The fences around our homes play many important functional roles. They keep our kids and pets safe from wandering onto the street, provide privacy from noisy neighbors, and keep our homes safe and secure from intruders. Our fences not only play important practical roles, but they can also impact the aesthetic appeal of our property. They’re one of the first things visitors to our homes see. Therefore, it’s a good idea to spend a little time and effort maintaining and perhaps rejuvenating our fences.
Our home’s fences are exposed to the elements day in and day out 365 days a year without a break. It’s only natural that over time they become worn out and tired-looking. wooden fences are especially prone to degradation due to the natural organic material they’re made out of. In this post, we’ll explain how you can rejuvenate your wooden fence in four simple steps.
Inspect the fence
Before you go about revitalizing your wooden fence first thing, you’ll want to do is perform a thorough visual inspection of its current condition. Look out for things like cracked fence panels, chipped or peeling paint, termite-affected panels and posts, and in particular rotting panels and posts. Pay particular attention to the lower sections of the fence panels, posts, and lower rails. These areas of the fence are closer to the ground so are often subjected to more moisture in the way of rainfall and stormwater runoff, and moisture from vegetation.
Replace broken or rotted sections of the fence
This is an important step to safeguard the structural integrity of your fence and ensure that it continues to perform its practical functions for many years to come.
Take note of the extent of the damage. In minor causes of rot, you can simply remove any loose wood material from the fence and apply a fungicide to kill any existing rot, apply a wood hardener to the specific location and fill in any gaps with a putty filler.
Sections that have significant rot will need to be replaced. All materials and tools required to replace fencing panels, rails, and posts can be found at your local hardware store.
Consider that if the fence has significant rot or is in an overall state of dilapidation perhaps your best option is to construct a new fence instead as the cost to repair the existing fence may be similar to a new fence. If you believe this to be the case, it’s a good idea to obtain a few quotes from local fencing contractors so you can make an informed decision on whether to continue with the fence restoration project or not
Clean the fence
Once the fence is structurally sound it’s now time to prepare it for painting or staining. But before you jump straight to painting it’s important to adequately prepare the timber so that the paint or stain will adhere with maximum strength. Failure to prepare the timber for painting will result in paint or stain peeling or washing away.
The easiest way to clean your wooden fence is to spray it with a high-pressure cleaner with a mild detergent/fungicide solution. If you do not own a high-pressure cleaner, you may be able to rent one from your local tool hire shop. Alternatively, you can simply use a regular garden hose and scrubbing brush to clean the fence.
If your fence has been previously painted, you may also need to scrape off any existing loose paint and give the fence a light sanding.
Paint or stain the fence
Now that you’ve cleaned the timber fence and allowed it sufficient time to dry, it’s time to get to painting. Painting or staining a wooden fence can really breathe new life into dull grey-stained wooden fence. Remember to only use products designed for exterior usage instead of any old left-over paint tin you have lying around. Exterior paints are much more hard-wearing and will ensure the freshly painted look lasts longer.
The easiest way to paint a fence is to use a paint spray gun which you may also be able to hire from your local tool hire shop if you do not own one. Cheaper bottle-type spray guns can also be quite effective for painting a wooden fence. Just be aware they require frequent top-ups. Alternatively, you can simply use the trusty paintbrush which is well suited for such projects.
There you have it. Four simple steps to rejuvenate your wooden fence. Inspect, repair and replace, clean, and paint. This great little weekend project will ensure your fence continues to perform its practical functions well into the future. What’s more, it’s also a great way to spruce up the street appeal of your home. If after inspecting your fence you find it’s too dilapidated consider hiring a good landscaper, like the guys at landscaping Bundaberg, to construct a new fence.