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How to stain treated sleepers for raised garden bed?

Michael-T
Finding My Feet

How to stain treated sleepers for raised garden bed?

Hi. I was wondering if someone could give me some advice and perhaps a bit of hand holding. I am a newbie when it comes to staining and have never undertaken such a project.

 

I have just built ( not by myself ) a raised garden bed with Ironwood CCA treated sleepers. I have lined the insides with builders plastic. I would like to stain the external sides with a darker colour which I think would look better than the default colour of the sleepers.

 

I have read about staining on the internet and have information overload which has resulted in me stuck in square one and not making any progress.

 

I would like to keep the job simple and be done with it.

 

My questions are:

 

  • Do I need to wait for a specific period of time before I stain the sleepers? Or can I do it straight away?
  • Do I need to sand the surface or prepare the surface before staining?
  • How may coats should I do? And how often do I need to apply the staining (1 or 2 years) ?
  • Does the entire area need to be stained in one go? Or can I do it parts over a few days/weeks?
  • Should staining be done when there is no rain forecast in the next few days?
  • Any product recommendations that is easy to work with for newbies?
  • The sleepers get sunlight most of the day. Should I use a stain that will weather proof the sleepers?

 

I am thinking of going with a water based stain instead of oil. This is because if I understand correctly, water based stain holds less moisture and and is more breathable which is better for sleepers. Is this right?

 

I would appreciate any advice on this matter. This is my first attempt at doing work on the house by myself. So pretty nervous and anxious.

 

Thank You.

Re: How to stain treated sleepers for raised garden bed?

Hi @Michael-T yes, a timber prep will always maximise the effectiveness of a stain or oil.
I used Intergrain UltraDeck in 'charcoal'. Found it very easy to use, good coverage & the colour has stayed fast.

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