Alternative to fake looking fence paint

BostonB

What are the alternatives to what I think are brash/artificial looking fence paints you see everywhere.

smashey

Wha???

BostonB

Either you like them or you don't.

smashey

I'm just baffled as to how paint can look fake.

BostonB

Its wood paint, not a gloss white or something. Its meant to make it look like a natural wood colour. Instead IMO it looks like a disney colour or just like mud or worse. You might aswell ask how can a fake suntan look fake. They are simply unnatural shades/tones etc.

GreeBo

if you want it too look natural get a wood stain like cuprinol, the chestnut is nice.
this soaks in so you get a darker wood with the original grain and not just brown paint on top.

If you are looking for actual colours for your fence then I have no clue.

BostonB

GreeBo wrote:

if you want it too look natural get a wood stain like cuprinol, the chestnut is nice.
this soaks in so you get a darker wood with the original grain and not just brown paint on top.

If you are looking for actual colours for your fence then I have no clue.

The stain sounds like what I'm looking for thanks.

Builderwoman!

Know what you mean BostonB...looking for something similar for furniture...the "brown" stuff just sits on the surface like a "prentendy" wood finish. Must check out the Cuprinol Furniture stuff. We bought a diff brand!

Wertz

Fencelife and similar products aren't paint as such...they're more a mix of binders and pigments with wax and preservative. They're manafactured for medium sized areas of outdoor timber, and are intended for re-application every 2-3 yrs. They're also relatively cheap by volume and on rough sawn timber will certainly outlast any more expensive stain.
1/2 gallon oil-based stain: ~€45
2 gallons water based wood preservative: ~€25

Rough sawn timber also exhibits extreme thirst when offered any coating. Staining could become an expensive habit and once you stain it, going back to putting fencelife on the timber won't cut it.

The OP needs to find the colour that suits best...some of the redwood or teak is garish but the darker browns are grand.


[edit] Builderwoman! : there are specialist stains for garden furniture but try and make sure they're compatible with the previous factory coating(s).
If the wood has been sealed than you may need to do a lot of sanding before it'll take the stain....otherwise even that stuff just sits on top.

As a rule, stain/dye should only be ever used on unsealed or previously stained/dyed timbers, otherwise you see all the brush strokes and the wood never actually takes the colour.

BostonB

I don't really like any of the colours. The ones I think are least offensive, the other half doesn't like.

Wertz

Quite partial to the black oak or ebony myself...

Alun

Generally speaking all the 'fake wood' colours of fencelife look nothing like what they're supposed to look like. They do mellow with age a bit, but they're still ultimately just different shades of brown. Some are a bit more garish than others .. red cedar in particular. My own favourite is ivy green which doesn't pretend to be anything that it isn't.

BostonB

I used the green on a shed which I liked, but a few people hated. So I was thinking of doing even more green. But I'm going to compromise with something else. You can't really go to a neighbour and ask what dire colour is that, because I don't want to paint my fence the same.

Alun

BostonB wrote:

I used the green on a shed which I liked, but a few people hated. So I was thinking of doing even more green. But I'm going to compromise with something else. You can't really go to a neighbour and ask what dire colour is that, because I don't want to paint my fence the same.

I did exactly the same on my shed/workshop and I think it looks great personally. Don't whatever you do try the 'red cedar' .. I made up a plant tub using some old decking material the other day and used that on it, and it's just garish.

Wertz

Just a thought but unless it's really that awful, going with whatever your neighbour(s) has/have on their fencing is usually a good idea. It's funny driving into estates where everyone's gone for their own shade of fencelife...and it turns into a smorgasbord or fake coloured timber...