Pro tip: skipping the primer on my fence stain saved me 3 hours

Honestly, I always used primer before staining my cedar fence in Decatur, but last month I tried just going straight to the oil-based stain and it looks the same after 4 weeks. What do y'all think, is primer always necessary or is it a waste of time and money on certain projects?

2 comments

2 Comments

logan_dixon1816d ago

Three houses of cedar here, never primed, zero bleed issues in five years.

morgan.nancy18d ago

Wait a second, you can't just skip primer on cedar. Cedar bleeds tannins like crazy, that dark stuff will seep right through your stain in a few months. Your fence might look good now but wait until summer heat hits, it'll look patchy and terrible. Primer seals the wood so the stain actually sticks and stays even. Three hours saved now but you'll spend triple that redoing it next year. Primer isn't just extra work, it's insurance. You'll be kicking yourself when that stain starts peeling.