Fences are an important external home fixture; they provide privacy, they offer shelter and they clearly define the boundaries of your property too, so it’s important that you take good care of them. 

Did You Know?

The average cost to replace fencing in the UK is around £100 per panel.* Taking proper care of your fence could result in cost savings as well as time and effort spent on installing a new fence.

Thankfully, caring for your fence is fairly straightforward so long as you’re prepared, and with the help of BC Profiles, you’re able to extend the lifespan of your fence with ease! Read on below for a complete fence care guide compiled by our expert team. 

Cleaning Your Fence

First things first, you should ensure that your fence is spick and span. A good clean of the panels and posts are recommended as general upkeep, but it should be an important part of our fence care regime too. 

If your fence is nice and sturdy, you’re able to employ the help of a pressure washer to get things done a little quicker – if it’s a little loose, a simple scrub with some diluted bleach will do. 

During cleaning your fence, you want to ensure that any dirt and green and black mould are removed. Should you come across any split or rotting wood, now is the perfect time to make repairs or remove and replace any damaged sections.

Treating Your Fence

Once things are nice and clean and any damaged fencing is taken care of, you’ll then be able to treat your fence. 

Treating your fence is paramount to keeping the posts and panels in good condition, and doing so will extend the lifespan of your fencing far beyond the duration it would survive without treatment. 

We recommend waiting for an overcast day or picking a time when your fence is well shaded, painting in direct sunlight will cause the wood treatment to try too fast without soaking into and protecting the timbers properly. 

Fence treatment can be applied either with a brush, a roller or a power sprayer, concerning the latter two, you’ll still need the help of a trusty brush to tackle those hard-to-reach areas and tricky edges.

Fence Treatments

There’s a large range of wood stains and other wood treatments out there, giving you plenty of scope to pick one that suits the needs of you and your fence. These products include: 

• Wood preserver
• Bitumen
• Bitumen paint
• Woodworm killer
• Stains and oils

When applying wood treatments, you should always paint in the same direction as the timber’s grain, starting at the top of the fence, shed or other wooden fixture and working your way down to the bottom. You should also pay close attention to the instructions on the packaging, make sure that you have enough treatment to cover the surface area as well as any additional coats that may be needed.

Why Should I Treat Fence Panels?

Once you’ve installed a fence, it makes perfect sense to protect it. Repairs and replacements can be incredibly costly and are easily avoidable with the aid of wood treatments, and so one inexpensive investment could save you a whole lot of trouble and expenditure in the long run.

In fact, with the application of good quality treatment and additional wood preserver, you’re able to protect your fence panels and posts against all manner of threats for up to five years before having to treat again!

“The average wooden fence can last up to 15 years, but with proper care, this can be extended to 20 years.”

Searching for more guides, how to’s and DIY tips? We also have a helpful article on How To Treat Woodworm as well as answers to all your Dry Rot and Wet Rot FAQs. Check out the BC Profiles help and advice centre where you’ll discover tons of trustworthy, up-to-date info from the experts. 

*Data from https://www.mybuilder.com/pricing-guides/fencing-costs