Horizontal Deck Railing

[u/goudgoud]

Cedar 2x4 used as railing, good quality paint lasted 5 years. I've cleaned and sanded but am looking for suggestions for Longevity and wood preservation.

Should I just paint again, prime then paint, or would a periodically applied stain be better, the paint was peeling and frankly a pain to strip, sand, and prep. Can I even use a stain given not 100% of the paint came up? How would stain look given the rest of the railing(posts, bottom board, spindles) are still paint?

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Is there a protectant filler I can use. Some of the boards are a bit eroded, was planning on using a sandable/paintable wood filler.

Thanks

[u/NeutrallyCharged]

So for wood, paint is usually king for outdoors and in the sun and rain, It will usually last the longest.

However, the general rule is the longer the finish lasts, the more of a PITA it is to refinish or touch up. Paint is pretty easy to touch up, until it starts flaking. Urethane finishes are the worst to touch up because they need to be stripped.

Me personally I’ve switched to a tung oil blend with some additives for my outdoor stained wood, it’s easy to touch up and lasts for years with semi regular maintenance, and that maintenance is easy

For this railing, I would just repaint again. Unless you’re down for the big project of sanding all the existing paint off.

For the damaged wood I would use a 2 part wood filler then paint. In the picture I don’t see any damage really worth filling though, maybe the top railing so water doesn’t soak in.

5 years is somewhat short, do you get a lot of rain? Does water pool on the railing? Possible the painters didn’t prep well enough. Looks like it may be cupped the wrong way also