Hi all~ I would not paint anything outdoors, as it will eventually peel and be a real mess (ask me how I know!). I'm for a stain, for sure!!! A good stain will very slowly fade, but it will never peel. Our 5 ft. privacy fence fence is stained with two coats of Behr's top of the line custom mixed outdoor stain (an off white neutral color). My DH did all the work himself when we moved in 8 yrs. ago, including the huge job of sanding and then pressure washing the fence (it had an original peeling paint on it, which was a real nightmare ot clean up what with paint flakes all over the yard!). So far so good, no touch ups have been necessary and it looks perfect 8 yrs. later. Becky

Would love some help/advice about re-painting/re-staining a fence & deck. Pictures attached. I plan to take these pictures along to the local paint store - where the professional painters go. I made the mistake of trying to "paint" the deck floor with a colored stain before - went to Fleet Farm - so I deserve the advice I was given. I think that maybe I used a latex paint over a surface that had originally used oil. It peeled up pretty quickly. I'm looking to replace the deck and fence in 3 years, when I pay off my car and could take a loan out for the new deck/fence. The deck and fence were original to the house when I bought it 11 years ago, and I would guess that means they are from 1983. I used Googone (didn't have nail polish remover in the house) to "test" the painted areas. Googone dissolved the paint on the deck floor - must have been the latex I used a few years ago in my first attempt. But Googone didn't pull any color from the deck fence, so I wonder if that is oil-based. What do I need to know about tackling this job on my own? This is all of the photos that I can upload for now. Having issues with tinypics website at the moment. Thanks for your help.

Pressurepro, Thx for the info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is the CabotÂs solid stain the one I keep reading about on the board that's having all the issues? The new product that was introduced in 2005? Most people reference it as a Deck Stain product. I see there are three different Cabot solid stain choices. OVT (oil & acrylic) and Pro VT. What are the differences? Which one do you recommend? Which has the best history? I pretty sure I'm going solid. The only question left, in addition to the ones above is why not paint the pergola with regular exterior latex like Benjamin Moore. Does Cabot's stain/latex have unique characteristics that make it superior to regular exterior house paint? As you can see I donÂt know squat about paint and stains. When I started this investigation I figured all stains where just that...oil based stains. I had no idea some where latex. I've been advised not to "paint" the pergola because it's a nightmare. Hopefully CabotÂs solid "stain" provides some benefit over regular exterior house paint. Please help convince me. I'm very nervous about the choice. The only thing I'm certain of is she wants a solid white much like you see on the East Coast. Think Cape Cod or Wilmington. We built this beautiful pergola; unfortunately it's out of cedar and not Douglas fir. The good news is it will not be walked on, itÂs vertical. Any on thoughts or suggestions? Thanks for ALL the help and advice!!!!! Big Tex

Oh WOW! Thank you, each of you, for all the great info. Tibbrix - this is just a little, simple obelisk; he's building it mostly as a "test." He could not get the PT wood in these small sizes, and he did not want to have to rip larger pieces. So, he's using untreated. Once we get it all tweaked; and just as I want it; he said we'd get the pressure treated wood and do another one. This one will last several years; the trellis he made about 12 years ago is still going strong. I bring them into the garage for the winter. The directions we found on line showed a wonderful obelisk, simple to make, and just what I wanted. There were some flaws in the instructions. When he made the first panel it was far to tall and way too short. It looked more like a ladder than an obelisk. I told him I wanted it shorter, more narrow at the top and much wider at the bottom. He graciously took the two panels apart; cut the uprights down by 2 feet, made new templates, and attached the uprights inside the screws on the top template instead of outside of them as the instructions said. If anyone follows the link I'm posting, you might want to do a dry run of the first section to make sure it "fits." GryFalcon - Thanks for the info. We're new to decks and wooden garden structures and are grateful for all the info we can get. He's hoping to clean and re-stain the front deck this summer so I'll pass your info on to him. Nicole - your the second vote against Thompsons and I'm paying attention. We have both a Benjamin Moore and a Sherwin Williams dealer in Grand Forks; I'll be visiting them. I have to travel to Fargo to see a Home Depot; and that's nearly 150 miles, one way. Brushworks - I checked out the site for Arborcoat. They have a dark purple in a semi-transparent finish. I "see" my little arbor looking very pretty. Here's the instructions we're loosely following. The best part is there are no miter cuts. I'm still debating on what to use for a final. Birdhouse? Large teapot? Carved acorn? Make a garden obelisk for climbing plants