# painting over semi-transparent stain



## jsheridan (Jan 30, 2011)

In my humble opinion, don't put paint on a fence. Rather, use an acrylic solid stain. I can't see why any solid stain wouldn't cover, as you said. Did it cover and eventually bleed through? Maybe a sealer is necessary. Fences and decks are two things that shouldn't be painted. Paint and stain fail in different fashions, from a long term maintence perspective, stain is the easier of the two.


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## trw88 (Mar 3, 2011)

Thanks Joe. I really appreciate it. I'm getting the uncomfortable feeling that I screwed up. But the solid I had on hand, which is an acrylic, really didn't adhere to the spray paint of the graffiti. Whereas the paint covered it right up. No sweat. My concern is that if I went with a solid stain and the fence got hit again with graffiti I wouldn't be able to stain over it.


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## jsheridan (Jan 30, 2011)

I guess if they used a gloss spray, the issue would be adherence rather than bleed through. In that case, paint may not adhere long term either. The only paint I've ever seen adhere to exterior w/out prep is BM MoorGard Low Luster. Stuck to polished PVC handrail, no prep, no bonding primer. I couldn't hack the sample off with a scraper. Do what you got to do. Good luck with it. I would find NCPaint on here and private message him.


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## NCpaint1 (Aug 13, 2009)

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## trw88 (Mar 3, 2011)

Thanks NCpaint1. 

So, just to make sure I understand. I can prime the fence with an acrylic primer and then paint over it with an acrylic paint? Should I sand the fence before I prime it? 

You're not the first one to tell me using a solid stain would be the best option. But I made the classic mistake of acting before I knew what would be the best thing to do. Since I already have the three gallons of expensive paint, I'm feeling committed to it. But it sounds like it will work -- with some extra work. 

Tim


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## NCpaint1 (Aug 13, 2009)

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## trw88 (Mar 3, 2011)

Ok, great. Thanks again!


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## trw88 (Mar 3, 2011)

Just when I thought I had a plan, my wife came up with another possibility that has me going…hmmmm. Her thought is if it really makes more sense to stain the fence with a solid than paint it, maybe we would be better off setting aside the paint I bought for the fence for a workshop we’ll be building within a year or so. We’re not necessarily sold on this idea yet, so I thought I’d ask what you all thought. 



Would it make more sense to stain than paint? Sounds like it would at least to some degree in terms of long-term maintenance? What about in the application process?


If the fence were hit with graffiti again, could we stain over it (solid over solid) as easily as we could paint over it (paint over paint)? 



If we did stain it, what would we need to do to prepare the fence? 
Would letting the paint we already bought sit unopened for let’s said a maximum of 18 months (just to be safe, but mostly likely it will be around a year) do any damage to it? 



What would you do?


Just a quick recap: It’s 115 feet of wood fencing stained with Olympic semi-transparent stain exactly two years ago. Water still beads on the fence. Since I couldn’t cover the graffiti with the same semi-transparent stain, I had to paint over it. So, the fence is now about 90 percent stain and 10 percent paint. Which raises another question: Will solid stain cover the paint? 



Sorry for all the questions. But we’re here for the long-term, I just want to make sure I do this right. 
Tim


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## NCpaint1 (Aug 13, 2009)

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## trw88 (Mar 3, 2011)

Sounds like a solid stain has a few advantages, but they're not significant.


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## NCpaint1 (Aug 13, 2009)

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