I have a 6' wood privacy fence, typical home depot wood, and a previous homeowner had stained it brown with what appears to be a non-transparent latex stain.  

My question is, do I really need to spend the time stripping and prepping the wood surface as indicated on the Behr or Sherwin Williams products?  I plan on using a non-transparent latex stain the same color (approximately) as the previous, which is a darker brown.  Is a low power pressure washing (1000-1200psi) suitable instead?  

Fence condition is a little rough - the boards are intact but a bit splintery in spots on the surface, owing to the Texas sun and heat and the sprinkler, I believe.

I'm moving some time later this summer/early fall and just about every weekend is lined out for something so my time is slim to make repairs, clean up, pack, etc, and there is definitely a list of stuff...

Thanks!

Only if you want the new layer to stick around.

Unless the old finish is peeling, you should be fine with a good cleaning and repaint.   If it's a transparent stain, then you need to strip.  Just don't set your expectations to high.  An old fence will always be an old fence.  

A guy I know had a similar problem when he had a house with wood siding and wood interior with semitransparent stains.  


Pressure wash the fence.  In the case of that guy I know he used high pressure with a wide spray pattern tip.
Let it dry.  See how much original stain is left.
If there is enough to worry about color matching, remove an average board that needs a lot of stain and an average board with lots of existing stain remaining, and take them both to SW and ask them to color match whatever stain they recommend.
Otherwise just take your fence dimensions and buy enough stain for the project.
Put the boards back into place if you removed them and stain it all.

The first time that guy I know did this everything lasted a good 6 years like the product claimed.
The second time he used the same product and wished the new homeowner good luck.
Your job should go fairly smooth since you are using a solid color stain.

Thank you for the replies. We will give pressure washing a try.

Keep the spray at a very shallow angle.
Just about any pressure washer at right angle to the surface will eat wood.

You will turn the 'grain' pattern into a textured surface as the softer wood chews away faster.

Will do. Or will use a wide angle tip. Just need it to dry out here for a few days.