The grim winter season is very harsh on all exterior home features including your wood fences. The freezing temperatures, snowfall and melting of ice can damage your wooden fences immensely. Installing wood fences in your yard is a big investment and the last thing one would want is to get them damaged in the winter months.
Save your fence from repair costs by following these precautionary measures to protect it from getting rotten or damaged in the cold winter months.
Best Practices to Protect Your Fence in Winter Months
Clean the Fence
Keeping the fence clean is crucial in the cold weather. The moisture from the inclement weather on the wood can lead to the growth of green algae. Algae is not just hazardous for your wooden fence but it can also spread quickly on your walk-way and yard if not removed at the right time.
One way to protect the wooden fence from algae is to power wash it or use a scrub brush to wash it by hand with warm water and bleach solution. For a long-term solution to keep the wood dry, you can paint the wood with a waterproof solution to protect the wood from rain, snow and moisture.
Cut Overhanging Limbs
Tree branches and limbs near your wooden fence can become a threat to your fence as the moisture from the leaves can dampen and rot the wood. Moreover, it can also become a hideout for unwanted insects and snakes. The tree limbs can get heavier with snow, fall from the trees and can damage the wood. Before it causes any problems for you in the freezing temperatures, trim down the tree limbs and branches near your fence in the fall. Furthermore, keep an eye on them throughout the winter season.
Keep Debris and Salt Away
The pile of leaves, shrubs, mud or salt can damage your wooden fence. Get your yard cleaned up from all kinds of dirt, debris, and salt regularly in the winter months. Wood is very sensitive to salt and prolonged exposure can discolor and may cause cracks in the wood. Keeping your wooden fences clean in these few harsh months will prolong their life and keep them safe from maintenance.
Remove Snow Piles
Regularly shovel snow piles away from your fences. The heavy weight of snow and the moisture from the melting snow can be damaging for wooden fences. We recommend doing all you can to keep your wooden fence dry in the cold weather to extend its life.
Complete Fence Repairs
Minor fence repairs can turn into major fence damages. A lot of expansion and contraction takes place when the slow melts, if your fence is weak and needs repair then it would not be able to survive in the freezing temperatures for a longer time. Hence, get your fence repaired before heavy snowfall otherwise your fence might collapse.
Get Consultations for Fencing Plans of 2023
Looking for professional help and consultation for getting your yard fenced or repaired in 2023? Feel free to contact us, would be happy to help you out and answer any questions that you may have.