Now that you have a beautiful new wooden fence you will want to keep it looking great. A well maintained fence will ensure a longer lasting fence. There is also the benefit of the fence retaining it's beauty and adding to your property value. Here are some tips on keeping up with your fence maintanance.
One of the simpliest things you can do is to clean it. You can hand wash, hose it off or use a power washer. Remove the dirt and moss that might be on the fence. If it looks like you might have some mold growing, you can add a little bleach to the water to kill the spores. (1 part bleach to 3 parts water. ) Be sure to do this on a nice hot day so the fence will dry off before night fall.
Within several months of new installation, be sure to treat your fence to a good staining. Make sure the weather conditionare right. You will want a day with no rain inthe forecast for 24 hours, temp between 50-80 degrees and low humidity. Before you stain the fence you will want to be sure it is clean. Never apply stain to a dirty fence. the stian will trap the dirt and sometimes casue the stain not to ahere to the wood. You will want to restain the fence every 3-5 to keep it protected from the elements.
Another option to stain is to paint the fence. If you choose to pain that should be repainted every 2-3 years. Be sure to check for chipping and scratching as that can leave the wood vulnerable.
How often you repaint or restain really depends on the weather and how harsh it is to the fence. A good test to see if the wood needs to be serviced is to sprinkle a bit of water onto the boards. If the water beads, and runs off your fence is still protected. However, if the water soaks into the wood it is time to repaint or restain.
Another important maintance for you fence actually involves maintance of your bushes and vines. They should be off of the fence. Adding the extra weight and mositure can easily damage your fence. tWater is the greatest emeny of he wood.
You will want to periodically check the boards for damage. Any broken or water damaged boards should be replaced . look closely at the bootom of the fence as dirt and soil can collect there causeing rot, mildew and mold.
Taking good care of your fence will insure it will last up to 20 Years!!