In order to help keep your exterior fences looking good, you need a good quality exterior paint, a four inch paint brush, a one inch paint brush or an angled or cutting paint brush, a whisk broom, a cloth, rubber gloves and warm water. Painting a fence is not difficult, but it can be repetitive and time consuming. However, once you manage to do a good job with fence painting and maintenance, you will have an attractive exterior design element and will have a well maintained fence that will last for many years.

The best time for you to paint a fence is before it is put up. You can paint the boards and the posts before the fence is built and put together. It can be a great deal easier for you to paint the fence boards while they are laying down on the floor in your garage or driveway than after they have been nailed up as part of the fence. This is the best way to make sure that all four sides of each board are also taken care of, which is considerably harder once you have put the fence together.

Painting exposed edges of your fence boards is vital because if you leave them unpainted and exposed, moisture can work its way down into the wood, rotting your fence prematurely and forcing you to start over again in only a few years' time.

Fence painting can also be done once your fence has been put up. You need to paint your fence in order to protect the wood, as painted fence will last a lot longer than unpainted fence. You should make sure to use a high quality paint that is formulated specifically for use outside. What this means is that it should be fence paint that contains UV inhibitors, designed specifically to stand up not only to sun damage but also other elements that may normally cause harm to wood.

While brushes may seem all alike when it comes to fence painting, they really are not. Cheap fence paint brushes are going to lose their bristles, which will create rough edges and also which may cause blistering in the paint.

Make sure that you clean your fence up before you begin painting. Clear away seeds, leaves, cobwebs and other debris from the corners where the posts and the spreaders meet. The cleaner that your fence is, the more successfully you will be able to paint once you are ready. If there is flaking or loose paint, brush it off with a scraper.

Make sure to work on the face section by section, painting the open grain at the top first, and then working your way down each individual board and along each edge. Paint all the way down to the ground but take care not to get dirt or debris in the paint as you go.

Interested in painting and staining supplies? Get your project started by submitting a free BuyerZone request for painting price quotes.