advice on fence painting please

[oosik]

When I moved here some 32+ years ago I was able to purchase a 5 gallon bucket of barn-red lead based barn paint. I used it on all the out buildings and it still is in good shape. Now I use oil based barn paint and put it on with a heavy nap roller.

 

[BeezFun]

I have a treated 3 rail fence that I built with posts and decking for the rails. Can I paint this with a syphon gun and air compressor? If so what stain/paint would you recommend and does it need to be reduced for it to work in a sprayer. Reduce with thinner or mineral spirits?

Painting/staining black if that matters.

I add Flowtrol when I spray, I find it works better than just thinning.
If you have knots or areas that are bleeding sap, I'd put some Bin on them, or it will stain whatever you use.
I find that a combination of spraying and rolling works well, you get the added adhesion from the roller, but it's easy to get in the little corners where a roller can't reach. I roll first, then hit whatever still shows unpainted with the sprayer.

 

[sld]

I just paid the neighbor kid to stain about 300 feet of new cedar fence I put in a few months ago. I gave him a roller and a brush for the nooks and crannies. The stain I used was Thompson's tinted stain. I'm not a huge Thompson's fan but for vertical surfaces like a fence it lasts a long time.

He did a real good job. It was one of those tasks that I figured I could better spend my time on another project. I would like to do the inside too and am thinking about using a clear sealer on the cedar. Need to decide before the kid goes back to school!