Decent wood treatment

longwalks1

were after a decent wood treatment/stain to paint pressure treated timber boards to cover a fence.

wed like the ginger/red cedar colour - is there a ‘better’ wood stain to use?

and, stupid question, would 2 or 3 coats preserve it for longer?

FreeBear

Cuprinol - use three coats and let it soak in.

Don't go slapping old engine oil on - It is messy, full of toxic residues, and really bad for the environment. It will also rub off on to clothing and any animal passing by & leave nasty stains all over the place.

If you want something a bit tougher than a wood stain, linseed oil is fairly good. Takes an age to dry though, and will need reapplying every five years or so (but so will most wood stains).

gavin3111

The nasty chemicals used in pressure treating will provide protection for the timber, however if you want to keep the wood from drying out using natural oil products will help to prevent the timber from warping, splitting or cracking. Boiled linseed oil is a great suggestion, however you can make your own natural oils for a fraction of the cost. You tube has numerous videos on the subject, including my own video - check out Maintenance Made Simple.
If you're after a decorative finish and protection then I recommend using Protek external wood stains. I used this on our summer house. Goes on great, a couple of coats provides good protection and they have a wide range of colours to suit. You can actually see the water beading on the surface of the stained timber, which means the stain is preventing the water from soaking into the wood grain. The downside of any treatment will be a very slight loss of breathability - any vapour impermeable product will cause this. Only hard woods like cedar and larch can be used without treatment, relying on the durability of the timber for protection. Soft woods will require reapplication of treatment every few years. Applying more coats does provide greater protection, but there's only so much the wood grain can take up, so the level of protection for each additional application provides diminished protection. The chemicals in treated timber might also prevent the stain from penetrating deeply into the grain, although the surface will repel water - this is my theory and not based on any research! Hope this helps. Maintenance Made Simple.

longwalks1

Thanks guys.  The look I'm after is (if you use google images) 'red cedar fence panels'.  But with deeper horizontal slats.  Because we have 22 x 6ft fence panels to cover, obviously wanted to keep the cost down a bit, hence using treated planks instead.  do cuprinol do a stain?  We've used Cuprinol summer shades paint on a shed previously, but doubt the paint would look too good on the rougher finish of treated planks

TomokoAdhami

I think you should consider Creocote treatment because it is available in both light and dark colours. It is safe for environments, and usually, farm owners use this oil-based wood stain for their fences. Moreover, to cover rough edges of fence boards, the use of this kind of edging tapes https://uniboards.co.uk/Edgebanding-Tapes-c48532205 could also be a great idea. These don't only give a unique look but also easy to install. Yes, I noticed that edges become dry and rough after few days of fence instalment, but after application of such tapes, they give soft texture and look.

On the other hand, Bedec Barn Paint could also be an excellent wood stain. It is not enough good for exterior wood, but you can also use it for metal, brick and plastic cladding. If you have good budget, then you can also go with Woodrich Brand Timber Oil. It is a timber specific and gives deep penetration even for new wood. Hopefully, you will pick the right option.