To ensure that it isn’t destroyed during the season of ice and snow, your wood fence needs maintenance and protection for wintertime. This will ensure that it survives the colder winter months while still protecting your property.
Hence, the team at Fencescape would like you to know 4 tips for winter wood fence care.
1. Mend All Issues
Your first step in your winter wood fence maintenance is to examine your fence for any outstanding damage or flaws.
Those issues will be compounded with snow, ice and cold temperatures and wear down a wood fence even faster. If you are unable to handle those before winter, you’ll need to wait till spring before you can make any repairs and any damage at that point will end up costing you more.
As such, if you find any rotting boards, sagging wood, holes, cracks, etc, you need to fix them as soon as possible. Mildew on your fence also needs to be scrubbed off. The repairs will help your wood fence withstand the rigours of winter.
2. Strengthen Foundations
During winter seasons, there will be significant and repeated frosting and thawing as the temperature fluctuates. This can impact the soil your fence is planted in, causing it to shift. Shifting soil will lead to shifting fence posts, destabilizing the structural integrity of your fence.
As such, checking and fortifying the foundations should be a part of your wood fence maintenance for winter. Strong foundations will help the wood enclosure survive better in winter and keep you from making any rushed repairs in cold weather.
3. Waterproof Your Fence
If you have not already done so, making sure your fence has waterproof protection is a crucial part of winter wood fence maintenance.
The sealant or coating used to waterproof your fence can also protect it from the effects of snow and ice. Oil-based stains provide excellent protection against water damage and will serve adequately in winter months.
If you need to check the waterproofing of your fence, you can splash some water on it and analyze the effects. If the water doesn’t slide off and soaks into the wood instead, then it needs to be protected quickly.
4. Take Care Of Branches and Leaves
The cold temperatures that come with wintertime will make wood fences rigid and less flexible. This reduces their ability to naturally bend and shrug off physical impacts. Hence, they are more susceptible to breaking in the colder seasons.
To reduce the amount of damage they take during winter, you should add pruning of overhanging tree branches to your wood fence maintenance for the season. This will allow you to eliminate a potential hazard to your fence and increase its longevity.
If there are any leaves in your yard, you should also get rid of them. If they blow up against your fence in the winter, the added moisture from snow will increase the weight on the fence. It is likely to buckle and warp when combined with the snow and ice that will form on your fence. The trapped moisture from the leaves can also lead to mildew, rusting, and rotting, further damaging your wood fence.
Fencescape – Premium Quality Fence Installations
Protect your fence to enable it to protect your property. Follow these tips and your fence will endure the harshness of winter and last as long as you need it to.
Please contact us if you need any help with fencing your property. Fencescape has provided high-quality fencing services to Ottawa and the surrounding areas since our inception. Our team is experienced and equipped to help you every step of the way. We take pride in our work, no matter how big or small.
