You’ve made the investment in adding a wood fence to your backyard, but do you know how to protect it? Like anything we spend money on, we want to maintain that brand new feeling it has. Whether that’s taking your car for regular oil changes, cleaning your bathroom regularly, or even paying special attention to your wood fence, the maintenance of the product is just as important as its initial quality.
Your privacy wood fence provides protection for your family, so let’s take a look at some common fence problems and the best ways to take care of them below.
Mildew
If you’ve left your fence untreated, chances are there’s some mildew that has begun to call your backyard home. The best way to treat mildew is with a power washer and some bleach. While this is a fix for mildew that’s already taken form, it won’t prevent it from coming back. We suggest staining your fence to protect it from further mildewing as well as the effects of natural elements like the sun and winter cold. It’s a bonus that a stain will bring a fading fence back to life!
Fading
Wood stains not only provide protection from mildew and other elements (see the section above), but they also provide a bright, updated look to any fence that you have that may be fading. Stain is our number one suggestion for curing a faded fence, but you can also choose to paint your fence.
You can expect some differences between the outcomes of staining and painting your fence. Wood stain lasts much longer than paint, and it doesn’t require any prep work. With paint you obviously have more of a color selection, but you also have to worry about the paint peeling and chipping. Another thing to keep in mind is paint does not protect the wood of your fence, so be on the lookout for any mildew or damage!
Repairs
Sometimes, repairs and replacements can’t be avoided. Whether you have a large dog that tried to chase a squirrel by going directly through the fence, or your teenage driver didn’t see the fence in the rearview mirror, fences get broken. The best case scenario for a fence repair is that you will be able to find matching wood and just be able to replace a few planks, but sometimes you will need to replace an entire fence.
You might need to replace your fence if you can’t find the appropriate matching wood, or if the damage is too great. Also keep in mind that even if you find the matching type and size of wood, it can look very different from your current wood fence. Why? Because the elements can alter the look of your fence – fading, greying and warping could have all happened to your fence, so if you replace a few planks, your fence might have a patchwork-look.
No matter what your fencing needs are, your local Austin fencing experts and fence installers are here to help. Give us a call today, or visit our online form to request a free quote!
