Scrape all the loose off, sand as needed after the scraping. You do not need to sand everything but remember the better the prep the better the finish will last. I would use a a similar color stain in a semi solid. Similar color as it will be easier for covering.

I would keep the brick red color that it is and I agree on semi solid stain, after scraping and sanding as needed. If you want a red door, then pick the same color as the fence, only in paint for that. Do not use paint, or it will all be peeling in a very short time.

Two CR-recommended solid wood stains (many colors available):

• Behr Premium Solid Color Waterproofing Stain & Sealer
• Olympic Elite Solid Advanced Exterior Stain and Sealant in One

NO Paint! Only stain so it doesn't peel.

Agree that stain covers well - we used a semi transparent in black and it looks really nice with all the greenery (not my fence but to give an idea)

Another vote for stain- we used Sherwin Williams woodscapes solid color stain all the time. It’s a great product. I hate red generally so to me any color would be better. I would use a grey a couple shades lighter or darker than your siding. My fence is black and I love how it disappears. It was originally the color brown that I can’t name without using childish words.

@Jay Sifford Garden Design has some beautiful examples of stained (i think) fences in his projects with before and after pics. If you see something you like I imagine he will answer a question about his project. His work is just beautiful and peaceful.

Thanks tozmo1. I would definitely use a solid stain, not a paint, after prepping. And I'd go with a darker gray. It will likely take two coats.

I think black could be really interesting

We did something similar with the wood fence we inherited with this house. Instead of scraping, we had the fence pressure washed. When it was completely dry (we bought an inexpensive moisture meter and waited until it was reading 10%), we used an electric orbital sander with mesh screen to knock off the raised hairy bits of wood. We didn’t try to sand each board perfectly smooth though. We used the Behr solid stain since the fence had been previously stained with something similar. The Behr stain comes in several pre-mixed colors or you can have it custom mixed to a color of choice. We chose our top four stain colors to sample and painted sections of the fence next to the house. It became very obvious by doing that what the best color choice was.

I would just like to say thank you to everyone for your savvy advice. I really do appreciate it. Unfortunately, it confirmed some of the research I did. I say UNfortunately only because, as expected, spouse still wants to do paint not only because it's easier, but because he already bartered his electrical services with the painter (who won't or can't do stain). We are at a standstill for the moment. When there's some forward movement, I'll update.

I had a feeling the best options would be the same redwood color, or a similar gray to the house. I'm concerned that too much darker will be close to black, but that a lighter gray would result in an unbalanced feel to the tableau. I'll have to get some samples, I think.

Thank you all again, it's been really good to see that there is an obvious best method. I didn't want to choose a featured answer because I felt more than one deserved it.

Happy early Thanksgiving. I'm grateful for your opinions!

"I'm concerned that too much darker will be close to black, but that a lighter gray would result in an unbalanced feel to the tableau."

You can buy BEHR PREMIUM Solid Color Waterproofing Stain & Sealer in a standard color or have a custom color mixed at Home Depot.

The ‘painter’ seems misinformed. Solid color stain is FAR easier to apply than primer and paint. My paint crew transformed mine from blah brown to black by noon time. They started at one end and sprayed the whole thing then started over and did a second coat. Looks perfect three years later.