A new cedar fence looks great on day one and has zero protection from our weather. Here is how to protect a new cedar fence in the PNW so it does not go gray and rough in a year.
Let new cedar dry first
The first rule of protecting a new cedar fence is to not seal it too soon. Fresh lumber often shows up damp, and if you trap that moisture under a sealer you get a blotchy finish that will not last. Let the wood dry out for a few weeks of decent weather first. In the PNW that means you wait for a real dry stretch, which takes some patience.
Then seal it right
Once the wood is dry, put on a penetrating stain or sealer with two things on the label: UV blockers and water repellent. UV protection slows the gray, water repellent keeps the rain out. Skip the cheap film-forming stuff that sits on top. You want a product that soaks in. Apply it on a dry day and give it time to cure before the next storm rolls through.
Recoat before it fails
Sealer is not one and done. It wears out, faster on the sunny south-facing side, slower in the shade. Check it once a year by flicking water on the boards. If it beads, you are fine. If it soaks in, it is time to clean and recoat. Staying ahead of it is a light afternoon. Letting it go means starting over with a gray, rough fence.
Keep sprinklers, soil, and moss off
Protection is not just coating. Aim sprinklers away from the fence, because a board that gets soaked every morning will fail no matter what you put on it. Keep soil and mulch from piling against the bottom rail, which wicks moisture up into the wood. And knock moss off early, especially on the shaded north side, before it roots in and holds water against the boards.
Get it right the first time
Protecting a cedar fence is not hard, it just has to be done in order and at the right time, which is the part our weather fights you on. Dry, seal, recoat, keep water off. If you would rather hand it off, we build and finish fences as one job and back it with a written warranty. Doing it right once beats redoing a gray fence later.
Common questions
We set posts deep in concrete, let the cedar dry, and put the first coat on before we call the job done, so your new fence isn't standing bare through its first fall. The warranty terms come with the contract, where you can read them.
