How soon can you stain a brand-new fence?

Often within a week of installation, sometimes faster, depending on the wood and the weather.

The variable is moisture. Freshly milled fence boards are usually wet from kiln-drying or from sitting on a lumber yard rack in the rain. Wood that is too wet will not take stain. The product will pool on the surface, not bond, and fail.

We check moisture in 15 to 20 spots before staining a new fence. If the readings are right, we stain. If not, we wait or schedule a return visit when the wood is ready.

The other reason to stain early: a new fence weathering in the sun for a full summer before its first coat will gray on the surface. The bare wood absorbs UV damage and dust. By the time you stain it, you are staining over wood that is already starting to break down.

The sooner the moisture is right, the better.