Do you have an old fence that is in need of attention? You may be wondering if you should replace your fence, or have it stained. Cost of building a new fence could make this an easy decision. The cost of building materials has sky rocked over the past year, so replacing 1,000 linear feet of wood picket fence could easily cost $10,000. The cost to stain 1,000 linear feet is closer to $1,000.
My family and I recently moved to a new home in need of much attention in the backyard. Our fence appeared to be in horrible condition with many sections wobbling due to rotten 4 x 4's. I considered installing a new fence. Due to the cost of lumber, I made the decision to put the fence project on the backburner. I soon was forced to change my mind after a windstorm blew down a 60 foot portion of our fence. With our neighbor's dog running through our yard, I knew the fence situation had just moved from the backburner to priority number one.
Obviously I had to do some fence repair. After inspecting the entire fence closely, I was happy to see most of the fence was in adequate shape. I decided to only repair what was falling over before staining. Repairing only the problem spots can help you avoid spending the money to replace the entire fence. If done correctly, staining an older fence can make it look great and add many extra years of life.
Below is a list of items I needed to repair the entire fence.
15 - 6' cedar pickets,
5 - 10' 4 x 4 pressure treated posts
4 - 80 pound bags of Sakrete
10 - 8' pressure treated 2 x 4's
1- box of screws
14 - 2 x 4 galvanized fence rail brackets
After replacing the bones of the fence, it looked very good. After staining, the fence looks brand new!
Here is the process I used to revitalize the fence:
1. Apply Sodium Hypochlorite on the pickets, then spray off after it has a chance to dwell for 5-7 minutes.
2. Pressure wash fence but be careful not to etch the wood. You probably want to use a green tip.
3. Let the wood dry for 2 or more days if using a water-based stain. Oil-based stains require longer drying times.
4. Stain and back-brush the fence.
Following these steps will help you salvage your fence and add extra life. Check out the pictures below.
Here are some before and after pictures. Notice all the organic material near the bottom on the first photo.
BEFORE
AFTER
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