Unfortunately, there's no simple this-or-that answer. Paint the railing and you won't have to refinish it any time soon, but you'll hide the wood's color, grain pattern, and texture. Stain it and you'll accentuate all these characteristics, but you'll be stripping it back and starting again sooner than if you'd used paint. Either way, finishing the railing is critical, because unprotected wood left to the elements gets ugly fast. Moisture is absorbed by wood, causing it to twist, warp, and crack as it swells and shrinks. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun discolors wood and breaks down its lignin, the natural glue that holds the fibers together. This invites more moisture and, worse, wood-decay fungi, which secrete enzymes that rot wood fibers. Even cedar, which contains weather-resistant oils, can look pretty rough after a few seasons. Painting your railing will give it the best possible, longest lasting protection against the elements. High-quality, water-based latex paints are more flexible than oil-based paints and can withstand the wood's moisture fluctuations better.

The high solids content in paints helps form a thick, opaque film on the surface that hides imperfections, resists moisture, and blocks UV rays. If done right, a painted surface could last 10 years before you'd need to strip it back and refinish. However, painting is a messy job, and you'll need to prepare, preserve, and prime the wood first (see "Finish Exterior Wood Like a Pro," above). Plus, you've got to be handy with a paintbrush if you want the project to look good. diy room decorations for summerIt's worth noting that paints and other film-forming finishes aren't ideal for large horizontal surfaces that get a lot of wear, such as decks. diy christmas decorations wallInstead, use a water-repellent stain or other penetrating finish. wall art stores minneapolis

If you stain your railing, don't expect the same longevity you get with paint. Stains soak deep into the wood, filling in microscopic gaps that would otherwise absorb moisture. This helps keep the wood stable, but it's not as effective as a paint's protective coating. On the upside, most stains are formulated with a wood preservative, so mold and rot shouldn't be a problem. However, stains don't do a good job blocking UV, and that could be a major factor if your railing gets a lot of sun. paint for exterior signs"Transparent and semitransparent stains contain some pigment and offer a bit of UV resistance, but the clearer the stain, the less protection you'll get. home decor paris franceThe wood will gray after a few years," says Ryan Coffey, a product specialist for paint manufacturer Rust-Oleum. home interior decorating magazines

A solid-color stain might offer a compromise. "Whereas all paints are UV-resistant, only solid-color stains offer comparable protection," Coffey says. These near-opaque stains form a protective film on the surface similar to paint, but they're thinner so they won't hide the wood's texture. Plus, you can buy them in different shades, so matching your cedar's natural color shouldn't be a problem. A solid-color stain might last eight years or more. One last consideration: Many homeowners find stains easier to apply than paint, so even though you'll refinish the railing more often, it'll be a lot less work each time. "My dad went with a stain because it was more manageable," Coffey says. "It was thinner, and there was a lot less messing around with blobs and runs." 1 Clean surfaces thoroughly before painting. Stripping existing finishes and removing dirt, dust, mildew, and loose wood fibers improves adhesion. 2 Set nails and screws below the surface, and fill the holes with an exterior-grade wood filler to help keep moisture out.

3 Apply a paintable water-repellent preservative before priming to inhibit mildew and rot. If staining, use a product that already contains a preservative. 4 Priming all surfaces before painting improves adhesion and moisture protection, adding as much as two years to the life of the finish. 5 Reduce moisture absorption by painting all surfaces, including those not directly exposed to the elements. Coating end grain is especially important. 6 Repeat as necessary. In fact, two coats of stain or paint protects wood for up to twice as long as a single coat.A fresh coat of paint is one of the fastest ways to make a space look new again, and it’s one of the most popular DIY projects. But how do you determine which paint to buy? It seems that everyone has their own opinion on the best paint, and brand loyalties run deep. To provide some analysis, we’ve tested several of the top brands available to determine which paint provides the best coverage for the price. In each section, we’ll review coverage, price and availability.

Editors note: This post originally ran in April, 2008. Since that time we’ve received lots of comments, feedback and suggestions. In an effort to continue providing accurate information, we’ve updated this post, and retested new paint samples. We’ve also added a lot of pictures so you can see the results for yourself. Many of the comments may no longer be applicable after this update, but we’ve preserved them to incorporate reader insights. To accurately compare the paints, we needed to devise a balanced test that would be applicable in a real-life scenario. In that effort we setup a sheet of drywall and painted a deep red checkerboard pattern. Each paint was applied to a large section with a fresh roller and paint brush to see how well they covered. Pictures were taken with consistent lighting immediately after application and after allowing the paint to dry. Let’s see how they stack up! We purchased Valspar Signature Interior Semi-gloss which is a paint and primer in one.

This is an acrylic latex, interior paint designed for “ultimate hiding.” Valspar is a Lowe’s specific brand and is available nationwide at their retail locations and online. Click here for product details. You can still see a faint outline of the red squares This is an up-close picture of Valspar covering the red squares. Sherwin Williams purchased Duron in 2004. They kept the name, mostly for brand recognition according to one sales associate. Sherwin Williams stores can be found nationwide. For this test we used Sherwin Williams SuperPaint Interior Acrylic Latex. It’s another self-priming paint, and is available in over 1,500 colors. Here’s the product page. You almost can’t detect the red squares after one coat The square is barely perceptible The brushed paint yielded similar results Behr is Home Depot brand paint and has their own paint with primer offering called Behr Premium Plus Ultra. This acrylic latex paint has the added benefit of having low volatile organic compounds (VOC).

This paint is available in 386 exclusive, designer hues or choose from over 2000 standard Behr colors. Behr paint can be found in any Home Depot store and online. Red squares are plainly evident Brushed paint results are similar Home Depot stopped carrying Ralph Lauren brand paint in early 2010, and now it is only available from specific distributors. We did not include them in our updated test for the simple reason that the closest store is located about an hour away. We can confirm that right now Ralph Lauren does not make a self-priming paint. For the sake of comparison, we pulled information for a generic interior acrylic latex paint. So what paint do you think is worth the cost? None of our test samples proved to be one-coat-wonders, but we didn’t expect any of them to completely conceal the dark red paint. If you couldn’t tell from the individual photographs, Duron / Sherwin Williams was the clear winner. No matter if you roll or brush the paint, we found similar results.