How To Waterproof Wood Fence Using Sealant & Paint [Step by Step]
The wooden fences adding the much-required aesthetic touch to your backyard or garden are definitely worth some care. It gives an overall homely and fine touch to your house.
The wooden fence sailed through winter, summer without much problem. But are you noticing some cracks or signs of damage onto it even before the sky pours down?
That’s definitely your signal to waterproof your wooden fences. Don’t worry! I’ll tell you about some useful and handy tricks to let your wooden fences win this war against moisture. You got this!
Why Do You Need to Waterproof Wood Fence?
Waterproofing would give some extra life to the fence and save you from the cost of buying new ones.
Have you ever noticed how wood can soak water into it? If your wooden fence already has signs of damage, say a crack, that’ll be mainly due to weathering.
Through the passage of time, the wood fence, especially if it’s not painted or protected otherwise, suffers the wrath of nature and different seasons. This leads to the wood tissues and fibers getting eroded – leaving it weak and vulnerable.
After all of this, when the rain pours down, it’s absorbed by the weak tissues and the wood as a result swells. This might even result in internal or visible rotting of the wooden fence.
Waterproofing the wood fence would prevent a lot of such damages.
Whether your fence is made up of strong and durable wood like cedar or a weaker one like pinewood, waterproofing is required by all. Here are two easy and common methods for you to follow:
How To Waterproof Wood Fence Using Sealant?
Applying sealant to your wood fence is the most viable and popular method of waterproofing fence. Its primary ingredient Silicon makes it a durable and waterproof product.
As a plus, some sealants can protect the fences from attacks of termites and other small pests. Termites eat away the wood, deteriorating its beauty and strength.
Required Material:
- Wood cleaner
- Dish washer
- Bleach
- Water
- Sealant
Step by Step Process:
1. Clean it up
Clean your wood fence. Remove all the dirt, stains or any other thing from it. This can be done using a wood cleaner that you’ll find in any of the nearby stores.
Alternatively, you can even use a mixture of dishwasher and water to do the same. You’ll find a dishwasher in any of your nearby shops. After that a mixture of bleach and water to get rid of the mild dew.
This step ensures that the waterproofing agent comes in direct contact with the wood. Any barrier in between would reduce its efficiency.
2. Let it dry
After cleaning the wooden fence you should allow it to dry. The wood fence should be properly dried before applying the next thing onto it.
For most kinds of wood, leaving the fence for almost 48 hours is considered enough. In case the weather is moist or your fence is under some shade unable to receive direct sunlight, 72 hours would be safe.
There’s an easy way to understand whether your fence is “properly” dried or not. Put some water onto it and observe what happens next. If the wood absorbs the water quickly and completely, you are good to go. Otherwise, wait for another 12-24 hours.
3. Apply the sealant
Now apply the main thing, i.e., the sealant. You have many options to choose from: acrylic sealant, silicone sealant, colored sealant and others.
Recommended colored sealant:
Recommended transparent sealant:
The sealant creates a protective barrier against not only moisture but also extreme heat and wind. This keeps your wood fence strong.
4. Let it dry
Again, you need to let it dry. You shouldn’t let water or any kind of moisture get in touch with it.
The trapped moisture might even lead to the formation of mildew or mold or other similar damage.
A drying period of 24 – 48 hours is good enough. You can even apply a second layer if you wish to. However, it won’t do anything except bring you some mental peace or satisfaction. Just get it done in the first go.
Hence, be sure to seal the fence during the dry season.
Precautions:
As a rule of thumb, you should apply a sealant to your fence every year to maintain its longevity. This keeps your fence looking fresh and new.
Also, if you plan to stain your wood fence, then first stain and then seal. Doing this much should be enough to keep your wood fence strong for a few years to come.
For Which Fence Would the Sealant Is Preferred?
Fences made of Oak have a natural beautiful light color to them. You wouldn’t like to spoil their natural color by staining them. So, applying transparent sealants for waterproofing would be good.
Pinewood fences are widely used as they are inexpensive, and resist shrinkage and shock. These woods can be easily stained or just kept natural.
Cedar cannot be painted or stained easily. So, these natural insect-repelling woods should be waterproofed using transparent sealants.
Transparent sealant in general can be applied to all the woods as it protects them and preserves their natural color.
How To Waterproof Wood Fence Using Paint?
You can waterproof your wood by applying Moisture repelling / resistant paint on them. This is also a quick and easy way to water protect your wood fence.
Latex and Alkyd-based paints should serve the purpose. They form a thick layer over your fence and protect it from moisture, UV rays, heat or any other thing you can probably think of.
Required Material:
- Latex based or Alkyd based paint
- Paint brush/roller/ sprayer
- Wood cleaner
Step by Step Process:
1. Clean and dry:
Similar to Sealant application, you should clean up the wood for further application of paint on it and let it dry properly.
2. Apply the paint:
Use a paint roller or sprayer to paint the Alkyd or latex-based paint onto the wooden fence. Usually, Alkyd-based paint is used for outdoor applications like those of a wooden fence.
Recommended Alkyd (oil based) paint:
Recommended Latex (water based) paint:
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Paint in the same direction to give it an even surface. You’ll require the sprayer to paint the bigger visible stretch of wood and the brush to paint trickier sides and angles.
3. Repeat:
Let the first coat of paint dry for 4-7 hours and you can reapply the paint for a better finish.
While it’s drying, keep an eye on the temperature. If it’s too hot, the paint might not even be soaked in by the wood. It’ll render the wood as weak as it was before. Let it be in some shade to allow proper drying and soaking.
Precautions
Letting the wood dry before paint application is a very important step.
Also, be very careful while buying the paint for wood fence painting. Read the label properly to confirm its water-resistant nature, shine and gloss.
For Which Fence Would the Paint Is Preferred?
Woods that have a natural color to them cannot be easily painted. Such woods include Cedar. They have a heavy natural color to them which makes it very difficult to properly coat it even after 2-3 applications.
Pinewood can be easily painted, just a single coat would be good to go.
Paint Vs Sealant
Paint or sealant for your wood fence? While both of these methods are popular and useful, here’s my take on them.
Painting the fence:
Painting the fence gives a fun cool touch to your fence and aesthetics. It’s beautiful and makes your home look clean and fresh.
However, painting demands extra care. Be ready to tackle some paint chipping off the fence’s surface. Again, if you choose the wrong shade or the color just doesn’t match with the surroundings, it might become too loud.
Sealant:
The sealant comes in mainly two formats: colored and transparent. The transparent ones blend with the natural color of the fence and keep the raw authentic feel.
The colored, especially dark ones, can darken your wood’s natural color.
All in all, if you want to give your fence a total renovation, painting should be fine. Otherwise, the sealant should be your first choice.
Final Words:
Waterproofing goes a long way to get the wood fences to serve for a longer period. Even if a lot of damage has been done, you can, if not revive, protect it from further damages.
It might come off as extremely obvious but don’t let your pets come near the paint or sealant while it’s drying. They might have some allergic responses to it.
If you don’t want to do all this work on your own, you can even hire agencies. They’d happily get it done for you professionally within your budget.
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