How to paint a fence
Looking to bring some personality to your garden? Painting your fence is a brilliant way to brighten up your surroundings. All you need is a spare afternoon, a dry day, and a few tools. Read this step-by-step guide and we’ll walk you through the process.
1. Preparation
Before you do anything, we suggest you check the weather forecast first. You’ll want a couple days of dry and warm weather, if you paint your fence in wet weather there is a risk that the paint won’t stick properly.
Clear the area around your garden fence. Cut back any trees or shrubs or tie them back to make sure they’re out of the way. Move garden furniture out the way and cover your patio, decking, or lawn with plastic sheets to protect from any paint splashes.
2. Clean the fence
Your fence lives outside, so it’s most probably dirty and covered in cobwebs. You’ll want to remove any dirt, debris or flaking bits of old coating so that it’s ready for the new coating. A stiff brush will usually do the trick. If your fence is really caked in dirt, then you can use warm soapy water as well to help get it off. If you do use water to clean the fence, then make sure it’s thoroughly dry before attempting to paint.
Do you have brand new, pressure or dip-treated fence panels? Then you’ll want to leave these to weather for a few months first to allow the treatment on the surface to dissipate, otherwise the new coating could be rejected and flake away.
3. Apply the fence paint
If you’re using a fence paint brush, ensure that you paint following the direction of the wood grain for a smooth finish. Make sure you start from the top and slowly work your way down so that you catch any drips.
If you’ve got a large surface area, a fence sprayer will help you get the job done quickly. If you’re using a paint sprayer, check that the paint is compatible. Ensure you wear a dust mark and goggles, and make sure you’ve covered the areas surrounding the fence properly, as there will be a little bit of overspray.
Some fence paint will only require one coat; however, some fence paint will require 2-3 coats. Make sure you check the tin to see the recommended number of coats and to see how long it will take for the paint to dry.
4. Clean your tools
Wash your brushes and tools straightaway so that the paint doesn’t dry up and become almost impossible to remove. If you’ve used a water-based paint, you can simply wash your brushes in a bucket of warm soapy water. If you’ve used an oil-based paint, you’ll want to soak your brushes in white spirit to get the paint off. This is because oil and water don’t mix, so if you attempted to clean your brushes with just warm water, it wouldn’t do the job.
