What preservative for new gate?

ipri

Hi...new gate put on this A.M. They are putting some Cuprinol stuff on. We would like to put some sort of stain on...the gate is Redwood pine. Is spirit based Cuprinol ok...any suggestions. thanks.

Davesnave

Any spirit-based treatment will be OK but it will need regular re-doing and will act only as a surface enhancement and some protection from rot/UV. Water based treatments give a larger colour range but can be more of a pain to upkeep- depends on type.

The best treatments are injected into the wood before gates are even made. You don't see many farmers going around staining their gates!

Mr.Generous

solvent based preservers penetrate the timber, surface coatings provide a weather proof finish and decoration. If its an expensive piece of joinery a preserver first would be great. For a topcoat over solvent based preserver it also has to be solvent based, a microporous stain would be best. It allows controlled moisture movement through tiny holes and allows the wood to breathe. Much less likely to crack flake or peel than a varnish. I find the water based wood care products don't last anything like the solvent based on outdoor products.