Wednesday 10 July 2013

Small Repairs Can Save Your Fence


If you have noticed a bit of wear and tear on your wooden fencing panels or posts, it doesn’t necessarily mean you need a complete new fence. Repairs can often be made to the affected areas, saving you the hassle and expense of ripping out and replacing the whole fence.

In south Essex, from Romford and Brentwood to Orsett, fences are being repaired on our advice. Inspect your panels, gravel boards, posts and arris rails to see what needs to be done.
            
Panels and Gravel Boards Can Be Replaced

If just one panel has deteriorated, buy a new one to replace it. If you can’t get the right length and have to buy one that is too long, Essex fencing expert would advise you to nail new batons on either side, marking the length required, and then saw off the protruding end. You should treat the raw edges with a preservative before you attach your new panel to the old brackets with new galvanised screws. If a standard size panel is a little on the short side for your space, you may need to add a length of wood between the panel and the post at one end.

It may be just the wooden gravel boards that need replacing. If that is the case we suggest you use pressure treated timber to prolong the life of your new ones. You may not need to fully remove a fencing panel while you fix a new gravel board beneath it, but make sure the panel is supported by props while you do it.

Posts and Arris Rails Can Be Repaired


Along with the gravel boards, the posts are the parts of your fences that inevitably have the most contact with the soil. Over the years moisture seeps into the wood and rot starts to set in. But you can give posts a new lease of life with repair spurs. Dig out around the post, remove the rotten section, paint on preservative to the remaining post and attach the spur to it before filling in the new hole with hardcore topped with concrete.

Another element of your fencing that may need some care is an arris rail. These sometimes break when they age or rot at the ends. You can easily repair them with metal arris brackets that you attach with screws through the pre-drilled holes.
                         

Carrying out these small fencing repairs will leave you with fences as good as new for several more years.

Don’t Let the Dogs out

Does your pet dog yearn to escape the confines of your garden into the wide world beyond? Sturdy garden fencing and gates, kept in good repair, will save you worry and heartache.

High Fencing Keeps in Big Dogs

Many large dogs can jump quite high. For this we recommend that the best fencing materials are strong, six-foot, close-board wooden fencing panels or larch-lap panel fencing. If you are worried about your dog digging underneath the fence, we advise that you do the digging first, and put a galvanised wire mesh into the ground beneath your fencing. Romford, Brentwood and other Essex residents also often make their fences even higher by topping them with decorative trellis.

Fences like these also help to keep out the wildlife you prefer to see outside your garden, such as urban foxes in towns like Upminster and Hornchurch. Fencing this high is also essential to stop the prying eyes of potential dog thieves.

Fences could also protect areas of your garden from your pets. You don’t really want them rampaging through your vegetable patch or a perfect flower bed. With a little dog training, an attractive picket fence could suffice here without spoiling the look of your garden.

 Picket Fences Keep in Small Dogs

If you have a small dog, or an elderly one that can’t or won’t jump very high, you might prefer a lower picket fence for your boundary as well, though it won’t be as effective in deterring wild life or thieving criminals. Many homes use a picket fence at the front, with higher and sturdier fencing at the back and sides.


Don’t forget to make regular inspections to see if you need any fence repairs. And remember that fences with gravel boards and concrete posts between the panels are the most long lasting.