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Serving Union City, CA and surrounding areas. (510) 535-8438
Union City fences take a beating from Bay Area moisture, salt air, and dry summer sun. We clean, prep, and treat wood fences so the product bonds correctly and holds up through multiple rainy seasons - not just for a few months.
Fence staining and sealing in Union City involves cleaning the wood thoroughly, letting it dry completely, and applying a stain and sealer suited to the Bay Area climate and California air quality standards. Most standard residential fence jobs take one to two days - cleaning and prep on day one, product application once the wood is confirmed dry.
Union City sits close to the San Francisco Bay, and the damp, salty air that rolls in off the water is harder on untreated wood than conditions in a drier inland city. Fences here tend to gray out, crack, and soften faster than the product labels suggest - which is why proper surface prep and the right timing within Union City's dry season matter more than the product brand alone. If your fence has boards that have gone soft or posts that are leaning, it may be a candidate for our fence replacement service before staining becomes the right call.
For fences that are structurally sound but showing surface damage - cracked boards, worn rails, or loose sections - our fence repair team can handle those fixes ahead of or alongside the staining job, so you are not sealing over wood that still has underlying problems.
When wood loses its original color and takes on a dull gray or silver tone, that is a sign the protective coating has worn off and the wood is weathering unprotected. In Union City's damp Bay Area climate this can happen within two to three years on an untreated fence. It does not mean the fence is ruined - it means now is a good time to act before deeper damage sets in.
A simple test: splash a little water on your fence boards. If the water soaks in immediately and darkens the wood, the sealer is gone. If the water beads up and rolls off, you still have protection. This test takes about 30 seconds and tells you more than looking at the fence from a distance ever will.
When wood dries out and loses its protective coating it starts to crack along the grain. In Union City, the combination of wet winters and dry sunny summers causes wood to expand and contract repeatedly, which speeds up this process. Small cracks are a warning sign. Large splits mean the board may need to be replaced before staining can help.
If you can see areas where the color is uneven, flaking, or peeling away in strips, the old treatment has failed. Peeling usually means the original job was applied over a dirty or wet surface - a mistake common with rushed work. A proper cleaning and fresh application will restore the fence and give you a much longer-lasting result this time.
Not every fence needs the same treatment. A fence that has gone three or four years without any product applied in Union City's climate needs a full clean, prep, and stain-plus-sealer application to get proper coverage and adhesion. A fence that still has good color but has lost its water repellency may only need a sealer refresh - which is faster and costs less. We assess the actual condition of your fence during the estimate so you are not paying for more than your fence needs.
On finish style, solid color stains provide a uniform painted look and tend to last the longest between applications - which is why they are a popular choice for older or more weathered boards. Semi-transparent stains preserve the natural wood grain appearance and are better suited to fences in good condition. If you are not sure which is right, we can walk you through both options during the estimate and show you examples from past jobs in Union City and surrounding areas like Hayward and Fremont.
Surface preparation, cleaning, and a complete stain-plus-sealer application - the most thorough option for fences that have gone multiple years without treatment.
For fences with sound color that have simply lost their water repellency - a focused sealer coat restores protection without changing the look.
Covers the wood grain completely for a uniform painted appearance and typically lasts longer between applications - a good choice for older or more weathered fence boards.
Lets the natural wood grain show through while adding a tinted layer of color and UV protection - suited to fences in good condition that homeowners want to preserve the look of.
Union City sits on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, and the marine air that comes with that location is one of the main reasons fence maintenance here is not optional. Damp, salt-tinged fog rolls through year-round - not just during the rainy season - and it works its way into unprotected wood continuously. A fence that might go four or five years between treatments in a dry inland city typically needs attention every three years here, sometimes sooner on the west-facing side of a yard that catches the most Bay air. A large share of Union City neighborhoods were built in the 1960s through 1980s, and many wood fences in those areas have gone years without treatment - which means more prep work is required before staining can do its job.
The dry season window from late spring through early fall is genuinely the best time to schedule this work in Union City, because you need several consecutive dry days for the product to cure correctly. Homeowners in Hayward and Fremont face the same Bay Area moisture conditions, and we apply the same dry-season scheduling discipline on every job we do across the East Bay. California also requires that stains and sealers applied here meet strict limits on solvent emissions - which in practice means your contractor is using low-odor, water-based products that dry faster and are safer around your family and neighbors.
Contact us and we will schedule a time to look at your fence in person. We measure the fence, check the condition of the boards and posts, and ask about your color preferences and any HOA requirements. You receive a written quote before any work is agreed to - no surprises on invoice day.
Once you approve the quote we schedule the job for a stretch of dry weather - in Union City that means aiming for late spring through early fall. Stain and sealer need dry wood to bond correctly. We reply to scheduling questions within one business day.
On the first day the crew cleans the fence thoroughly with a pressure washer or wood-cleaning solution to remove dirt, mold, mildew, and any old flaking product. The fence then dries for at least 24 to 48 hours before any product is applied - skipping this step is the most common reason treatments fail early.
Once the wood is confirmed dry, the crew applies the stain and sealer in even sections to avoid lap marks. After the work is done we walk the fence with you before packing up - point out anything that does not look right on the spot, not after we have left.
Written quote, no obligation. We schedule around Union City's dry season so the product cures correctly and lasts.
The single most common reason fence staining fails within a year is that the wood was not properly cleaned and dried before the product went on. Every job we do starts with a full clean and a confirmed dry window - because a treatment that lasts three to five years is only possible on a surface that was ready for it.
USDA Forest Products LaboratoryCalifornia has some of the strictest coating regulations in the country, and every product we use meets those standards. In practice that means low-odor, faster-drying water-based stains and sealers that are safer for your family, your neighbors, and your yard - not older solvent-heavy formulas that linger for days.
California Air Resources BoardUnion City's rainy season runs roughly November through March, and we do not schedule staining jobs when the weather works against the product. Booking during the right dry-season window is one of the simplest ways to extend how long your treatment lasts - and we build that into every job we schedule.
Planned communities in Union City's Alvarado and Decoto neighborhoods often have rules about fence finish and color. We ask about HOA requirements during the estimate - before a drop of product goes on - so you do not end up with a finished fence your association asks you to redo.
Fence staining done right in Union City starts with a clean, dry surface - and every one of our jobs is scheduled and prepped with that in mind. When the work is done, we walk the fence with you before we leave so any concerns are addressed on the spot.
When boards have gone soft or posts are leaning, a full replacement gives you a fresh start with a fence built for Union City conditions.
Learn MoreFix cracked boards, loose rails, or damaged sections before or alongside a staining job so you are not sealing over wood with structural problems.
Learn MoreBay Area moisture does not wait - call today for a free written estimate and schedule your staining job while the dry season window is still open.