Tips To Care For Your New Wood Fence

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Installing a wood fence can be a great aesthetic upgrade to make for your property. Yet, if you have limited experience with owning fenced property, you may not be aware of the maintenance needs that the fence will require. To keep your fence looking great, you will want to use a few simple but highly effective maintenance tips.

Lubricate And Clean The Hinges

If your fence has a swinging gate, it will have metal hinges on it that allow the gate to open and close. While these hinges are usually made of rust-resistant metal, they can still suffer some potentially problematic issues. Making sure to keep the hinge in good condition is important for ensuring that you will be able to easily operate the gate. To do this, you will want to clean the hinges every season so that dirt will not become compacted in the moving parts. Furthermore, lubrication should be regularly added, as rain, heat, and sunlight will dry the lubricant and prevent it from protecting the hinges.

Repair Any Cracks In The Wood

Pressure-treated and finished wood can be extremely resistant to numerous forms of damage. However, it can still be possible for this wood to suffer splits and cracks. These damages will often initially be very shallow and almost imperceptible. Yet, they will expand in size, which can greatly weaken the fence as well as ruin its appearance. Repairing a cracked fence will require using a wood filler and sealant to close the crack and reinforce the wood. To match the filler to the rest of the fence, you will need to apply a fresh coat of paint, but you will need to ensure that the filler and sealant has dried. Otherwise, the paint will not bond, and it will start to peel away more quickly.

Place Gravel Under And Near The Fence

Weeds growing near the fence can be a problem, as a weed eater can cause chips and other damages to occur to the wood. Over time, repeated strikes from the weed eater can ruin a fence's appearance, which would require replacing the planks of wood to correct.

You can avoid this damage by reducing the ability of weeds to grow around or under the fence. In particular, placing a thin layer of gravel around the base of the fence will greatly reduce the ability of weeds to germinate. While you may not be thrilled about the way gravel near the fence would look, the benefits of eliminating the need to weed directly near the fence can overcome these minor aesthetic impacts.

For more information, contact a fence company like Soldier Fencing LLC.


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