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Spring Maintenance for Your Wooden Fence

Your local Alpharetta GA fence company knows that soon everyone will be planning barbecues and family gatherings during Spring. You may be ready to go and play in the yard but is your yard ready for company?

Most wooden fences have been sealed against the elements, and only need a little bit of help to stay in good shape. However, this season we have seen much more accumulated moisture in the air than normal, and it is putting the most water-resistant wooden fences to the test.

If you are not careful about maintaining your fence you can expect:

  1. Stain degradation – After a steady bombardment of wind, rain and snow the seal on your fence will eventually start to give way. Now is the time to test your fence coating and make sure that it can still hold up under the strain. When you spray it with a hose, watch to see if water beads up and rolls away. If it soaks in, then it is time to reapply.
  2. Mildew – If your wooden fence is starting to turn black or green in patches then you have a problem. Mildew and mold can quickly take over a fence and start to degrade the wood. Once mold has taken a firm hold on the wood then you will have to work hard to remove it. The best way is to use oxygen bleach and a brush that won’t scratch the woods finish. One cup of bleach for every gallon of water should do the trick.
  3. Rot – If you are not careful about dealing with 1 & 2 on this list then you will soon be left with a rotten fence. Whenever you have excessive humidity in the air, you should be extra vigilant. Check any support beams or weight bearing timber first to see if it is starting to go soft. A quick and easy test is to use a screwdriver.  Just push it into the wood and if it sinks in with little resistance then the timber is rotten and should be replaced by a great GA fence company.