Should I paint or stain new pergola?

I live in the Chicago land area, and want my pergola white. It is treated pine, and has weathered over the summer and winter. what would be the best to use, stain or paint? I hope to hear from someone that is either paint smart or works with paints that can give me some knowledgeable advice. ThanksShould I paint or stain new pergola?
I would paint it, since white stain is not going to hold up to the weather. Prime it with an oil based primer, such as Benjamin Moore Fresh Start alkyd. Follow that up with 2 coats of Alkyd Low Lustre Metal and Wood Enamel. It will look great, and will stand up to Chicago winters. Hope this helps.








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http://www.benjaminmoore.com/bmpsweb/por鈥?/a>Should I paint or stain new pergola?
I would assume, that since it has been painted, that it was primed already.


I would use Behr Nano-guard ext. paint,water base, sold at Home Depot.


It has it's own primer in the paint and is totally awesome.





I work with paint everyday, at Home Depot. And have sold that brand of paint, to tons of customers and they do nothing but brag about the coverage and that fact that it holds up very well.


Also, sense there are about 700 shades of white, we have competitive colors from all other companies.


But Behr is known for their pure white, premixed, right off the shelf. If that's the shade you desire.


Be sure to use a medium sheen for mildew and mold, such as satin or semi gloss!





P.S. Behr is medium priced compared to the high dollar Benjamin-Moore or Sherman Williams. But as good or better as the contractors tell me.





Hope that helped you out!
depends on the look you're going for. if it is weathered and you want a more seaside, beachie look then i would stain it. if you want a smooth and solid suburbia look then paint it. one bit of advice, if you stain it first and don't like it you can still paint it, but if you paint it first and wish you would have stained it, you can't. good luck
Use a 100% acrylic latex primer then 2 top coats of 100% acrylic exterior Latex paint. DO NOT USE OILBASED PRIMER