Fence Care: Maintaining Your Fence

Building a fence is a serious task. There’s a lot of planning involved, from measuring the area that you want the fencing to line, to ensuring you are following local guidelines, to choosing your fencing style. Roark makes this process easy, and can install your fence in just a few days once all paperwork has been handled.

After the fence is installed, proper fence care can extend the life of your new investment. Maintaining your fence is just as important as installing it properly. While a monitored fence can last decades, a poorly maintained fence can break down or rot in just a few short years. Let’s break down the various fencing types and how to care for them.

Wood Fence Care

Wood fences are sturdy and can be made into various fencing styles like picket, rail, and privacy fencing. They can be truly gorgeous when installed correctly, and last quite a while. That being said, they do need to be looked after to maintain their looks and strength. 

Wood fence care is generally straightforward and easy. It is important to clean your fence at least once a year. The process for effective wood fence cleaning includes either hosing it down or power washing the entirety of the fence. If you encounter any debris stuck in between or under the posts, use a wire brush to remove it and hose it again. You may want to also hand wash it using bleach or a wood cleaner to maintain color and shine.

If you find any chips in the wood that cannot be repaired with glue, or any other damages that you cannot fix yourself, give us a call and we can restore your fence for you.

Wrought Iron Fence Care

Iron fence care requires slightly more attention. Iron fences have larger gaps, and are more susceptible to damage from moisture that causes rust, and therefore need more consistent monitoring. We recommend doing a weekly or biweekly examination of your iron fence to check for any potential threats. For example, if you come across any weeds growing into your fence, you should remove them immediately so they don’t attach themselves or scratch the metal. 

Cleaning an iron fence is a bit easier. The main issue to watch out for with iron is, of course, rust. You want to make sure you clean off any signs of rust before it penetrates the metal. Otherwise, cleaning your fence with warm, soapy water as needed should do the trick. If it appears that your fence needs repairs, you can always call Roark Fencing to come and fix your fence up.

Chain Link Care

Chain link fences are the simplest to maintain. For this style, fence care really only includes keeping it clean. A simple hose down or power wash is typically enough, though you may need soap and a towel to remove any sticky substances like animal feces. The annoying part of chain link fence care is removing items stuck in the gaps that won’t come out with a simple hose down. You may need to manually remove leaves, spider webs, or any man-made debris.

If you encounter rust on your chain link fence, a wire brush will usually take care of that pretty easily. If there is anything that you cannot remove yourself, Roark can handle that for you.

Typically, routine fence care is relatively simple, and cleaning your fence once a year or so should keep it in solid condition. It is never a bad idea to inspect your fence on a regular basis and react accordingly. If you have any questions about proper fence care or see something you’re unsure you can handle on your own, call us at (859) 983-0269. We are here to help you keep your fence in top shape.