My neighbor yelled at me for using the wrong paint on my fence

Last weekend I was repainting my wooden fence with some cheap exterior latex I found on sale. My neighbor Bob came out and started shouting that I should be using solid stain instead, said paint would peel in a year. He showed me his fence he did 3 years ago with a $35 gallon of stain and it still looks perfect. I ignored him at first but now I'm seeing little bubbles in my paint after just one rain. Has anyone else had a fence fail because they picked the wrong product?

2 comments

2 Comments

simon71718d ago

Gotta admit, I used to think paint was paint and cheaper was better for a fence. I did the same thing last spring with a big box store latex and it bubbled up within two months. Seeing your neighbor's stain lasting three years really flipped my thinking. That waterproofing point someone made is huge too, I bet there was old sealer on mine I never checked for. Now I'm looking at stripping it all off and switching to a decent solid stain like Bob used. Lesson learned the hard way, but you're not alone in this.

lily_singh218d ago

Did you check if your fence was ever treated with a waterproofing stuff before you painted? A lot of times homeowners will put a clear sealer on new wood and then years later someone paints over it and the paint can't bond right. That trapped moisture causes bubbles and peeling way faster than any product issue. Bob might have been right about stain working better, but the real problem could be what's underneath. Got any idea what was on your fence before?