Maple Leaves Over Wood Picket Fence - photo: http://greenwalks.wordpress.com[/caption]The Fall Equinox marks the time of the Earth's astronomical half-way point between Summer and Winter, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun. It typically occurs on or about September 21st and marks the official beginning of Fall. If you haven't been, it's a good time to think about some simple maintenance on your wood fence. We wanted to share a few tips from Rick's Fencing Blog.
Clean
Getting rid of leaves, dirt and other yard debris is a simple and effective way of preventing mold and mildew from damaging the wood. Mold and mildew can grow inside wood fence panels and cause decay over time. Keeping the fence clean can make a huge difference in the duration of it's usefulness and beauty.
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Tom Sawyer Whitewashing the Fence - photo: pbs.org[/caption]Remove Overhanging Tree Limbs
Especially with wind, snow and ice coming, loose and low-hanging tree limbs can damage wood fence panels and posts if they fall on or into them. Frozen tree limbs are much more likely to break and fall than normal tree limbs, so even if a branch or limb looks fine during the summer, you may want to remove or secure it before the cold winter weather begins. Remember that it's much more enjoyable (to most of us) to work on the yard on a fifty to sixty degree sunny day than in a twenty degree ice storm.
Fence Stain
Cedar fences are especially resilient to water and insect damage, but can still benefit greatly from of a fresh coat of a simple water-repellant stain. As Tom Sawyer pointed out, this can be a fun project.
Inspect Fence Following Rain and Storm
Check the fence after any major storm for water damage, breaks and other problems that can be addressed before they spread or progress.
Entropy, or the natural tendency of things to fall apart occurs faster in extreme weather such as Fall and Winter, but with a little discipline and TLC the planetary calendar can be the very thing that keeps our homes looking and feeling as good as new.
Happy Autumn, everybody.
(Thanks to Greenwalks for Maple Leaf image.)
This was superb advice! I'm really impressed. In my front yard, we have huge overhanging branches on our fencing along the front yard. This is really good to know to prevent further damage to our fence! Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I were lucky when the oak tree in our backyard fell during a summer rainstorm instead of in the dead of winter! We had to replace several yards of wood fencing, but now the tree is much safer and we're keeping a closer eye on the other trees along the edges of our property.
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I love the red leaves peeking through that fence! These are phenomenal ideas to maintain a fence. I'm sure that my trees are overhanging onto my wooden fence in my backyard. This has inspired me to go trim up a few limbs to let my fence breath.
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These are some great tips! I never would have thought to inspect the fence after a rain or storm. Is there anything specific that you should look for besides water damage or breaks? We get regular storms so I'll have to start checking on a weekly basis. Our fence is small enough for it to not be a big deal though. Thanks for sharing these hints! http://www.buyrningwood.com
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