Should I paint or stain my cedar fence? My neighbour says paint lasts longer but I'm not sure what works best here?

This is one of the most common questions homeowners in Metro Vancouver face, and the answer depends on the look you want and how much maintenance you are willing to do. Paint creates an opaque, uniform finish and does provide a hard protective shell, but in our wet climate, that shell can become a problem. Vancouver's heavy rainfall drives moisture into the wood from the back side of fence boards, and when that moisture tries to escape, it pushes the paint film off from underneath, causing peeling and bubbling. Once paint starts peeling on a fence, you are looking at scraping, priming, and repainting, which is labour-intensive and costly. Stain, particularly a semi-transparent or semi-solid penetrating stain, soaks into the cedar fibres rather than sitting on top. It will fade gradually rather than peel, making re-application much simpler. You can usually pressure wash and re-stain without any scraping. A quality semi-solid stain on cedar fencing will last two to four years in our climate before needing refreshing. For a standard 100-linear-foot cedar fence, expect to pay $1,200 to $2,500 for professional staining, or $1,800 to $3,500 for full paint preparation and application. If your goal is a rich, natural cedar look with manageable upkeep, stain is the clear winner for Vancouver fences. If you absolutely want an opaque colour, consider a solid-colour stain rather than paint, as it gives similar coverage with better moisture performance. Talk to a local contractor about which product lines perform best in our specific conditions.

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