Is it ok to paint an outside fence in an external gloss?

[Karbea]

I know it's ok in so much that they sell it, but am I going to regret it? Am I better off with cuprinol or alike?
I really want to paint my fences in chalky downs 3, but I don't want it to be peeling in a year, or having to sand it down to repaint like you would a gloss in doors, it's a long fence and I'd go mad if I'd have to sand it all regularly :/

Thank you!

Assuming it's an ordinary rough wood kind of fence, I don't know that gloss is going to work very well - read the instructions on the tin before you buy - it's probably going to talk about knotting solution and primer and undercoat! I think if you want long-lasting then something designed for bare rough fence wood will be a better bet.

No.

I wouldn't advise it TBH.

I remember when we were kids everyone used to use gloss paint on the fences, oh the fun we had peeling of the flakes!!!

Cuprinol or something designed for fences is your best bet.

Cuprinol Shades come in some jazzy colours, am just about to do my fence as it desperately needs redone and I am fed up with the standard fence colours. Just cant decide what colour to go for as there are loads to choose from!!!

I used Cuprinol Shades on DD's playhouse when she was two and never needed to redo it, playhouse was dismantled last year after being up for 8 years, so it does last well.

Cuprinol Shades Barleywood is the craziest cornflower Blue EVER. I have very funky raised beds as a result!

If you feel a bit calmer the Sage Green is very good too. I give my benches a coat every few years with that and they come up really well.

Don't do it! Why do you think everyone has nasty UPVC windows?

Ooh - can I hijack please?

Does anyone know if you can use the Cuprinol shades on a shed that has already been stained? DH did ours when we bought it and it's that yucky orange colour. I would love sage green.

You could cider but it's a wash-paint that sinks into the wood, ie it's runny rather than putting a plasticky coating on it (bathroom type paints have vinyl stuff in that sits on the surface and repels water) . So to stop your pre-existing orange stain showing through and discoloring th sage, the tin recommends you sand off as much of the top stained surface as you can. I reckon if you don't mind risking it, sanding then putting two coats on should work. I know our original garden benches were stained with varnish on the seats when we bought them from Homebase and I sanded then painted them, they are several coats in by now as they are over ten years old! I do think the Cuprinol has helped to keep them going longer...

a power jet-washer, close to the fence, will blast off old stain.

We've just Cuprinol'd over the awful red stain on our fence - didn't do any prep except brushing off the cobwebs. They've come up lovely, although they did need two coats...

How is cuprinol shades different to other external paint?

Thanks guys. Will power wash and then paint. Will check what DH used as well.

karbea, it's sold as a wood preserver-come-stain. So it goes into the surface of the wood a bit as well as colouring it. It also is mildly water repellent. Meant to stop the wood rotting as quickly as untreated stuff.

Wood stain is very runny, we have endless clothes ruined by the horrible stuff. It's designed to soak into the wood not form a film on the surface.

You don't get a nice shiny smooth coat like with gloss, but it also doesn't flake and crack as the wood swells when damp and shrinks when dry.

Does anyone know if normal people are allowed in dulux decorator centres?

Cuprinol and dulux are from the same company so I'm hoping they can help me work out which colour will be similar to chalky downs 3 and help me work out if cuprinol shades will be better than the external wood paint :/

yes

We have a large wooden garage made from sawn timber. It is painted in Farrow and Ball external eggshell. I asked them if this would work and they said yes. Decorator was dead against it but I persuaded him to do it. I have to say it worked extremely well so may well be ok on your fence. The stains fade, but that may not matter.

You get Nectar points at the Decorator Centre too. My local one gives very good advice.