LESLIE: Alright. Now we’ve got James on the line. What can we help you with today?
JAMES: Spent a little bit more money this time and I used a western redcedar for my fence. And I was wondering if you recommend I put some kind of stain on that or just let it run its normal color.
TOM: Well, its normal color is not going to be red; it’s going to be dark gray to black.
LESLIE: It’s like silvery gray, even.
TOM: Even though it’s cedar and naturally insect-resistant, it’s not going to keep that cedar color. The color will fade pretty quickly. So if you want to keep the color, you do have to stain it and I would use a solid-color stain on top of that.
JAMES: OK.
TOM: Solid-color exterior stain. And make sure you get the edges of the boards. Otherwise, it will rot, especially from the bottom on up.
JAMES: Alright.
LESLIE: And with cedar, a lot of manufacturers recommend leaving it unfinished for 6 to 12 months but that’s not true with cedar. Cedar you would finish right away; this way, it stays really nice.
JAMES: OK. Should I get a product with a seal in it or a sealer in it or just the color?
TOM: Exterior stains have sealers built into them, James.
JAMES: OK.
TOM: So that’s going to protect it. Just an exterior siding stain.
JAMES: Great. Well, I appreciate it.
TOM: You’re very welcome. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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