No matter how beautiful your wooden fence may be, it is still subject to factors that can make it lose its attractive glow over time. Constant exposure to sunlight, wind, and rain can cause discoloration that can make your once good-looking fence look old and dull. Fortunately, it is very possible to restore the beauty of your fence especially if most of the damage it acquires is only superficial. With some simple repairs, you can definitely make your wooden fence glow once again and even prolong its life.

1. Wash the Fence

Washing your wooden fence with a power washer is the first step into restoring it’s beauty. If you don’t have a power washer available at home, you can either borrow from a friend who has one or you can rent one. The key to using a power washer is choosing the right sprayer. Since a power washer is strong enough to ruin your wooden fence, you have to come up with a sprayer that would get rid of the dirt from the wood’s surface without eroding it. Pick a power washer with 1,500-2000 PSI and 15 and 25 sprayer tips. With the tip of the sprayer 20 inches away from the fence, start spraying it until you see the color of the wood brighten a little. This indicates that the surface of the wood is effectively getting stripped away. Do not point your sprayer in a single area to avoid gouging it, instead, keep moving the spray through the entire fence. Observe the wood carefully and stop spraying once you see that the color has stopped changing.

2. Fix Damaged Pieces

Simple repairs are enough to extend to the life of your old wooden fence. After you’ve washed the fence clean, let it dry for 24 hours and check if there are any boards that need to be replaced or tightened. Check for splits and cracks as well. To repair splits, apply waterproof glue to the damaged area. You should also get rid of protruding nails if there are any use screws to pull loose board pieces together. You might also want to apply some wood preservative on the base of the fence posts to prevent it from rotting quickly.

3. Apply Stain

Finally, stain the wooden fence to make it look good as new. A transparent oil stain is ideal if you want to preserve the natural color of your wood. Make sure you have allowed the fence to dry completely before painting it. Using a paint roller, apply the sealer into the wood, making sure the wood absorbs the sealer completely. When you’re done covering the large surfaces of the fence, take a 2” brush and stain the smaller areas next. The oil stain should keep your wooden fence looking good and protected for up to five years, but you would want to recoat it every two to three years to make sure that its beauty is well-maintained.