A well-maintained wooden fence can offer more than security and privacy. It can also add value to your home by making your yard attractive. The rustic look that a wood fence offers can be a perfect complement to most landscaping designs.
However, you need to know how to care for your fence if you want it to last a long time. Caring for your fence is not as complicated as it sounds. You can always hire someone to help with the fence upkeep and repairs. But with the proper know-how and the right tools, you can also do it yourself.
Maintaining Your Wooden Fence
Try to allocate some time to inspect your wooden fence once a month. Check for signs of mold growth, splits, and cracks. If you find any of these issues, you should clean the wood fence and make the necessary repairs as soon as possible.
Before cleaning the wooden enclosure, it’s crucial to make the necessary repairs first. If there’s mold on the fence, you need to address it ahead of time. Spray a mixture of 80/20 mild detergent and bleach to kill mold spores and prevent them from growing back.
After taking care of the issues, do the following steps to clean the fence:
- Apply a fence cleaner, working from the bottom to the top.
- Coat the entire fence with the cleaner.
- Use a brush to apply the solution in tight areas like those between the boards or in corners.
- Wait from 15 to 20 minutes for the cleaner to soak the wood.
- Use a pressure washer to rinse off the cleaner. Remember not to let the pressure washer point to one area for too long, as it can damage the wood.
- Let the fence dry for up to 48 hours.
- After two days, apply a polyurethane sealant. It will protect your fence from sun damage.
If you want to stain or paint your fence, you can do so after cleaning it.
Fixing your Wood Fence Yourself
It’s expensive to construct a fence from the ground up. You might want to avoid this option unless certain conditions make it irreparable. You will benefit from knowing how to care for your fence after minor damage or weathering. The following are instances when a repair is still possible:
- Loose boards: Use stainless steel screws to replace nails or screws that loosen over time.
- Splits and small cracks: Fill them with either wood filler, putty, or even waterproof wood glue.
- Broken or rotting fence post: Use a thin concrete block to reinforce the damaged column.
Repainting or staining your fence is essential after the repairs. The uniform appearance will make the repairs not as obvious.
When to Replace a Wooden Fence
A dilapidated fence not only compromises your safety and privacy – it also doesn’t look good on any property. The entire neighborhood will look bad if one or two houses have rundown fences. Here are tell-tale signs that you need to replace your fence:
- Extensive leaning
- Generalized rotting
- Generalized wobbling
- Lots of split and missing boards
Sometimes a replacement is the better option because it takes too much time, effort, and money to repair the fence. If you have to repair more than 20% of the fence panels, it’s better to replace the entire fence.
Avoid the Hassles of Doing the Replacement Yourself
Maintaining a fence requires a small amount of time and effort. However, circumstances like strong winds or violent storms can push it to the limit. Prioritize repairing or replacing your fence to prevent any compromise in your home’s privacy and security. Need help with your DIY wooden fence project? Friel Lumber Company has the materials and expertise to help you from start to finish.
