The Fast Way To Fantastic Fences!
Spring will soon be upon us and after that we have the lovely, long, hot Summer months to look forward to (well, we can all dream can’t we?) There is nothing better than relaxing in your garden with a can of something cold and a good book to read, or perhaps you like to have your friends and neighbours around for a barbecue? Well, don’t let that grotty fence around your garden ruin the atmosphere, it’s time to start planning how to make your fence help your garden look terrific!
It always surprises me how many people spend hour upon hour getting their garden to look immaculate and yet spend no time at all on the fence that surrounds it. Result: one potential paradise turned into an aesthetic car crash.
Fences are changing and so the way that you treat them needs to change as well. Fencing used to be invariably made from cheaper, rough sawn woods and fence treatments were designed to be used on these porous timbers. Increasingly, fences are now constructed from higher quality smooth-planed wood but this means that the timbers are much harder to penetrate. Always check your fence first to see if it is rough-sawn or smooth planed. If you can feel splinters when you run your hand along the surface then it is rough sawn, otherwise you must assume that it is a smooth-planed substrate.
If you have a smooth planed fence, fast becoming the norm for fencing, then you must check the fencing treatment that you are about to use before applying it. Many fence treatments are only suitable for rough sawn fences and will say so on the tin. If you apply one of these treatments to your fence it may look fine initially but when the rains come the fence paint will wash away. I see so many patchy looking fences and I always find that this has been the cause of it.
I have discovered a fantastic new product that I would recommend to you: Ronseal Woodland Trust Colours. The name is a bit of a mouthful but I have been very impressed with the results. It is suitable for both rough and smooth timbers and can be brushed or sprayed for ease of use. The best thing in my opinion is the range of colours available: rather than the boring old shades of brown that many treatments come in, Woodland Trust Colours are available in subtle, pastel-like shades of greens and blues and my personal favourite, White Ash.
For every tin sold, Ronseal give 25p to The Woodland Trust charity to protect our native woodland. A nice idea, and one that gives you even more reason to try the product. It’s a bit cold at the moment, as the air temperature needs to be above 10C before you can apply any fencing treatment but you can start planning now. Make sure that your fence is free from any algae or moss and remove any loose wood with a stiff brush. After that, just wait for the good weather to arrive and then your fencing can look as good as mine with a little help from The Woodland Trust. All we need now is a ‘Barbecue Summer’!
Italy ski holidays booking sorted all of you, I am really excited about our long weekend trip. I need part of the payment by Saturday.