could leave a treated pine fence without adding anything, right?

As long as you don't mind replacing it in ten years. I've found the best way to make it last is to paint it with two (or even three) coats of Wattyl Solarguard. By painting the palings and posts & rails before the palings are fixed in place, I can also paint the edges and both ends very easily, which is impossible once fixed in place (can't be repainted later either).

This is a good product specifically designed to protect the timber yet let it silver off naturally. Architects have specified it on a number of jobs we have done where they have wanted a natural weathered look.
https://www.cutek.com.au/product/extreme-cd50/

Super easy to use, just like painting with water

I have a treated pine fence that has been in place for about 40 years. Its treated so does not need anything else. As the wood has a green tinge due to the treatment I don't see any oil or clear coating improving the look. I used treated timber to make a covered in deck so the posts and handrails are treated wood. I also used solarguard to hide the green look. Solarguard is good for 10 to 15 years. If you paint treated wood its best to let it weather about 6 to 12 months before painting.
Regards
John

+1 for paint

everything else you will be doing every year or so

With enough patience you might end up with a treated fence covered with ivy.
This will protect it from the elements and hold it up when it starts to wobble...!!!!!

Cut/trim the ivy once year before it flowers to avoid any pollen n' Bob's your uncle!

Cheers & Merry Christmas

Yvan

Hi folks,

I wanted to close the loop on this discussion telling the forum what I ended up with.

I used two coats of the Feast Watson timber stain plus two coats of the Water repellent oil, still from Feast Watson.

I'm super happy with the result so far. Here is a picture for you:

DSC_4064-HDR.jpg

Obviously I don't how it will hold up against the weather. I guess I'll discover it in a couple of years

Thanks again all for the advise!!

That looks very good Jekkil. As a lap & cap it should last a good long while too. Were you able to do both sides of it?