Hi,

I used Cabot's SPF-48 Sunray on an Ipe deck about 6 years ago and it peeled badly. It is a water based product that does not sink into wood. Having said that, it held up well on the vertical surfaces, so it would probably do well on a fence. If there are any horizontal surfaces, e.g. tops of fence panels, and you live in a cold zone with freeze/thaw cycles, it is likely to peel off in those areas. In that case the Australian Timber Oil would be a better bet, although you would likely have to reapply sooner than with the SPF. Cabot's recommends cleaning wood prior to staining. Their cleaner is bleach based. You might prefer a sodium percarbonate based cleaner instead. This site: http://www.woodrich-brand.com/ has a good video on how to clean and stain a fence as well as their own sodium percarbonate based cleaner.

I can't speak to waiting to apply stain on PT lumber, but most experts here say don't wait. You could ask Cabot what they recommend.

Good luck,
Marty

thanks marty. im also going to look into the one time product based on the majority of the reviews on this site.

you want your PT wood to dry out unless it was KIL DRIED.
i would say at least 3 months to dry.

i like OLYMPIC MAXIMUM stain in rosewood from lowes.
it will last 2 years or more. i do my steps every 2 years.
its easy to put on and looks great.

cabots i use on my IPE wood and iut lasts about 1 year and you have to take it all off to re-stain your ipe.
olyumpic you just wash off dirt and reapply.

for PT wood i really like the olympic maximum stain .