Fence Staining & Sealing

A wood fence is one of the largest visible wood surfaces on many properties.

When the color fades, cedar turns gray, boards weather unevenly, or an older finish begins to wear away, the change can affect the appearance of the entire yard.

The right finish can turn that weathered backdrop into a part of the property that looks intentional again.

Exterior Staining Pros is a residential fence staining contractor providing professional wood fence staining, sealing, re-staining, refinishing, and finish restoration throughout the Cedar Rapids–Iowa City corridor.

Whether your fence is newly installed, weathered, previously stained, or ready for a fresh finish, we start with the wood, the existing surface, and the conditions around the fence before determining the preparation and finish appropriate for the project.

Request a Fence Staining Estimate

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Finished stained privacy fence · 1600 × 1100

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Give Your Wood Fence a Finished Look

A fence can serve a practical purpose and still be an important part of how the property looks.

Fresh cedar can bring warmth and character to a backyard.

A stained privacy fence can create a cleaner, more intentional backdrop around landscaping, patios, decks, and outdoor living areas.

And a weathered fence can often look dramatically different once the wood has been properly prepared and refinished.

If your fence has become gray, faded, patchy, or simply looks unfinished, we'll evaluate what is there now and help determine the right path forward.

Tell Us About Your Fence

Professional Fence Staining & Sealing

Professional wood fence staining and sealing do not always require two separate products.

Many exterior wood finishes provide color and protection as part of the same finish system, while other products are designed around particular appearance or protective goals.

The appropriate system depends on the wood, its condition, previous finishes, exposure, and the appearance you want.

Exterior Staining Pros handles the fence as a complete exterior wood finishing project—from evaluating the existing surface through preparation and application.

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Fence staining application · 1200 × 900

New, Cedar, Pressure-Treated & Previously Stained Fences

New Fence Staining

A newly installed wood fence represents a significant investment in the property.

Staining can give that new wood a more finished appearance while helping protect it from continued exposure to sun and moisture.

New cedar, pressure-treated lumber, and other natural wood can be stained once the wood is ready for the finish being applied.

There is no universal waiting period that fits every new fence.

Kiln drying, pressure treatment, moisture, recent weather, wood condition, and the requirements of the selected finish can all affect readiness.

Rather than relying only on how many days or weeks have passed since installation, the better question is whether the wood is actually ready.

If you recently had a wood fence installed, we can look at its condition and help determine the appropriate next step.

Request an Estimate for Your New Fence

Cedar Fence Staining & Restoration

Cedar is one of the most recognizable woods used for residential fencing.

Its warm natural appearance is also one of the reasons homeowners notice quickly when weathering begins to change it.

As cedar is exposed to sunlight and weather, the surface can fade and eventually develop a gray or silver appearance.

That graying does not automatically mean the fence is ruined.

Depending on the condition of the wood and any existing finish, weathered cedar can often be prepared and refinished to create a much richer, more intentional appearance again.

Exterior Staining Pros stains, re-stains, refinishes, and restores cedar privacy fences, gates, and other cedar fencing.

Bring Your Cedar Fence Back

Pressure-Treated Wood Fence Staining

Pressure-treated lumber is also commonly used for residential wood fencing.

New pressure-treated fencing may need time to reach the condition required by the selected finish, but the calendar alone does not determine readiness.

Older pressure-treated fencing can also fade, gray, weather, and lose the appearance it had when newer.

We evaluate the condition of the wood, existing finish if present, exposure, and preparation needs before deciding how the fence should be handled.

Re-Staining a Previously Stained Fence

An older stained fence does not automatically need to be stripped completely bare before another finish can be applied.

The existing finish first needs to be evaluated.

A fence with a sound but faded finish can present a very different project from one with heavy buildup, peeling areas, incompatible coatings, or uneven remnants from previous applications.

Some fences may be candidates for a maintenance application or compatible recoat.

Others may need more involved preparation before they can be refinished successfully.

We determine that from the fence rather than assuming every previously stained fence needs the same process.

Weathered, Gray & Faded Wood Fences

Fence weathering rarely happens perfectly evenly.

One section may receive full afternoon sun.

Another may remain shaded behind trees.

Sprinklers may repeatedly wet one area.

Vegetation may hold moisture against another.

A long fence run may have boards that face different directions and weather at noticeably different rates.

That can leave the fence gray, faded, blotchy, or inconsistent from one section to another.

Depending on the wood and its condition, appropriate preparation and refinishing can often create a much cleaner and more consistent finished appearance.

Gray / unevenly weathered fence · 1200 × 900

Peeling, Worn & Uneven Fence Stain

Previously finished fences can develop very different signs of wear.

You may notice:

Faded stain
Gray or exposed wood
Uneven color between sections
Peeling or flaking finish
Dark or discolored areas
Heavy-looking old coating
Different appearance on sun- and shade-facing sections
Gates that no longer match the rest of the fence

Those conditions can point toward different preparation needs.

A faded but otherwise sound finish is not the same situation as widespread peeling or multiple layers of incompatible coating.

We evaluate what is actually happening before deciding how the fence should be prepared.

Fence Preparation Depends on the Existing Condition

Good results start before the new finish goes on.

Depending on the fence, preparation may involve cleaning, removing loose or failing finish, stripping an older coating, sanding certain areas, addressing weathered surface material, or preparing a sound compatible finish for another application.

Not every fence needs every preparation step.

We do not assume every project needs to be cleaned, stripped, sanded, and brightened in the same predetermined sequence.

The preparation should fit the wood, the existing finish, and the finish being applied next.

Does a Fence Need to Be Cleaned Before Staining?

Does a Fence Need to Be Sanded Before Staining?

