Garden Fence..

[NGHFB71]

I have a rather nice all be it small garden fence, i would like to try and keep the natural colour walnut as much as possable, is it best to varnish rather than trying to find a stain colour and have i left it too late to do...?

[Tilly2]

I don't think varnish will last.

[tonyav]

Stain it, don't varnish a garden fence. Im sure you'll find a stain colour thats close to what your looking for.

[Mick-the-Miller]

Use that stuff that 'does what it says on the tin' - stain only definitely don't varnish!

[Old_Geezer]

I suppose you could use a yacht varnish if you wished. Not sure how we are to judge if you've left it too late. Wood can always be sanded down, but not worth sanding rotting bits. I would have thought you could get preservatives that weren't stained. See what your local DIY shed sells.

[HansUrbancka]

Cuprinol; Ronseal; Blackfriars etc; penetrating stained preservative is what you require. Avoid water based stains which I think spoil the natural look of garden fences

If the fence still looks good and you like its present colour then a clear preservative as suggested by O_G.

Hans.

[kjn2]

I use Liberon Plain Decking Oil on my fence to keep the natural colour, not the cheapest way of covering it but it does last a good year, nice and easy to apply too. Can recommend.

[jomifl]

Varnish of all kinds is degraded by UV light, paint lasts longer because the UV is absorbed by the pigment so the interior of the paint layer is protected for a time but will eventually fail. That is why(exterior) paint is overpainted every few years and varnish (even yacht varnish) varnished over every year. I can't think of anything worse than having to varnish a fence every year. If you miss a year you will probably have to strip it all off and start again(depending on exposure to sunlight). Stick to a clear or coloured preservative.