Fence Maintenance Tips for a Wooden Fence – Weatherproofing for Rainy Days

Fences come in a wide variety of styles and materials, but one thing they have in common is that they will all eventually need to be maintained or repaired. A fence needs to be maintained to stay attractive, and it needs to be repaired if it has been damaged by something like bad weather, an animal, or vandalism. The good news is that most fences can be maintained at little cost, and even the most damaged wooden fence can often be fixed instead of replaced. When you are maintaining or repairing your fence, there are several things you need to keep in mind in order to protect your fence from the elements and other potential damage.

Fence Maintenance for Rain or Snow

Fence maintenance during fall and winter can be tricky.

Maintaining your fence is an important task, but it can be difficult to keep up with in the fall and winter. Here are a couple important tips on how to care for and protect your wood fence from rain and snow:

• Keep leaves off of your yard – leaves will get wet and heavy when they start falling off trees. If you’re doing yard work during the fall months, be sure to remove them promptly. 
• Keep mulch away from the base of your fence so that water doesn’t seep through the cracks between boards.

How to Protect Wood From Rain

Stain and sealant is the best way to protect wood from rain. When selecting the type of stain and sealant, it is important to find one that will provide both UV protection and water repellency. The most popular types of sealant are sprayed or brushed on. Sprayed sealants can be applied quickly and easily with little mess. Brushed-on sealants create a natural look. In general, these two types of seals can last about six months before reapplication is needed. One thing to avoid when considering which stain and sealant should be used is oil-based products. Oil-based products can cause cracking in paint jobs and even damage the wood itself over time by adding acidity to any moisture that comes in contact with them.

Painting fences is not advised. The paint will peel and chip, which can damage the fence. If you do want to paint it, use an oil-based paint instead of latex.