Professional Staining for Your Kid’s Playground
Having a playset in your backyard is great. It keeps your kids busy and entertained and provides a safe space for them to play. Since your playground is sitting outside year-round, and your kids are climbing all over it, it’s normal for it to experience some wear and tear. It’s important to address this and to maintain the structure so that it lasts for years to come. Playset Staining is an important part of this maintenance.
You can hire someone to stain for you, or you can stain the structure yourself. If you go with the latter, then the first step is to remove anything that shouldn’t be stained. Next, you’ll clean the playset. This will get rid of any dirt and dust that’s gathered, and allow the stain to settle nicely. Before you apply the stain, you’ll have to let the set dry completely. You should leave it at least 24 hours to fully dry. Once it’s dry, give it a thorough inspection for anything that needs sanding. Then it’s time to apply the stain. Once you’re done staining, leave the set for at least a day to dry before you let your kids back on to play. When Should You Stain Your Kids’ Playset?When you stain your kids’ playset depends on a few factors. You can stain at pretty much any time, but there are some guidelines and some things you definitely should not do when it comes to staining.
Generally, it’s best to stain it in the spring, so that you can protect the wood from the harsh summer sun. As a general rule, you should re-stain once every two or three years to maintain the wood and reduce damages.
Early afternoon is the best time of day to get to work, since morning dewiness will have dried up by then, leaving a dry surface to work with. You should also avoid staining if it’s too humid out since that will make the stain dry slower, or if the temperature is lower than 40 degrees Fahrenheit. With any type of wood that’s been stained, most experts will recommend you re-stain once every two or three years. This will maintain the structure and protect it from harsh weather as well as your kids’ jumping and climbing.
While once every two or three years is a recommendation, there are a few factors that play into how often you should actually stain it. If the structure is situated in a part of the yard where it gets lots of sun, then you’ll need to re-stain more often. The same is true if you live in a part of the world that tends to get extreme weather. Conversely, if your structure is sheltered by a tree or overhang of some variety, then you may only have to re-stain every five years or so. No matter how often you re-stain, you’ll want to make sure it’s done right. |
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