Does A New Fence Need Treating

Fence pickets cost between 1 70 and 3.

Does a new fence need treating.

A variety of treatments are available. Many home owners prefer to keep the fresh wood color of their fence as long as possible. What if you ve waited too long. Treating the fence with a waterproofing agent adds to its life and preserves the beauty of the wood grain.

Pressure treating involves treating the wood with preservative in a vacuum. However if you are changing from paint to stain it s important you apply a coat of primer to the entire surface before you can safely stain your fence to ensure the stain will adhere. A well built wooden fence can last for more than a decade without needing major repairs or maintenance. This process forces the preservative into the wood ensuring a deeper level of protection against rot decay and insects.

Whether you need to apply treatment will depend on whether the wood used for your fence panels has already been pressure treated or not. By contrast staining your fence locks in the oils ensuring that your fence lasts far longer than it would last without treatment of any kind. If the fence is made with pressure treated materials it may be 3 4 months for the posts to dry enough and can be checked with a moisture meter. Within the first year of installation the wood may warp or split as it dries says john elaison co owner and founder of elaison lumber.

A good rule of thumb is to wait a month or two if the fence is made with dry materials. Previously stained fences should be sanded or pressure washed to provide a clean surface for the new coat of stain to soak into the wood. This will allow it to weather enough but not too much. Pickets don t need to be pressure treated because they are above ground say holt and elaison.

You will notice over the following months that your new fence will change colour as it drys out. New fence installations generally do not need to be treated for several months after they have been erected.