5 Key Tips To Know Before Painting Your Fence

Recently, we tackled a semi-big house project, and here are 5 Key Tips To Know Before Painting Your Fence. They are brought to you by my frustration.

Utter frustration would accurately describe how I felt researching tips to know before painting a fence. Information was non-existent. No joke. The articles I did find on the internet had me jumping through sketchy hoops, before taking me back to square one. “DARN IT! Why can’t this be easy? I hissed under my breath.  I can picture you nodding, saying “mhmm” because I know you’ve been there too.  Look, I’d never painted a fence before. No, I did not need to know how to move the paintbrush up and down. I just had a few questions, “What do I need to know before painting my fence? Is painting my wood fence a good idea? What tips should I consider? I wanted to know what to expect before fully committing.  Was that too much to ask? Apparently, it was.

After hours of research, I threw in the towel. I closed my mac, defeated, with nada (Spanish: Nothing) to show for my time. I had no idea how to prepare for the labor-intensive task ahead of me.  I needed a plan. Good thing, my thinking cap went into high gear, and I came up with a way to make things easier for all of us. Yes, that includes you, my friend.

To save you from the overwhelming frustration I felt, I’ve compiled 5 key tips to know before painting your fence.  Trust me, not only will these tips help you prepare, they will help you save time and money.  Who doesn’t like that?

Before we get to those things you need to know before painting your fence, let’s first talk about the pros and cons because they are key to helping you make a final decision.

PROS & CONS OF PAINTING YOUR FENCE

When we moved into our house, the fence was, initially, in bad shape. It had a lean-to it, not like a cholo, but more like if the wind blew too hard, it would fall right over. It needed replacement sooner rather than later. And I saw it as the perfect opportunity to make my fence painting dreams come true.

But . . .

CON #1

You know I like to keep it real around here, so I am going to warn you, fence painting is much trabajo. Spanish for A LOT OF WORK! It’s not for the faint of heart or for those who don’t like to break a sweat. It’s physical labor, which may will cause soreness the next day. When I woke up the following day and tried to get out of bed, my legs felt like I had competed in the squatting Olympics. And let’s not talk about my shoulders. Some call it getting older, but I’ll call it a solid day of intentional, meaningful work. It makes me feel better about feeling sore the day after painting a fence. Please don’t take this as me trying to scare or discourage you, I am just making sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.

CON #2

Painting your wood fence could turn into an expensive project. There are supplies to consider, and of course, a personal favorite, opportunity cost. You may consider asking yourself the following questions before starting: What am I giving up to paint the fence? And is it worth it? If you can answer these two questions honestly, you’re ahead of the game. But, in my opinion, the benefits outweigh the cost.

PRO #1

For starters, one of the benefits is paint acts as a barrier against the weather and slows down the wear and tear. It seals the wood and extends its longevity. It makes your fence last longer. Isn’t that amazing? I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t want to replace my fence any time soon.

PRO #2

The second and pretty pro is aesthetics. With the fence now painted, our backyard space looks cohesive, updated, and well put together.  Plus, the color makes the greenery and garden pop. We’ve gotten so many compliments from the neighbors. Two have already asked me for the paint color because they want to paint their fences as well.

Considering the pros and cons will help you decide if painting the fence is something you want to pursue.

5 Key Tips To Know Before Painting Your Fence

Now that you know a few of the pros and cons, it’s time to get the goods. The plan before all the action, meaning what we did before painting our fence. Below you will find the 5 key tips to know before painting your fence.

1. RECON + DECISIONS

The Recon and decisions stage is about gathering as much data as possible to help make your project as easy as possible.

• First, chose a paint color.
  • To help you decide what color you want to paint your fence, Collect inspiration. Pinterest is always my go-to source of inspiration. I’ve had years of saved pins so I had an idea of what color I wanted.
  • NOTE: Paint color makes a difference. Some colors will help greenery pop, while others are more subtle and smooth.
  • Narrow down the paint colors to your top three favorites.
  • Put all three samples on the fence.
• Second, get approval from your HOA.
  • If you live in a neighborhood, you more than likely have an HOA (Home Owner’s Association). The HOA will need to approve your color beforehand.
  • Getting approval from our HOA took about 4 weeks so, plan ahead.
• Third, decide when to power wash the fence.
  • Power washing will get all the dirt and grime off the fence and help paint adhere to it.
• Fourth, measure the length and height of your fence to assess square footage and estimate how much paint you will need.
• Fifth, take stock of tools and supplies you have on hand.
  • Make a list on your phone or piece of paper of things you need to buy. A list will help you stick to your budget.
• Sixth, think about your budget and the painting method you will use.
• Seventh, make a list of to-do prep tasks, a few days before painting.
• Lastly, make a general list of steps to use as guidance on painting day.

