10 DIY Tips for Maintaining Your Fence

Nothing improves the look of your home like a beautiful fence. However, maintaining that look requires work; if little and often are your watchwords, these 10 DIY tips will make sure your fence keeps your curb appeal up, rather than dragging it down!

Try Power washing.
Your fence will pick up a lot of grime, so getting rid of this with a good jet washer or steam cleaner is a good start.

Remove plant material.
You may have trailing vines around the fence posts, or even mold or lichen; use a good treatment to get rid of these safely.

Don’t use household cleaning products.
These can destroy vegetation; water under pressure will do the trick.

Treat the wood.
Before any other visual maintenance, make life difficult for any unwanted insect life ruining your fence.

Fix any loose nails or broken wires.
These are not only unsightly, but can be dangerous if you have young children, or animals; quickly tap with a hammer, or remove and replace.

Make good anything “unsightly”.
You may have a post or two that are starting to rot, or are cracking; early maintenance can save you a lot of money.

Replace broken fence posts.
Nothing screams shabby and neglected more than this; dig the rotted or broken post out, and fix the base with concrete, or pack well down with earth.

Make sure the gate is in good condition.
Since the gate is the first part of your home guests will pay close notice to, broken latches or peeling paint should be taken care of regularly.

Stain or paint your fence.
This is best done in the spring or autumn months, as extremes of temperature can ruin the effect.

Be considerate.
Bright pink may be your color of choice for your fence, but please consider your neighbors, and the overall look of the street!