In order for your wooden privacy fence to last a long time, it needs regular care. What you need to do and how often depends on the type of wood you choose.
You're sitting comfortably in the garden with coffee and cake and suddenly the neighbor calls over in no uncertain terms how many pieces you've already plastered. No one needs that much curiosity and this is one of the reasons why patio owners opt for a privacy fence. But the chic elements, most of which are made of wood, also serve as a porch.
Despite pre-treatment by the manufacturer, the privacy screen elements, just like your garden furniture, need regular after-treatment (for wood care tips for garden furniture, see www.heimwerker-news.de). How often and intensively you have to take care of the privacy fence essentially depends on the type of wood used.
➡ Also read: Privacy screen in the garden: There are these options
Small Wood Lexicon
| Spruce | Good drying, low tendency to tear, stainable, easy to paint |
| Pine | Stainable, easy to varnish, glaze and paint, sometimes very resinous |
| Larch | high weather resistance, very hard wood, low swelling |
| Robinie | hard wood nevertheless elastic, poor impregnability, tendency to tear |
| Douglas Fir | good weather resistance, very low absorbency for water, good strength |
Wooden privacy fence - How often to maintain?
It is a matter of personal taste whether you choose a fence made of wood or metal. My personal favorite are wooden elements (see photo on the right), but these also need a little more maintenance than their metal counterparts. But don't worry, you don't have to go to work with a brush and bucket of paint every month to maintain the beauty of this natural product.
The rule of thumb for repainting is:
- Waterproofing glazes annually
- Thin layer glazes every two to three years
- Thick layer glazes every three to five years
- Opaque coatings every five to seven years.
Source: selbst.de
» Note: To avoid unwanted rust spots, make sure when you buy that the screws for connecting the elements are made of stainless steel.
Repaint wooden privacy screen
» Step by step instructions «
Wood is a natural product that will continue to “work” later on. Cracks are therefore not completely avoidable and in most cases completely harmless. If the posts are affected, make sure they are adequately secured.
Step 1 - Cleaning the screen elements
Over time, a lot of dust, cobwebs and insect residue settle on the wood surface. All of that needs to be removed first before you start painting. Either you go to work with good old manhood (suds and brush) or you take a Kärcher. Pay attention to the pressure - do not set too much to avoid destroying the elements.
Step 2 - Paint the privacy fence
A little preparatory work is still necessary before we can start. To avoid making a "mess" on the patio floor, cover the surrounding area with blankets or newspaper, or use painter's tape for narrow areas.
There are different materials to choose from for painting:
| Wood stain | if transparent good visibility of the grain, the darker the shade the higher the UV protection, shelf life approx. 2 - 3 years |
| Wood color | high opacity but conceals the grain, good UV protection |
| Wood Oil | preserves the grain, highly resilient, protects and cares very well, use colored oil for better UV protection |
➠ Let the first coat dry completely
Only paint when the weather is nice so that the privacy screen elements can dry well. You can find out how long this takes from the manufacturer's instructions. Depending on what you have decided on, several coats of paint are necessary. In the case of glazes, a single coat is sometimes sufficient, the easiest and more even way to apply wood paint is with a paint spray gun.
➠ Don't forget the spaces
The large areas can be painted without any problems. It gets tricky when you want to apply the wood protection between the individual elements. A narrow, curved brush makes it easierWork! Make sure that you really catch every gap, otherwise there is no longer any protection against the sun and weather at this point.
- Clean privacy screens thoroughly before painting.
- Glazes provide the best protection and preserve the natural appearance of the wood.
- Allow the coat to dry thoroughly and repeat if necessary.
- Don't forget the spaces!
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