Painting an Old Picket Fence

Painting Your Old Picket Fence

By: Kurt Zier

 

A picket fence can really give your home a cozy cottage look that just calls to people to make themselves at home. Many years ago, a picket fence was only made out of wood, and was typically white washed. These days a picket fence can be made out of so many other materials, such as vinyl or metal. A wooden picket fence is classic, but after going through the weather of winter or the rains of spring, you may need to repaint your wooden picket fence. It is a satisfying feeling to see the fence repainted and looking fresh and new again after you are finished. There are a few things that you can do to prepare your picket fence for being repainted.
The first step in preparing your picket fence to be repainted is to strip the old paint off of the fence. There are many ways to do this, such as scraping it, sandblasting it, using a power wash or sandpaper, or using paint removing chemicals. Perhaps a good way to get the old paint off of a picket fence is to dress your kids or your neighbor\'s kids in old t-shirts, give them each a scraper, and pay them twenty five cents a slat (but make sure to supply some good lemonade!). Scraping the paint or sanding it off could possibly be the most efficient ways to get the paint off a picket fence.
Next, you want to make sure that there are no loose nails that need to be pulled out, hammered in, or replaced. There might be screws or staples, too and you will want to make sure and get all of those out also. Look over the picket fence and fill in any holes or dents with wood filler so that the picket fence will look really smooth when it is done. There are wood protectants that you can purchase that will protect the wood on your picket fence, and you will probably want to use one that is clear. After you apply the protectant, wait for it to completely dry before moving on to the next step. The next step is to use caulking and go over any places where the wood on the picket fence is cracked or split.
When all the prep work is done for your picket fence, you can start painting with a primer and you want one that will dry slowly. It might be a good idea to have the paint store tint the primer the same color as the paint you are going to paint the picket fence with. When the primer is completely dry you can start to paint the fence with your paint, and you will probably want to do at least two layers, allowing each layer to dry completely before applying the next one.
A wooden picket fence is always a classic touch to have surrounding your home that just makes it look cozy and quaint. You probably want your picket fence to always be in good repair and painted nicely so that it is welcoming and beautiful.

Painting A Picket Fence

Painting Your Fence With An Airless Sprayer

By: Kurt Zier

 

A white picket fence is a classic look for any home and really adds some design and protection for your home. A white picket fence might be the first thing someone sees as they approach your home, so you will want to keep appealing. Perhaps your white picket fence needs a fresh coat of paint, but you just really do not want to paint each slat by hand. There is an airless paint sprayer that you can use to paint your white picket fence without the hassle of doing it one slat at a time.
Before you get to painting your white picket fence, you will need to prepare the fence for painting. You can start by stripping the old paint off of the fence, using heavy sandpaper or a scraper. A scraper might be a little bit more time efficient, but sandpaper will make the area smoother. You might be able to just use an electric sander and get the job done fairly quickly and also make it smooth. If you use a sander, you will still need to be sure and get between each slat of the white picket fence by hand. After it is all looking smooth, you will want to make sure there are no places in your white picket fence that might need repair. You may have to replace a nail, screw, or staple before starting to paint the fence. If you come across a crack or a hole that is small enough, you can fill it with wood filler. There might be a crack or a hole in the fence that is that is too big for repair, and you will need to replace that slat before painting the white picket fence. Once the fence is in good repair, you are ready to start painting with the airless sprayer. First, strain the exterior wood primer and paint through strainers and into two separate buckets that have been cleaned. An airless paint spray gun has a reservoir that you will now fill with the wood primer and spray it on the fence in a fine, even mist. Before starting on your white picket fence you might want to cover your bushes, grass, or other landscaping that is around the fence to protect them from the primer and paint. As you spray the white picket fence, you should use slow up and down motions so that the primer is painted on evenly. You may have to tilt the sprayer to an angle to reach between the slats, but make sure that you are not globbing it on so that it runs and creates drips. The primer will need to be completely dry before you start spraying the paint onto the white picket fence and you will spray the paint the same way as the primer, in very even strokes. It might be better to do many thin coats, rather than one thick coat, because thick paint will run worse than thin paint. There might be spaces on the white picket fence, perhaps between slats, that will need to be touched up with a brush, so you will want to check for these spots before calling it good.

Tools For Painting And Decorating

Painting A Wood Picket Fence

By: Kurt Zier

There may come a time when you need to do a repair on a vinyl or aluminum picket fence, but on a wooden picket fence, you may need to repaint it each year as it may go through some bad weather. The heat of summer and the moisture of winter can each affect a wooden picket fence so that it will need a little bit of tender loving care to start looking new and inviting again. A picket fence is often the first thing a person might see when approaching your house and you always want it to be in top repair so it is welcoming to your guests.
The first thing to do when repainting your wooden picket fence is to strip the fence of the old paint. There are many ways to do this, such as sandblasting, using a power wash, or using a paint removing chemical, but the most typical ways are sanding the paint off and scraping the paint off. Repainting a picket fence might be something your kids would want to help with, and scraping the old paint off the picket fence is a great job for the kids to do. Put them in an old t-shirt, give them a scraper or sandpaper, and tell them you\'ll give them a dime for each slat they sand down on the picket fence. Not only will it save you a little time to go buy some supplies for your picket fence, but it will teach the kids about hard work. After the scraping is completely done, you might want to do an inspection of all the wood of the picket fence to make sure there are no nails, screws or staples that need to be removed or hammered back in. You want your picket fence to be in good repair before moving on to the next step, which is filling in any holes or dents with a wood filler. When the holes and dents in the picket fence are all filled in then you can apply a clear product that will protect your wood that you can purchase at a home repair store. After the wood protector is completely dry, you should use caulking on the cracks and splits in the wood of your picket fence so that you have a nice surface to paint. Before you apply the paint, you might want to paint on a primer, which you might be able to have the paint department tint to the same color as your paint. When you purchase your primer, you will want one that dries slowly, and when it is completely dry, you can then paint the picket fence. You will probably want to do two or more coats of paint on your picket fence, letting the paint dry in between layers.
A picket fence is a great attraction for your company and just a fun way to make your house look quaint and cozy. A picket fence that is made from wood will eventually weather over time, so you will probably want to be sure and repaint your picket fence when you notice that it is looking weathered. It is not too hard to do and is worth the time and effort you will put into it.