Here are some questions we are asked

1) Why should I stain and seal my Fence or Deck? In addition to increasing the curb appeal of your home, our stain and seal program is actually a super wise investment that will save you money in the long run by increasing the life of your fence indefinitely. By staining your fence or deck with our quality stain and seal products you are protecting your investment from the harsh South Alabama environment, oxidization, U.V. rays, mold and mildew growth, while virtually eliminating all chances of warping as your fence ages. Sounds like a wise investment to me!

2) How long do I need to wait to stain and seal my new Fence or Deck? We recommend 2/3 weeks of Dry Weather before staining and sealing your new Fence or Deck. After 6 months your Fence/Deck will turn gray and will need to be cleaned before Staining and Sealing.

3) How warm does it have to be to stain my project? The finished result will not vary between 34-110 degrees. Staining is possible in South Alabama every week of the year, as long as the core of the wood is not frozen or wet. We always check the moisture content with a digital moisture meter, and we only like to stain with a moisture content less than 13%.

5) Isn't my wood already treated? The truth is that the treated lumber of today is simply not what it used to be. We are seeing record numbers of lumber that just does not hold up to the elements. Your new treated pine fence or deck WILL turn gray, crack, warp, and twist. It is more important now than ever before to preserve your wood. A good oil based stain and seal will stop future problems in their tracks and save you money in the long run.

9) How long does it usually take? Most residential stain and painting projects take us a day or less. Large estates, farms and Home Owners Associations sometimes have many miles of fence to paint or stain and these jobs can take longer. We can paint or stain about 1 mile a day per crew.

6) Will you be able to stain around my home, pool, shed, concrete, and/or plants without harming them? Absolutely, the preparation is key. Our professionally trained applicators know exactly how to handle any obstacle that can come up and we have plenty of happy customers to prove it. We ask kindly ask all of our customers to do few things before staining day. Please cut all the tall grass away from the fence and deck. Make sure all sprinklers are turned off at least 24 hours before staining day. Make sure all pets are put up while we stain. Move any cars, trucks, and/or RVs away from the staining area. Now...sit back and let us do all the work.

10) Should I stain or paint my fence? We ALWAYS recommend stain over painting because our stains have oils specially formulated to penetrate and protect the wood. Painting does help to protect the wood and looks nice, but it is simply not as good as staining.

7) Do you have to come back and seal the wood after it's Stained? All Expert Fence Stains and Deck Stains are specially formulated to do both the staining and the water proofing all in one application!

11) Does moisture affect staining? Yes, it does. We will never stain a wet fence due to rain, sleet, heavy fog, or snow. The wood needs at least 24 hours to dry out in most cases. That's why we always recommend turning your sprinklers off the day before we are scheduled to stain your fence. We try to schedule jobs so that you get 12 to 24 hours of dry time, the truth is that it can rain 30 minutes after the end of the application with no ill effects. The stain only requires 30 minutes to soak into the wood to be completely sealed and weatherproof. This is backed and guaranteed by the manufacturer.

4) How long will the stain last? All Expert Stain and Seal comes with a 2/3 year warranty period. The warranty on all of our stains has been tested and is based on extreme climates like South Alabama, where some of the highest humidity and U.V. rays measurements have been recorded. You can feel confident, as we do, that all of our stains last well beyond the manufactures warrant period. In our Alabama climate our Semi-Transparent Stains generally hold up between 4 to 5 years, and our Transparent Stains between 2 to 3 years. By setting up a maintenance program with Gulf Stain & Seal, we can increase the life of your fence, deck, or pergola indefinitely!

8) What is the difference between the Semi-Transparent Stain and the Transparent Stain? Semi-Transparent Fence Stain- Utilizes opaque pigmentation at a reduced rate to achieve a stained appearance. These stains give a uniform stained appearance and last longer than transparent stains. About 95% of all the projects we do utilize these type of stains. The Semi Transparent Fence Stain and Sealant is backed by a 3 year manufacturers warranty. Transparent Fence Stain- Utilizes ultra fine Trans Oxide pigments to highlight and reveal all of the wood grain while staining the fence. Trans Oxide pigments are ground so fine they are very resistant to Ultra Violet Rays. The Transparent fence stain is commonly desired on a new Cedar or Redwood fence where the customer is striving to highlight and glorify the existing wood beauty. The Transparent Fence Stain and Sealant is backed by a 2 year manufacture's warranty.

12) My Fence is gray can you save it? Yes, we can put your fence on life support. Your fence, deck, home, pergola, or dock can be cleaned and restored to it's natural wood color. This process will remove all of the built up mildew and mold growth and allow us to stain the wood as if it were new. Some people use power/pressure washers to achieve this, but we prefer to carefully apply Chems for the cleaning of all aged structures. The chlorine solution is far less abrasive and allows us to get a better end result after the staining is complete. We have also found that using power/pressure washers at more than 1,000 psi significantly damages the wood by raising the grain, leaving streaks n the wood, and causes the structure to have pulp on the exterior that leaves an undesirable finish. This high pressure also pumps moisture into the pores which is the source of mold and mildew growth causing further damage. The proper cleaning preparation of the wood' surface is a crucial step in obtaining the desired look after the staining has been completed.