When most people think of painting their house, they often think about the interior walls of the house, the cabinets, and maybe even the doors to their home. However, there is so much more that you can paint on your property to add a splash of color into your life. For example, you can paint your garden fence. Not only will this make your garden a little bit more beautiful, but it can also be a fun and relaxing activity to just sit back, relax, and paint a fence in an afternoon. There are a few things you will want to keep in mind though, as outdoor painting is a bit different than indoor. After all, there is a lot more that the paint will have to withstand, ranging from swinging temperatures to rain, snow, and blistering heat. Once you know what to look for though, painting a fence is one of the easiest things that you can do. 

Getting Prepared for the Task

First things first, you will want to make sure that you have everything that you need to get the job done. You should also make sure that your fence doesn’t need a primer or any sort of preparation aside from simply sanding it down to a clean layer of wood. From here, you will want to get materials to clean your fence with, paint protection supplies, a ladder (depending on the height of the fence), and ties to keep plants out of the way of the paint. Getting these materials will help ensure that the painting process goes smoothly and that you won’t have to worry about anything. 

You should also make sure that you do some research on what type of paint works best for your fence type. As with interior painting, different paints work best with different materials. For the most part, you can get away with using a standard exterior wood paint, as most garden fences are made from wood. If your fence is made with another material, you may need to do a bit of extra research to see what type of paint to look for. In most cases, you will always want to look for exterior paint specifically. Exterior paint is made to withstand the forces of nature much better than your standard interior paint could, making it important to use on an outdoor fixture. 

Getting the Job Done

Now that you have the materials and are ready to begin painting, you will first want to make sure that you are protected from the paint and its fumes, your yard is protected from unwanted paint spills, and your plants are protected as well. Next, you will want to either clean the wood of your fence, sand it down to a clean, smooth layer, or both. You may need to apply a primer to make sure that the wood is ready to take the paint and help it bond to the fence, and you may need to consider investing in a wood preserver if your fence is something important to you. 

Once these preparations have been made, you will be ready to begin painting your fence a brand-new color. This part of the job is simple, as all you are doing is painting the fence. The motion of the brush or the number of layers you should use doesn’t matter as much on the thin panels of the fence. You will generally not need a finish or a gloss of any sort on an outdoor paint job, although there may be some that you can find if you decide that you want to do things this way.