Outdoor Fence Staining question....

[sunnybono]

I plan on re-staining with the same brand and colour as to what the builder used on our fence. It's a semi-transparent stain, therefore do I need to sand the wood down or can I stain on top. The area that I'm really concerned about is the top peice of ceder that is flat on top of the fence and it has taken a beating since installed 4 years ago to the point that most of the stain is missing.

please advise.

[brew99]

You do not need to sand unless the original stain is "flaking". I would use a deck/fence cleaner, then re-apply the stain. Most semi-transparents are designed to last 4 years on horizontal surfaces, so the horizontal parts that seem more weathered, you might want to do a little sanding with 80 paper, then clean and reapply stain. If you are spraying the stain, remember to backbrush to provide a nice coverage.

[brew99]

You do not need to sand unless the original stain is "flaking". I would use a deck/fence cleaner, then re-apply the stain. Most semi-transparents are designed to last 4 years on horizontal surfaces, so the horizontal parts that seem more weathered, you might want to do a little sanding with 80 paper, then clean and reapply stain. If you are spraying the stain, remember to backbrush to provide a nice coverage.

Sorry that should read "Most semi-transparents aren't designed to last 4 years...."

I can't use the "edit" function from my work computer!!!