5 Things To Keep in Mind for Fence Painting To Avoid Embarrassing Mistakes

Fences are more than just all-year-round protectors of our property. They protect our property from unwanted visitors, create a safe space for gardening or backyard relaxing expeditions, and ensure privacy. But, they are also exposed to harsh weather conditions all through the year while being functional at their best. Without appropriate maintenance, your property fences may end up wearing out. 

They can become aesthetically less appealing and may end up losing their functionality if any underlying damages exist. In such cases, opting for reputed fence painters in Auckland can be helpful. These services are often comprehensive and are carried out by professionals to tackle even the smallest corners and are dealt with with utmost perfection. 

Here’s everything to know about fence painting. 

Why Your Fence Needs To Be Painted Periodically

Fences are soldiers of any property. Regular maintenance ensures your fences can stand strong against weather-related damages without sustaining any physical damage.

With fence painting, you can ensure: 

• Regular maintenance prevents the need to replace them frequently. 
• They make the property look beautiful, increasing its value in the market. 
• If your locality is faced with severe weather conditions, well-kept fences prevent these elements from entering your property. 
• With regular upkeep, you can ensure your fences are easy to maintain in the long term. 
• During the course of the maintenance, you can check for physical damages and promptly address them.

Here’s what all you need to be careful about when fence painting:

1. Don’t Start Without a Plan

Starting without a plan is never recommended. When you create a plan, you put together everything you want the fence to look like once the painting is over. It allows you to track how your vision is coming to life. If any modifications need to be made along the way, you can keep track and continue making progress without losing motivation or, worse, devaluing your home.

Having a plan also eliminates the risk of not having the right tools to address problems in your fences. A lot needs to be done before the painting starts, and having a plan eliminates all the potential hiccups beforehand. You should break down the plan into steps, making them easy to follow and trace. 

2. Focus on Prepping Properly

Preparing the fence before the painting begins is highly recommended. This can include removing the old paint layers and rust layers (in metal fences) and addressing termite problems (in wooden fences). 

If there are any loose fixtures, they can be easily taken care of before the painting process begins. Make sure not to rush this step, as overlooking any imperfections can result in later hassles. 

3. Prime the Surface

Applying a primer is essential to increasing the lifespan of the topcoats. Primer ensures higher coverage for the paints without showing minor imperfections. It also prevents bleed-through, preventing dark spots from forming on wood surfaces.

Apply the primer layer only after the old paint has been sanded and cleaned to achieve a smooth finish. Priming is needed for wood as well as metal fences. Avoid rushing the drying process and instead wait for natural drying. 

4. Painting or Staining

This is a particularly important question if your fence is made of wood. Staining gives the wood fence a rustic charm while sealing the surface. However, staining is only viable if your fences are made from timber wood. 

They will also require restaining every two to three summers. Paint can offer protection against UV rays, is more resistant to fading, and has a long-lasting effect. If your fence is made from eco-friendly reclaimed wood, checking it for traces of trapped moisture or rotting is advised. 

5. Check for Existing Damages

Look for signs like chipping, rotting, rusting, or even a foul smell. Painting over existing damages can cause later troubles. This step is also crucial, as you shouldn’t proceed without identifying whether your fence needs repairing or replacement. If the damage can be fixed using temporary solutions, that’s a good place to start. 

At this step, there’s also a chance that you may want to get a new fence altogether, especially if the extent of damage is beyond repair. It is common to feel overwhelmed with all the care needed when painting your fence. If this sounds like you, contacting professional fence painters is highly recommended to ensure your fences get the care they deserve without any hassles. 

The Bottom Line

Painting your fence is an important part of taking care of your home. It protects them from damage due to non-stop exposure to harsh weather conditions while also adding to their aesthetics. However, it’s highly recommended that you carefully plan the painting process, check for damages, and match the fence’s colour selection to complement your home’s colour scheme. Avoid skipping any prepping steps to achieve a flawless finish.