[PBRSC]

Hi Guy, and Ladies...
I painting (spraying) a weathered fence (6' x 50')on the back of my garden and would like a white-washed finish. I can buy a white latex stain or I've read that I can just water down some white exterior latex paint. Any suggestions?

 

[stick\shift]

I would stain it with a white solid body stain and not paint. Once you've cleaned and prepped it, of course.

 

[carpdad]

Weathering look comes from sun/weather damaged raised wood fibers. It's worst kind of surface for painting. I'd pressure wash, let dry for a week, then start with semi solid stain, at least to stabilize the surface. Spray about 2' section and push the stain with a brush. Then coat with solid stain. Don't thin the paint with water since you're compromising the acrylic that provides the stickiness.

 

[mark sr]

I agree with the above although I usually spray and back roll, it's almost as effective as back brushing and a lot quicker/easier.

 

[cocomonkeynuts]

BM restore, brighten, power wash rinse.


stain with arborcoat semisolid or solid waterborne. Both comes in a stock white for better coverage.

 

[Gymschu]

All good advice given above. Just not quite sure what you mean by "white-washed." If you are referring to the look that shows some of the unfinished wood along with the stained wood, well, there are many ways to achieve that look. One is to let it all dry and then use a sander to scuff up the stain and reveal the wood beneath. Another is to drag a dry brush through the WET stain. There are other ways to accomplish a white-washed look. You may have to experiment to see what looks the best to you.

 

[RanK2]

Hi Guy, and Ladies...
I painting (spraying) a weathered fence (6' x 50')on the back of my garden and would like a white-washed finish. I can buy a white latex stain or I've read that I can just water down some white exterior latex paint. Any suggestions?

Yes, you could water down some exterior latex, that's basically what the stain is, paint with higher water content, and perhaps a bit more resin.

In order to get a higher resin content, and if you haven't bought the exterior paint already, I would get 'semi-gloss'. They have more resin or there wouldn't be any gloss. I would hesitate to water down a flat as you will be diluting the resin too much.

I would think a pint to a quart of water to a gallon of top shelf semi would give you the effect you want.

As for the 'penetration' lingo in the paint industry, it is taught in 'paint sales 101', used to mesmerize the home owner. ANYTHING thinned down will 'penetrate' more, but I say so what?, it will also deteriorate faster. And stains deteriorate faster than paints, no way around it ..... they don't tell you that.

Just be aware that your 'wash' look will have to be redone more often, as the UV rays will not have solid pigment to bounce off of and will be able to penetrate the 'resin' more, WHICH is what breaks down the coating.

 

[PBRSC]

Thanks for all of the good advise. You guys are great!:wink2: