Old Fences Have Character

From In the Garden

From In the Garden

Old fences have the greatest character don't you think? All the moss, lichen, and graduations in the coloring of old fences make them ever so charming. But! The same moss, lichens, and wood variations make the fence a not so stable or functional fence because the moss, lichens, and wood variations are signs of decay and rot; which means the fence is in trouble. We all know wood fences don't last forever but with care they should last a fairly long time. That being said, if you acquire a wood fence that has damage how do you fix it? How can you make it functional and give it a few more years of good life? This was the very question Mr. Fix-it and I found ourselves asking when we recently acquired 24 panels of stockade privacy fence that had seen better days. The price was right ($100 for all) and even though we could see there was some dry rot on the panels, we felt like the fence was salvageable so we bought it. Now the real fun begins-refurbishing all 24 panels.


This fencing was taken down by the previous owners who got it from another Craig's Lister. When they took the fence down they simply ripped the panels off from the poles and did not bother removing nails or anything. The first order of business was to do something with the awful long and jagged nails. I could have pulled them all out but that would have meant some boards would be broken and days upon days of work. I decided to simply cut the ends off containing the nails. In doing so I sacrificed about 8-10" of length per panel. I would have preferred keeping that length since the area I'm putting this fence is about 200 feet long but the ends of the 2x4s were rotten anyhow so it was simpler just to remove them, nails and all.

Once the nails were removed I stood up the panels (as best I could) and then pondered on how to get the lichen and moss and discoloration off from the wood. At first I thought a good scrubbing and some wood or deck cleaner would work, but no it did not. The next thing I tried was our nearly fifteen year old never been used by me pressure washer. Wow! Pressure washers work pretty well when they are not leaking and shorting out circuits! The pressure washer was really the only way to restore the wood panels and get rid of all the character of the wood. Do you see the difference between the two panels above? It is quite a difference and while I won't go so far as to say the panels now look new, they do look pretty good. I used a wood cleaner that is biodegradable prior to pressure washing but honestly, I saw no difference when I used the cleaner versus when I didn't. The pressure washer did the trick. It has taken me about 30-40 minutes per panel to pressure wash these panels. As of this date not all are done but I am slowly working on it.




After pressure washing a few panels I would stand the panels up so they could dry a good three or four days. The dried wood really soaked up the water from the pressure washing. I knew at this point that if I did not seal the wood I'd soon have the same situation; lots of 'character' on my hands when the fence panels began deteriorating again. Therefore, I decided to use a solid color wood fence stain to seal the wood. I choose the solid color stain made by Behr because I've used it before and just love it! The solid color stain goes on just like paint but soaks into the wood and has a 15 year warranty on vertical surfaces such as a fence. The stain really lasts and is most easy to apply. The solid color hides any remaining blemishes on these fence panels so it is best for my use, but Home Depot also sells a semi-transparent stain for wood fences. The color I chose; which if you are a soldier who has been to Iraq it is a funny color and one you would not think I'd choose; is "Desert Sands". The joke is on me. For those who do not know it I went to Iraq a few years ago and I loathe the color of the desert when it is all you see. It is dirty and dusty and I did not enjoy that part of Iraq. The color name reminds me of my experience but I'm not holding it against it because the color is perfect here in my garden. You can see the desert sand in the last photo above. This is what color the whole fence will be when complete. I have finished pressure washing about two thirds of the panels, painted about one third and still have a lot to go before I can even begin installing the fence but I'm well on my way to creating some new character on this old fence by reusing it....


in the garden....

Have you ever reused privacy fence panels, and if so, what tricks do you have for making them work for you? 


 
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In the Garden