Our playset came un-stained, un-sealed. I knew when we built it back in April that we would have to do this sometime. Of course, there were a zillion other things that were also on our to-do list this summer with our home remodel project. Two weeks ago, we got our first couple inches of snow that covered the playground. I thought that I had waited to long to seal our beautiful playset. 🙁 Thankfully, last week was followed up with a week of 60 degree weather!
I went to Lowe’s to pick up some stain. Basically there are 3 types of stain that you can use. Transparent, Semi-Transparent, and a solid stain. I decided on a semi-transparent stain that will give some color but allow the wood grain to still show through. I used Behr Premium Wood-Toned Deck, Fence, & Siding Weatherproofing Wood Finish in Redwood finish. Warranty for 4-6 years.
I actually like the look of cedar, which is what the playground is naturally. However, we have a wood sided house that is 100% Redwood. This is not common for Ohio. The previous owners pained the home a dark brown color, such a shame. We want to restore the wood to the original color of Redwood. Staining the kids playground with a Redwood stain was a great way to test the color out and also coordinate it with the house once we do stain it. We love the Redwood on the playground and I cannot wait to stain our house…but it is now 40 degrees in Ohio so that will wait until next year for sure!
Here is a little before and after staining the playground picture. You can see the difference in color on the kids rock wall. It is a big change, but so lovely.
I didn’t expect staining the playground to take as long as it did. I thought one afternoon would be enough. Well, our Patriot Playset from Backyard Discovery is rather large and once you start staining both sides of each and every board, it seems to grow right before your eyes! It took me 1 afternoon, about 3 hours plus most of the next day, about 6 hours! Staining the playground is as simple as painting. It is much thinner than paint so it takes a lot less to do the same job.
Thankfully the weather was beautiful! It was well worth the time to preserve such a great playground as well as add beauty to it and our entire yard.
Thanks, Evan. I really liked the natural cedar look but wanted to try the red-wood, I’m so glad I did. It looks like a brand new playset again. I highly recommend staining your playground for preserving it but also for appearance!
Great story! As an installer of childrens’ playsets, I know this is a very often overlooked, but important part of the maintenance of a wooden play set. Great stain choice, I just stained my set with the same product!
We still need to stain our kids playset!