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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Etiquette when applying creosote to fence

51 replies

LadyIrisBarclay · 05/04/2017 17:08

We lived in this property for 18 years and today is the third time since we moved in that I have applied creosote to the fence

It borders our garden on 3 sides and we get the 'shitty' side on the whole lot. This doesn't bother me in the slightest however it does mean that when it comes to painting the fence, our paint is much more likely to drip down to the other side then their paint is to drip through to ours.

Over the years when the neighbours have done their fences, a little bit has dripped through to our side.

Again, not bothered, even though we are all using very different paint colours.

Neighbour 1: Turgid Green
Neighbour 2: Dog Shit Brown
Us: Calming Lavender ok, purple

So now, as expected Neighbour 2 has come home and spotted what I suspect are drips coming through his fence.

After ranting and raving at his wife, he has now spent 5 minutes banging on our front door and I have completely ignored him.

Surely, if a few drips come through you just do a bit of touching up on your own side and then carry on with life?

Neighbour 2 is a completely dreadful person all round (for reasons I wont go into on here as potentially too outing but it involves dumping raw sewage).

So AIBU to ignore him or better still tell him to get over himself?

Or is there some weird creosote law that I am unaware of?

OP posts:
BreakfastAtSquiffanys · 05/04/2017 17:10

I would have thought the primary creosote law is not to use purple Grin

Original poster
LadyIrisBarclay · 05/04/2017 17:11

It's not purple, it's lavender keep up Grin

OP posts:
Chattymummyhere · 05/04/2017 17:12

Purple! Wow yeah I would be a bit wtf as well. A couple of little dribbles of a normal garden colour is one thing but purple drips all over the place. Nope.

willowtree62 · 05/04/2017 17:14

Who does the fence actually belong too? If it's next doors you have to ask permission before painting it so this may be why he is annoyed?

stopfuckingshoutingatme · 05/04/2017 17:15

if you all creosoted your fence BROWN like normal people...

I love MN, it introduces so many new things

like purple fences Grin

PortiaCastis · 05/04/2017 17:16

Be careful of the pigeon

LokisSister · 05/04/2017 17:16

I'd ignore it mines blue

dementedpixie · 05/04/2017 17:17

Answer the door and offer to touch up the spots on his side? And of course you can paint your own side! We have a reddish orange colour and our neighbour has brown so we have splashes of each other's on each side

terrylene · 05/04/2017 17:19

I have always painted my side of the fence, although it appears that I should have asked - but no one has ever bothered.

I have never painted it purple lavender though. Usually just fence colour.

5foot5 · 05/04/2017 17:20

When you say you have the "shitty" side do you mean the side with the fence posts?

My understanding is if you have the fence posts then it is your fence (and your responsibility to maintain it)

Having said that if you have dripped purple lavendar all over their side I can see why he is a bit vexed. Don't really know what he expects you to do about it though.

Dizzy199 · 05/04/2017 17:21

If you have the shitty side (i assume it's the side with the posts etc) then it's ptobably your fence and you can tell him to jog on. I would check though - could be embarrassing Grin

Dizzy199 · 05/04/2017 17:22

Ha! 5 great minds and all that!

PitilessYank · 05/04/2017 17:23

I would love a lavender fence!

(Um, what was the question again?)

Oh yes, I would offer to touch their side up, but I would be prepared for them to be dissatisfied with it, no matter what I did. They sound difficult.

dementedpixie · 05/04/2017 17:23

We have the good sides of both the fences at the side as one was put in the wrong way. We maintain them jointly as nothing is specified as being ours

Wishiwasmoiradingle2017 · 05/04/2017 17:25

We actually had it get a solicitor over a painted fence years ago!!
2 foot fence between us - we owned, them council, 3 dogs between us (and our dc.) We paid and put up a 6 door legal fence. Painted it black and she did her side brown and dripped through. . Refused to do her side black even though we owned it. She tried to pull it down with a claw hammer!! Our solicitor told her she was obliged to let us on her property to maintain our fence - and I could paint it black.
She actually moved and the night before tacked bunting all along the fence and some little flags!!

Okite · 05/04/2017 17:26

I'm assuming you used a brush and not a sprayer? Our neighbour spray painted his fence a few years back and you wouldn't believe the mess it made of our garden. There was paint all over our newly-installed sandstone patio, paint covering all the plants by the fence, paint all over our washing which was miles away from the fence. He'd literally only been spraying for about 15 minutes before we spotted it and shouted for him to stop, he couldn't believe the damage either. So, if you sprayed, you'd better answer the door. If not and you're sure it's just a few drips, well I'd still answer the door anyway and see what he says.
(I can't stand the word creosote because no one round here my inlaws and DH can say it properly... they say it more like creosalt)

Original poster
LadyIrisBarclay · 05/04/2017 17:32

The fence posts are not on either side, they kind of sit right in the middle so not sure what this means.

By shitty end I mean the way the fence panels overlap. On neighbours side they overlap in the same way that roof tiles would if that makes sense. So water and paint would just run over over it.

We get the opposite side

OP posts:
Topseyt · 05/04/2017 17:34

I didn't know creosote came in colours other that dog shit brown.

Original poster
LadyIrisBarclay · 05/04/2017 17:37

And I did whilst wearing Crocs ....

OP posts:
Goingtobeawesome · 05/04/2017 17:44

Hmm. THis reminds me. Our neighbour has painted her side, panels which are ours, and it's run through and looks awful. Grr.

tabbymog · 05/04/2017 17:44

We actually had it get a solicitor over a painted fence years ago!!

The mind boggles! Did he get creosote on his suit? Misses point of thread...

OpalMoon · 05/04/2017 17:55

Ooooh, I'd love a lavender fence.

I have the pretty side. I paid for it so I'll have whatever damned side I like and whatever colour too Grin

SasBel · 05/04/2017 17:59

Thought the etiquette was to slop creosote on the fence then bugger off for 3 days until the smell dissipates.....

Soubriquet · 05/04/2017 18:04

My only etiquette would be let me know first so I can stand nearby and sniff it Grin

Love the smell of creosote

Okite · 05/04/2017 18:04

I didn't know creosote came in colours other that dog shit brown.
Technically it doesn't, creosote is a very specific thing and is indeed dog shit brown and not available to the general public. It's pretty toxic and smelly.
It's just exterior wood stain/fence paint that is pretty colours.