Does Old Fence Stain Have to Be Removed?

Not sure what preparation your fence needs? You don't have to diagnose it before contacting us. Show us the fence and tell us what you'd like to improve.

Request a Fence Staining Estimate

Tell us about your exterior wood project

Privacy, Horizontal, Picket & Other Wood Fences

Exterior Staining Pros works with many residential wood fence styles, including:

Wood privacy fencesCedar privacy fencesHorizontal wood fencesPicket fencesShadow-box and shadowbox fencesBoard-on-board fencesSplit-rail and post-and-rail fencingDecorative wood fencingWood privacy screensLattice and decorative wood details

Different fence designs can affect preparation, access, labor, and application.

A simple open-style fence is a different project from a tall board-on-board privacy fence with overlapping boards, gates, lattice, landscaping, and limited access.

Fence Boards, Posts, Rails, Gates & Details

A complete fence staining project may include more than the main field of boards.

Depending on the fence, the project can involve:

Boards or picketsPostsRailsCapsGatesLatticeHorizontal boardsVertical boardsTrim and decorative details

Gates and frequently handled areas can wear differently from the rest of the fence.

Fence caps and horizontal surfaces may receive different exposure than vertical boards.

And long runs make uneven preparation or color particularly noticeable.

We look at the entire wood fence system rather than treating every board as though it experiences identical conditions.

Should Both Sides of a Wood Fence Be Stained?

Landscaping, Neighboring Property & Nearby Surfaces

Fence staining often happens inches or feet away from things that should not be stained.

Landscaping.Concrete.Siding.Patios.Vehicles.Pools and equipment.Outdoor furniture.Neighboring property.

Those surrounding areas matter, and protecting them is part of planning the staining project—not an afterthought once application begins.

Preparation and application planning therefore includes the areas around the fence—not only the boards themselves.

The exact protection needed depends on the project, access, nearby surfaces, vegetation, and application method.

If there are tight areas, heavy landscaping, neighboring surfaces, or other access concerns, show us those areas when you request the estimate.

Tell us about your exterior wood project

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Fence Stain & Finish Options

The finish selected influences both how the fence looks and how much of the natural wood character remains visible.

Depending on the appropriate finish system, options may range from more transparent appearances that highlight natural grain to more opaque finishes that provide stronger color uniformity.

Penetrating, oil-based, water-based, and other exterior wood finish systems may also be appropriate depending on the project.

For deeper help comparing appearance, color, and opacity choices, visit our Stain Colors & Finishes section.

Explore Stain Colors & Finishes

Iowa Weather Is Hard on Wood Fencing

Wood fencing throughout the Cedar Rapids–Iowa City corridor is exposed year-round.

Strong summer sun.Humidity.Rain.Snow.Freeze-thaw cycles.Wind.Seasonal temperature swings.

Sprinklers and irrigation can add repeated moisture exposure near the bottom of a fence.

Vegetation can hold dampness against boards.

Shaded sections may stay wet longer than exposed areas.

And unlike a deck, fencing is primarily vertical, so its weathering and finish wear should not automatically be treated the same way as a horizontal walking surface.

Those differences are part of why fence condition should be evaluated on its own.

How Long Does Fence Stain Last?

What Affects the Cost of Fence Staining?

Professional fence staining is not priced by one variable alone.

Project cost can be influenced by:

Linear footageFence heightOne or two accessible facesFence style and board configurationNumber of pickets or boardsGatesPosts, caps, lattice, and detail workLandscaping and accessExisting stain or coatingDegree of weatheringCleaning requirementsStripping or finish-removal needsSanding and other preparationFinish selected

A short open-style fence with easy access is a different project from a tall board-on-board privacy fence with two faces, multiple gates, heavy landscaping, and an older failing finish.

The easiest way to get useful pricing is to let us look at the actual fence.

Request a Fence Staining Estimate

Protecting a Large, Visible Part of Your Property

A wood privacy fence can stretch hundreds of feet around a property.

That makes preparation consistency and finished appearance especially noticeable.

Differences that may seem small on one board can become obvious across a long run of fencing.

The goal is not simply to put stain on the wood.

It is to create a finished fence that looks intentional across the property while using preparation and a finish appropriate for the condition we find.

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Not Sure What Your Fence Needs?

Tell us what you are seeing.

Gray cedar.

Faded color.

Peeling finish.

A newly installed fence.

An older fence that has never been stained.

A previously stained fence that simply looks ready for attention.

That's enough to start.

We'll evaluate the wood, existing finish, accessibility, nearby surfaces, and what you want the finished fence to look like.

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See Real Exterior Wood Projects

Visit our Gallery to see real Exterior Staining Pros projects across different exterior wood surfaces, conditions, colors, and finishes.

As genuine fence projects are completed and documented, those projects can show you real examples of the wood, preparation, finish, and transformation.

View Our Work

Professional Fence Staining Throughout the Cedar Rapids–Iowa City Corridor

Exterior Staining Pros provides residential wood fence staining, sealing, re-staining, refinishing, and finish restoration throughout the Cedar Rapids–Iowa City corridor and nearby communities.

If your fence is new, gray, faded, weathered, previously stained, or simply ready for a more finished appearance, tell us about the project.

Explore Our Service Areas

Start With the Fence You Have

Maybe you just invested in a new cedar privacy fence.

Maybe an older fence has turned gray.

Maybe the existing stain is fading or peeling.

Maybe one side looks completely different from the other.

Show us the fence.

We'll start with the wood that's there, look at the conditions around it, and determine the preparation and finish appropriate for the project.

Weathered to Worthy.

Request a Fence Staining Estimate

Finished residential fence · 1400 × 1050