What First-Time Homeowners Need to Know About Fence Protection
First-time homeowners need to know a lot about fence protection. Good fence protection is all about regular fence maintenance and taking care of issues once they happen. If you do not care for a fence, it will begin to fall apart, which can happen sooner rather than later.
At Fence Armor® we see fence protection problems happening a lot. A lot of issues we hear about come from first-time homeowners who have inherited their fences. We can advise homeowners about fence protection from day one, but it is up to them to follow our guidance. It is not always with first-time homeowners, but many bad habits begin with that first property. To help all first-time homeowners, we put a few points together as a guide to fence maintenance.
Included on our list of what first-time homeowners need to know about fence protection is:
- Protect the fence posts before they go into the ground
- Stain and seal for all-year-round fence protection
- Do not forget the post guards before grass cutting season
- Fence maintenance is vital for a long fence life
Let’s take a closer look at each point.
Protect the fence posts before they go into the ground
There are a few things to get right here. When you decide on the fence material, always buy the best quality product. You may see ‘special offers’ on a new fence but be careful before you invest. The cheap wood and vinyl can break in the first storm, while metal fences need full protection against rust and other damage.
Wood fences must be treated for outdoor use, and the posts must be suitable for burying in the dirt. You can also further protect a wood fence post before it goes into the ground by adding our Postsaver® sleeves fence post protectors.
Made with a thermoplastic bituminous lining, the Postsaver® Sleeves slide over the post at the ground line. A certain amount of the sleeve is above ground, and the rest is below the dirt. You heat the sleeve, and it melts into place, giving your post protection from moisture damage, fungi, and rot.
Fence Armor® Postsaver sleeves come in a range of sizes to fit every post and give fence protection.
Stain and seal for all-year-round fence protection
Your fence is going to be outside in all types of weather conditions all year round. If it’s not the heat and UV rays of the summer months, it’s the wind and rain of the fall and spring along with the cold and ice of the winter.
All climate conditions damage a wood fence, and you will need fence protection to get a long life for it. A regular coating of a stain and seal will get the fence through at least the first 20 years of life. You will not need to stain and seal every season but ask your fence supply agent for guidance. Needless to say, you should only purchase treated, native North American wood for your fence.
At Fence Armor® we supply Stain & Seal Experts products for top-quality coating of your fences. Their products are designed for professionals but can be used even by the first-time homeowner too.
Photo courtesy of Stain & Seal Experts!
Do not forget the Post Guards before grass cutting season
When you are cutting your grass, you will notice that it is impossible to get in and around the fence posts. The fence will look untidy, and the grass can even allow termites into the wood. You will need to invest in a trimmer, but do not start trimming immediately.
You need to install fence protection. Grass trimmers and weed whackers slice, cut, and chip away at both wood and vinyl fencing. Over a couple of seasons, you could do enough damage to put the posts in danger. If you employ a maintenance crew, the damage could be even worse.
Fence Armor® Post Guards are made of American steel. They are easy to fit around the foot of the fence posts and protect just where the trimmer cord strikes the wood. You can remove them when staining and sealing the posts and fit them again.
Fence maintenance is vital for a long fence life
We say it over and over again to all first-time homeowners asking about fence protection. They ask us what they should do about it, and we tell them, “Write a fence maintenance list and stick to it.”
On that list should be annual chores such as fence cleaning to get all the dirt and debris off the surface. You also need to check for signs of termite infestation and for spots where the stain is fading. Other tasks are doing repairs after storms and making sure the fence posts are not coming loose. Cutting back branches and shrubs is vital for keeping the fence free of danger.
You will learn new fence maintenance tasks each year as you get used to being a first-time homeowner learning about fence protection.
Call us - 888-289-5617
At Fence Armor® we know about fence protection. The first-time homeowner needs to start as they mean to continue. Our experts will help you plan the fence maintenance. Call us today for all your fence protection needs.
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