Pergola Staining in Lubbock, TX

Why does a pergola fade faster than a fence?

A pergola gets more sun than anything else in the yard. Its top slats face the sky all day and take direct light from every angle, while a fence only gets hit from one side for part of the day. The slats dry first, grey first and check first. Rain sits on their flat tops instead of running off, and the end grain at every cut drinks water. Without a sealer the top of a pergola can look ten years older than its posts.

What pergola staining involves

We treat a pergola the way we treat a fence, piece by piece, where it stands.

Clean: the whole structure is washed to lift the grey surface, dust and any mildew in the shaded joints, then left to dry.
Repair: slats that have split through are swapped for new cedar, loose fasteners are tightened and any beam that has twisted is checked before it is sealed in place.
Stain: an oil-based stain is worked into the posts, beams, rafters and top slats, with extra attention to the end grain and the tops of the slats where the sun does its damage.
Cure: the oil soaks in over a day. Nothing sits on the surface, so there is nothing to peel later.

There is no need to take the pergola apart. Ladders, sprayers and brushes reach every face.

Match the pergola to the fence

Pergola staining is often booked on the same visit as the fence. The same Wood Defender fence stain applies, in nine colors: Cedar Tone, Redwood, Leatherwood, Oxford Brown, Desert Sand, Rustic Oak, Sierra, Sable Brown and Coffee Brown, so the pergola, the fence and a new gate can all read as one color. If the fence is new, see fence staining for the color notes; if the fence is older and grey, fence weather treatment is the companion job.

One customer, Steve M., had his fence and pergola re-stained together and wrote in his Google review that "Both look new" and that keeping them treated and stained "is the ticket to them lasting a long time (plus looking great)." That is the idea.

New pergola or old?

A new cedar pergola should be sealed once the wood has dried, usually a few weeks after it is built, before the top slats have a chance to grey. An older pergola that was never sealed is still worth treating as long as the posts are solid at the ground and the beams are not rotted at the joints. We look at both during the estimate and tell you if any piece is past saving.

Getting on the schedule

Estimates inside Lubbock are free and Blake bids the pergola himself, with or without the fence. We are open seven days a week, 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM. Call (806) 535-5351 or request a free in-town estimate and mention the pergola so the crew brings the ladders.

Book pergola staining when

The pergola has faded or turned grey
Slats on top are checking or splitting
The old finish is peeling or uneven
You are having the fence stained and want them to match
The pergola was built and never sealed

How the job runs

Call or send the form

You will usually talk to Blake, the owner. He asks a few questions about the fence, wood or chain link, what broke, roughly how long the run is.
Free in-town estimate

We look at the fence in person, check the posts, measure the run and talk through what you want. Estimates inside Lubbock are free.
A quote before work starts

You get the price before anything is torn out or built. Reviewers have pointed out that the final bill matched the quote.
The crew does the work

The crew repairs, builds or stains the fence, works around gardens and pets, and cleans up when the job is done.

Pergola Staining: common questions

Do you have to take the pergola apart to stain it?

No. We clean it in place, replace any slats that have split and work the stain into the posts, beams and top slats where they stand, using ladders and sprayers.

Why does the top of my pergola look worse than the posts?

The top slats face the sky and take direct sun all day while rain sits on their flat tops. They dry, grey and check well before the posts, which only get sun from one side.

Can the pergola match my fence color?

Yes. The same nine Wood Defender colors go on both, and doing them in one visit is the easiest way to make the yard read as one color. Bring a photo if the fence was stained by someone else.

How often does a pergola need to be re-stained?

Sooner than a fence. The top slats take sun from every angle, so plan on a fresh coat every few years and check the tops of the slats each spring. If water stops beading on them, it is time.