Owning a home in the Tri-Cities of Tennessee is a wonderful investment, especially as the housing market rises. People are looking for an excuse to get out of major cities and move to “Zoom Towns,” where they work from home, and employees can have a different lifestyle. Protecting that investment in this day and age is important, and the upkeep of the exterior of your house and yard is key.
Who knows, at some point, moving from your current home may need to happen, and selling a house with high curb appeal can make a huge difference, especially in the current market. One major piece of the curb appeal pie can be your fence.
If you have lived in your home for a while, your wooden fence may not have the same glow that it once had. Instead, it may be gray and worn. With the current wood prices, it would be incredibly impractical to simply replace your entire fence. However, there are other options.
In this guide, we will give you a few quick tips on how to maintain your wooden fence and increase its lifespan, as well as restore your grayed and worn-out fence.
Power Washing Your Fence
Power washing is one of the most effective cleaning methods for dealing with sturdy wooden products such as wood. Power washing utilizes cleaners such as detergents and bleach alongside extremely high pressures to strip the wood of dirt and grime. By power washing your fence you can:
- Increase the lifespan of your fence by fighting off mold, and mildew, and preventing rot.
- Maintain the glow of your beautiful wooden fence
- Save money by not spending a fortune on building a new fence.
While there are several different techniques, the best method is to use a power washer that operates at 1500 or 2000psi and do the following.
Step 1 - Setup
Set up your power washer with either a 15 or 25-degree spray tip. To avoid damaging the pump, make sure to fill the pump and hoses. Clear the area alongside the fence, and make sure that you are wearing water-repellent clothing that you don't mind getting dirty.
Step 2 - Spraying
Once you are set up and ready to go, begin spraying with the tip roughly 18” away from the surface, and keep moving. (if you stay in one spot for too long you could splinter or damage the wood). Utilize different angles to remove dirt and grime from inside corners.
Step 3 - Pay Attention
Pay attention to the color of the wood as the surface is stripped away. When the wood stops changing colors as you pressure wash the wood surface, you can be confident that you have cleared all of the dirt, grime, mildew, and gray surfaces.
Sometimes pressure washing is better left to the professionals. Read our article why.
Fence Repair
In some cases where there is damage beyond just the aesthetics of the fence, repairs are needed. Most of the time these repairs are simple and can be done yourself with just a little bit of glue or common household tools.
For example, to repair a split or broken board you simply need to fill the split with waterproof glue and clamp the broken board together so that it can bond. To tighten boards back together, drive corrosion-resistant screws.
Straightening gates and doors can be done by adding a turnbuckle or tightening one that is already in place.
Staining Your Fence
The final step in restoring your fence to bring it back to its original glory is staining. Staining not only preserves the natural color of wood but also seals the wood and accentuates the grain and color variations. Staining a fence is simple, simply use a paint roller to apply a soaking coat to the wood, about 3’ at a time.
After rolling, back brush the stain into the wood grain and any gaps. This works the stain deep into the surface of the wood. Most stains will last between two to five years before needing to be recoated.
By restoring your fence instead of replacing it, you can beautify your beloved home while spending way less cash than you would when replacing a fence, even if you hire a professional to do all of the restoration work. Who wouldn't want to save cash in our current economy?
When it comes to pressure washing, hiring a professional to make the right choices is the way to go. While it may seem fun to DIY, there are so many choices to make when it comes to pressure, detergents, etc., that can be extremely overwhelming.
By assessing the problem and selecting the appropriate detergents for your project, Cates Pressure Washing may help you avoid running into common issues that plague DIY pressure washing projects.
Cates Pressure Washing professionals have over 20 years of experience and use safe, eco-friendly detergents to keep your property looking great while safeguarding the environment and your family.
We understand how vital it is to maintain the appearance of your property. For more information on how we can "take the pressure off" of pressure washing, contact the Cates Pressure Washing team today.