1 - Paint It
To add some weather protection on your new or existing wood fence you can simply paint it. For best results, use a primer and allow that to dry fully. Then apply an exterior grade paint, I recommend Sherwin-Williams Superpaint, but similar quality will do. This will provide the best protection. Paint every 3-5 years.
2 - Stain It
Staining your fence will provide less protection than painting it, but it will cost less to apply and will hide imperfections well. It also provides a natural look and can be reapplied throughout the years for a deep stained wood effect. Reapply every 1-2 years for best results, but the original stain will last much longer than that as it fades. MiniWax stain is fine or similar quality.
3 - Stain And Finish It
If you really like the look of natural wood and stained wood, I would recommend putting a finish on your wood to further protect it from weathering. A topcoat polyurethane finish will protect the stained wood underneath from fading. It will also provide a sheen or shimmer that you won’t get with just stained wood. I use ZAR Polyurethane Water-Based finish that can be found at Dixieline. You’ll want to reapply yearly for the first couple applications and after you’ve built up a thin protective layer you’ll be able go more and more years before another coat is necessary.
