DIY Fence Stain; or dare I say it, emulsion?......

Hi all,

I have a bit of an odd question and would appreciate your advice.

When we moved into our (rented) Victorian terraced home, a new fence, constructed from standard wainey edge fence panels and concrete posts had just been erected all down one side. As I had so much to do on the house, I decided to just leave it untreated until I had the chance to get to it.

With the last two years passing in a blur, I've finally managed to get a plan for how I'd like the garden to look this summer. The answer? Brocante! With French heritage (my Dad was French) and marrying into a totally 'Francophile' Family (they only holiday in France and only drink French cheese and Wine!), it seemed the obvious choice....

Anyway, I've set about collecting lots of old galvanised pots, buckets, distressed finish steps to show the pots on, rusty old furniture etc, I'm now down to sorting out the fence panels. However, I'm concerned that a) Lots of modern colours are just a bit too 'new' & heavy and b) I don't want to spend a fortune on paint for a fence that I may not see the long term benefit of (there's a possibility I may get a secondment over to Ireland this year, which will mean us moving again). As such, I thought a thin coat of pale grey, watered down emulsion may lightly colour the panels without them looking newly painted. I'm after something subtle, more like a stain or colour wash than a full, thick colour block. With no responsibility for the upkeep or longevity of the fence, it doesn't need to have any preservative qualities.

I've used a similar technique on other wooden objects and it's seemed fine, but I wondered if anyone had any stories or suggestions of creating a subtle, 'lived in', slightly 'shabby French' boundary?

Many thanks in advance

Stu.

 

Scrub it with a wire brush to get the soft bit of the grain out and then slap some paint on and wipe

 

Emulsion paint is water based - for goodness sake .... when it rains (as it often does in winter) it will surely all wash off and look awful
I would get some special outside paint - it has to be worth it surely?

Whereabouts are you in Kent Stu - anywhere near us?

 

I'm in Farningham. To be honest, the reason I'm looking at emulsion is exactly BECAUSE it's water based. Once it dries in the grain, the rest can wash out over time, leaving that soft, weathered look.

 

Bon chance monsieur

 

Have you got access to a sandblaster?

 

Merci!

 

A jetwash would be just as effective.

Cedar fence panels go naturally grey.
I'm happy with that colour, over time you tend not to notice them that much, so they don't detract from the colours of the foliage.

 

Hi! Thanks for your concern, but we're all good with the landlord. He's given us permission to do whatever we like as it was in such a bad state before. We have an agreement with him that we have carte blanch - something we agreed in writing at the start of the tenancy.

 

Yep, that's about the colour they are at the moment, to be honest. I might just leave them as they are. That wisteria looks GREAT by the way!

 

Thanks for the kind words. We've five altogther in our small garden.