Staining a Wooden Swingset?

[GoofyMomInOhio]

We have a wooden swingset (Rainbow purchased from Costco) that needs stained/waterproofed badly. Is there any stains that are child-safe that won't break the bank? It seems like every kind we looked at had the standard California warning that it contains ingredients that can cause cancer. We are hoping to extend the life of the playset until all the kids are alot older. Any recommendations? Thanks!

 

[minniebeth]

We stain/waterproof our playset every other year with 2 coats. You should try to keep up the maintainance to preserve the life of the playset. It's easier to keep up with it than it is to go back and try to make repairs to splitting wood, etc.

We use Olympic (I think?) brand, I know for sure we get whatever it is from Lowe's. We try to use a decent quality brand, again, to keep it well maintained. It's an investment (I'm sure you spent a fair amount) for the playset and also don't want splitners, etc. for your kids. I think it's like $30 a gallon. We got 2 coats out of a gallon for our playset. I guess it depends on how often you apply it and how big your playset is as to how much you'll need.

Anyone at a home improvement store can make a good recommendation as to price/quality for your needs. As for the California Disclosure laws/warnings, considering you can't walk into a restaurant without there being a warning on the door about the chemicals they use for cleaning, I wouldn't worry too much about the stain/sealer on the playset. Just make sure it's completely dry for 24 hours before playing on it.

This is a job I absolutely hate to do!

 

[clh2]

We used to have a Rainbow, and we used a Cabot stain for it. It was expensive stain - about $35 or 40 a gallon. Sherwin Williams usually has deals on stain on July 4th weekend - at least where I live.

Can't help you on the "California Label" questions. Although I think anything could possibly cause cancer.

This is a job I absolutely hate to do!

I hated the swingset staining process too. I will say - because we also stained ours about every 2 years, that when we did sell ours - it wasn't junky looking.

 

[DISdreamin']

Staining the playset is fun, fun, fun. Not.

But a necessary evil as others have pointed out. We pressure-washed ours with a low-pressure tip so it didn't cut into the wood, just took off stains and the old flaking treatment. Then we stained it - I believe we used Cabot - and it looked wonderful. We did it two years ago, and it's nearly ready to need it again. We'll probably do it later this summer when we do the deck (two birds, one stone...or one pair of clothes and shoes ruined, two giant wood lawn ornaments stained...whatever!).