That neighbor who told me to skip primer on my fence was dead wrong

My neighbor Dave said primer was a waste of money for our pressure treated pine fence in humid Ohio summers. He swore two coats of solid stain would hold up fine on raw wood. I went ahead and did one section without primer to test his theory. After 8 months that unprimed section is already peeling and flaking while the primed parts still look great. Now I gotta sand that whole test section down and redo it before winter. Has anyone else fallen for the no primer shortcut with outdoor wood projects?

3 comments

3 Comments

jordanblack12d ago

Bet Dave's the same guy who reuses his engine oil too, right?

jamesf4112d ago

Poor Dave's about to get roasted from all angles on this one. I've known guys like him before, the kind who'd run a car on hope and a prayer before admitting they need a proper oil change. Maybe he just likes the thrill of pushing things to the edge, you know? But reusing engine oil, that's next level stubbornness. Hope his test section doesn't end up looking like a rainbow of bad decisions and tears.

adamk9513d ago

Tbh Dave sounds like the type of guy who also says you don't need to change your oil every 5,000 miles. Hope he's buying the paint for that test section since he's so confident.