A garden perimeter is one of the first things we look at outside and it provides safety from intruders too. But is yours looking past its best?
No worries, you can fix your fence throughout a weekend. Here’s how:
Clean or Paint The Fence
Inspect the fence up close. Is the wood in better condition than you thought, it’s just dirty? A scrubbing solution of one part vinegar or baking soda in four parts water will remove algae and reveal refreshed wood.
If the fence is discoloured, fresh paint or stain will brighten the whole garden. You’ll need three coats as wood absorbs paint.
Make sure it isn’t going to rain as it will wash the paint away.
A fence paint sprayer will speed up your job, but a fence brush is just as good. Work your way around the fence line three times letting the paint dry before starting again. On a hot day this could be just a few hours. Enjoy a cup of tea as you wait it out.
There are many coloured paints available now so your fence doesn’t have to stay boring brown.
Take a look at the flowers in your garden and continue the theme. What about lavender or pale yellow, maybe even sage green? This will instantly transform the look of your outside space.
How to Fix Broken Fence Slats
Sometimes a slat falls, but it’s easily put back into place with tacks.
You should push the slat back into place, and tack it there using a hammer – a tack on either side of the slat should hold it.
How to Fix a Broken Fence Panel
What has broken here? Is the panel or the post?
Fence panels are simple to replace. If you’re lucky enough to have concrete posts then a damaged fence panel will slide up and out.
If the broken panel is screwed or nailed to a wooden post you can unscrew it and attach the new panel in the same way.
Use screws that will reach through the fence panel and over halfway through the post. Fix it in at least three points.
How to Fix A Broken Fence Post
After strong winds fence posts snap and take panels with them. This is because wooden posts are usually put straight into the soil and simply rot there. Here’s how to replace a broken post.
First up measure your fence panels from ground to tip. Your new fence post will need to be longer e.g. a six-foot fence panel needs at least an eight-foot post.
Now you have to dig. Your original post is most likely in a pod of rock-solid concrete, so you’ll need to move to one side. The depth should be ¼ to 1/3 of the post’s length.
Yes, that’s a lot of digging! You can buy special spades called ‘rabbit’ spades to help, but a garden spade and trowel will work too. Decide which side of the fence your new post will sit on before you begin the excavation.
Once the hole is complete, pop your post in and place a spirit level against its side, then flatten the base until its level.
You’ll need someone to help now.
Holding the post with the spirit level as a guide, pour in fast-drying cement such as Postcrete and water as directed. Keep holding the post upright with the spirit level until the cement has dried. It’ll take around 15-30 minutes.
It’s best to leave the post overnight to set solid.
The following day you can reattach your panel or fit a new one using screws that reach over halfway through the post.
Cut off any post excess if you have it – perhaps the hole wasn’t quite deep enough, you hit a chalk seam or were exhausted, that’s OK.
Just a quick note before we finish – inform your neighbours before you start fixing a fence, especially if you need to remove panels. They may need to shut away pets or remove flowers from the fence – They may even offer to help, result!
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