Fence Repair Guide: Does Your Fence Show These Signs?
Do You Need to Repair a Fence?
Whether your wood fence is a designed specifically for privacy ,or just to boost the value of your home picket, it makes a huge contribution to the style and curb appeal of your home.
When your fence is in need of repair and maintenance, It's always a hassle just knowing and could even decrease the property value. Mostly , it can be a hazard for your family and and as well as pets , did I forget to mention the privacy issue—since wood fences with cracks and missing pickets and falling gates aren't so private anymore.
Luckily, Cochran's Painting & Home Services is here to get you back whole again
With taking pride in reputation for quality craftsmanship, ability to solve your problem the first go around , and have done so on numerous occasions near you . With a service area of Richmond, Rosenberg,Katy All of Ft Bend & Harris Counties .
How do you know if your fencing needs repairs or maintenance? Can it last another year ? Will it hold up in hurricane season?Or is it one storm away from the end of it? Here are a few true signs to help you decipher
1. Damaged Boards & Pickets
Broken ,cracked pickets and railings , is the most common and symptoms of a fence in need of repair. It don't just look bad, they compromise the strength and of your fence and can cause some nasty splinters.
Depending on the extent of the damage, your handyman may need to replace just a couple boards or whole sections or panels. Once the new, boards are in place, they can be painted or stained to match the rest—and it's probably a good idea to apply sealant to the entire fence at this point, to avoid future damage to both new and old boards.
2. Rotting Wood
Regardless of the grade of wood, it has the weakness of rot and deterioration.
It's always good to inspect for rot .signs like holes. discoloration and softness are true signs of rot
If you can press against it and it sinks right in, you've got wood rot.
If you can catch it early, you may be able to remedy it , although it's difficult to totally eliminate wood rot. Your handyman will probably need to replace any rotten wood, though it may be possible to scrape out small rotten parts and fill them in with epoxy if necessary.
3. Unstable Posts
Wood fences is are mostly held up by traditional wood 4x4 posts (although some opt for the galvanized posts), and over time they can start to shrink, sag, bend, or warp and become out of whack . This is mostly due to the weather as well as a post not set properly in concrete If the post is loose, it's only a matter of time until the whole fence collapses. The posts should be secured by concrete footing, there are other methods used to set post like high density foam but concrete being the standard which can also crumble over time and cause the post to wobble.
Grab a post and give it a good shake. It shouldn't move at all, but if it does, it's time to call in a handyman to either replace it or re-secure it. If the problem is the concrete footing, it may be possible to pour new concrete and keep the old post.
4. Bottom of Fence is Touching Ground
The posts and footings should be the only part that's actually touching the ground. pickets should never be placed directly on the ground . That's why there are fence builds with rot boards to combat that . If no rot board is present make sure that the pickets are at least 2-3 inches above ground Over time the fence can sink or soil can build up, and when they make contact it leaves the boards vulnerable to rot and other damage.
The repair will vary, sometimes you can move the pickets up higher but I always recommend getting new ones.
5. Sagging Gate
A Wood fence gate will begin to sag over time . A lot of the time it would be from the way its initially built . Other times, sagging can come from the gate hinges , movement in the wood or even a loose or damaged fence post . Here i'll show you how to identify the problem and get you fence back in working order. This is one of the most common fence repairs their is.
6. Peeling Paint Or Stain
Painting or Staining your fence is adding an extra line of defense to your fence. With paint lasting a bit longer vs stain where you'd have to re-stain every 3-5 years. Staining is what i would recommend . It keeps the look of wood just adding a bit of color. Staining your fence can do wonders to the look of your property . If you have failing paint or stain then there are issues that could degredate your fence and its probably best to get some finish on it before it catches any rot that would spread like a wildfire .
Need Fence Repair in Richmond TX Or Surrounding Areas?
When you need a handyman for repairs to your fence or any other parts of your home, give me a shout . offering quality service with quality materials, and our the knowledge and expertise to get the job done right.
Give us a call today at 713-337-6336, or fill out our request form. Any questions you may have can be answered