Spring is here! Time for Some Maintenance on your Fences!

 

Fence from Natural Art Concrete Fence

A nice fence not only improves the value of a property, it can also improve the well-being of the people living on that property by bringing a sense of security and peace. On the other hand, a worn-down rickety fence not only shortens the life of the fence, but also detract potential buyers of that property. Thus it is important to keep your fence maintained in order to save you lots of hassle in the future!

Some fences requires more maintenance over other fences depending on the material. Typically a wooden fence would require more and frequent care than a higher quality material like concrete.
Here are some DIY Fence repair that can save you bucks in the long run!

1. Visual Inspection
This applies to all types of fencing material. The purpose of this is to jot down all visual damages so you will know what you need to repair. Be on the look out for staining around nails and screws, cracks, dulled or dirty patches, and rot. A visual inspection at a minimum of once a year (but hopefully done every few months) will and can prevent troubles. If you see vegetation growing near the fence, it is best to get ride of it!

2. Cleaning
If you own fencing like concrete, vinyl , or composite, cleaning is pretty much all the short term maintenance you will have to do. Cleaning your fence is as simple as it sounds. Hosing the fence down with some scrubbing will usually do the job. However, if you have some dirt and grime built up, it is better you pressure wash the fence. This will restore your fence to its former beauty! Be careful to choose a pressure washer that operates at a relatively low pressure (between 1,500 and 2,000 psi) since high pressure can damage your fence. Always read the manual before operating a pressure washer.

3. Get Rid of Molds
Removing mold from a fence with cleaning products should be simple. Using a pressure washer mentioned above should the trick. However, if the fence has signs of rot, then it is probably better to just replace that part.

Moldy vs Cleaned 

4. Repair

Realize that if there are damages or cracks to a fence, it is only going to get worse and not better. This also applies to any type of fencing. If the damage is as small as a hair-line crack, simple repainting and sealant should do the trick. However if you have big damages to the fence, it is recommended that you just replace the damaged sections. 

5. Painting and Sealant 

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One of the most important things one can do to maintain a fence is to stain or paint it. Stains will provide more protection and ease of fence maintenance because a stain can seep further into the wood itself than just painting can. Additionally, when one chooses to stain a fence, they will not have to deal with chipping paint, making fence repair easier in the future. It is important for one to apply stains and paint evenly when they are maintaining a fence so that the final fence repair job looks uniform. One should also make sure that the temperature outside (in addition to the humidity) is compliant with the specifications on the back of the product. Most stains and paints will not take, or will look poorly if applied in extreme heat or cold.

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