2. METHOD TO PAINT THE FENCE

Decide what method you feel comfortable using to paint your fence. There is no right answer. It all depends, on how much money and time you’re willing to spend doing this project. The bigger your project the more likely you will want an airless sprayer.

• Brush
  • Brushing the fence, although cost-effective, will take the longest.
• Roll
  • Painting your fence with a roller is cost-effective and will take less time than brushing it. It will still take you at least 4x longer than spray painting.
  • Two coats may be needed with the roll method.
• Spray Paint
  • I highly recommend an airless sprayer as it will cut your painting time by 75%.
  • Spray painters range in price but I bet you can find one in your budget.
  • Time savings will depend on the sprayer you purchase.

3. BUDGET

After you review the supplies on hand and decide what method to use, consider your budget. You would think this would be the first thing to look at, but your budget will somewhat depend on things you have on hand. If you already a sprayer, then all you have to worry about is paint. Divide your budget into sections.

• Supplies for prepping. This includes renting a power washer if you don’t have one.
• Painting supplies like paint brushes, rollers, painters tape, painter’s plastic, butkets, etc.
• Paint: this depends on the amount of fence in your project.
• Sprayer: if you decide to buy or rent one.

4. BREAK UP TASKS

Depending on the size of your fence, planning and painting could take longer than two days.

• PREP DAY will consist of gathering the tools needed and laying out a plan of action to help get everything ready for painting day.
  • Prepping is the killer of joy you guys but a crucial step. Make sure you have enough time to prep any areas you don’t want to paint.
    • Areas you don’t want paint on could be the a concrete driveway, where wall meets fence, or anywhere paint could splatter, drip or run into.
  • Pressure wash the fence depending on the age. Consider drying time which should be a minimum of 24 hrs.
• PAINTING DAY is “Action day!” Yay! The day you’ve impatiently awaited to paint your fence.
  • It will be a busy day so make sure you get a good night of sleep and eat a good breakfast. It’s like the day before a big performance but better.

5. IF POSSIBLE, BE COGNIZANT OF YOUR NEIGHBORS, AND KEEP AN EYE ON THE WEATHER

• Let your next-door neighbors know you will be painting your fence, so they are aware of what the smell is and what all the chaos in your backyard is. Plus, it’s just a cordial, kind thing to do for your fellow neighbor. They will appreciate it.
• Test paint an area to see if your neighbor will get overspray. Paint could potentially slip through the cracks of the fence. Testing a section will give you a better idea if your selected method of painting will cause any trouble.
• Pick a day that is not windy or rainy. Ideally, 48 hours away from a rain day.

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When we bought our first house, I began tinkering with the idea of painting the fence. Sadly, this project always ended up on hold while other projects took priority.  Meanwhile, my Pinterest boards, silently, kept piling up pins of pretty painted fences. Little did I know my pretty painted fence dreams would come true years later.

The fence is now black! Holy smokes, I still can’t believe we went for such a bold color. It is bold and beautiful. The newly painted fence has transformed the outdoor space of our home from dull to modern, clean, and unique. We are in love with our outdoor space even more now.

PURSUE PURPOSEFUL PROJECTS

To wrap this up, I will say painting the fence requires patience as it takes serious planning ahead, budgeting, and hard work. Pursue the projects that bring you joy and purpose. For Cecil and I, being knee deep in black paint brought us so much joy and purpose. We will always remember how much we enjoyed this project, how grateful we are for hard work, but above all, how much fun we had painting our fence black.

Let me know if this post resonated with you by taking a screenshot and tagging me on your social media. If possible, please send me some pictures of your project, if you decide to paint your fence too. And as always, I am here if you have any questions, just leave them on the comments below.

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Thank you so much for reading, and following along!

With love and gratitude,