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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To paint my new fence purple?

129 replies

Ladysaurus · 18/05/2023 10:43

I currently have two lovely fellas putting up a fence on top of my short garden walls out back. I'm excited for the privacy. It will need painting to protect it and extend its life. Given that being in a terrace means one face of the fence faces into a neighbours garden, would it be overly offensive to paint it either a pale lilac (I like rustoleum's lilac) or a deep purple (I like cuprinol's summer damson).

Unfortunately, there's not great neighbour relations so I'm not concerned about souring anything. But I also don't want to be completely 'that person'. I won't paint it brown or grey. I might consider a pale sage green if purple shades are considered really too offensive...

OP posts:
saltinesandcoffeecups · 18/05/2023 14:13

I’d paint your side purple and the other side a neutral color or I’d ask the neighbors. I don’t think much of the color would show through to the other side. The other benefit would be a better chance of having access from their side to paint in the future. As you say, if they don’t like your color what stops them from putting up a fence on their side that blocks access for you to do maintenance.

If I were the neighbor and you painted the fence an obnoxious color I’d put up a synthetic fence that didn’t need maintenance on the opposite side and tell you tough luck for maintenance.

AlwaysGinPlease · 18/05/2023 14:14

You don't get to paint the other side if it's in your neighbours garden. Also purple is really tacky. Sorry...runs off ...

saltinesandcoffeecups · 18/05/2023 14:15

I am confused about how you plan to paint their side though. Surely you need agreement from them to do it and color choice becomes relevant

hellosunshine8 · 18/05/2023 14:15

Just sharing this jazzy fence near me. Thread made me think of it.

To paint my new fence purple?
HerNameIsIncontinentiaButtocks · 18/05/2023 14:18

You're worrying about nothing - you can totally protect the whole fence with neutral preservative, and then paint the inside purple without it leaking through to the other side. Go for the stripes!

Frabbits · 18/05/2023 14:24

Just paint it whatever colour you like on your side and if you want to protect the wood on the other either use just a clear coat or ask your neighbours for a colour preference. The colour is not going to be visible through it from the other side.

Original poster
Ladysaurus · 18/05/2023 14:30

Why shouldn't I let them paint their side?

Because it's my property. I've paid for it. Why should I let them do whatever they want to it, potentially damaging it? They won't pay to replace it if they want it dark grey, as is fashionable for example,and it bleeds through.

OP posts:
SquirrelRed · 18/05/2023 14:32

What if they don't let you into their garden to paint the other side?

Blinkingheckythump · 18/05/2023 14:34

Ladysaurus · 18/05/2023 14:30

Why shouldn't I let them paint their side?

Because it's my property. I've paid for it. Why should I let them do whatever they want to it, potentially damaging it? They won't pay to replace it if they want it dark grey, as is fashionable for example,and it bleeds through.

It's wood not paper it won't show through. I don't think you get how fences work. You might be responsible for it if it needs replacing. But it's in their garden too and you can't dictate what colour they have it painted on their side

VainAbigail · 18/05/2023 14:35

You still haven’t said how you plan to paint their side purple if they won’t let you on to their land because not everyone likes purple fences.

If it’s ok for you to not let them paint their side, it’s totally ok for them to refuse you access to their garden. Swings and roundabouts etc.

kingtamponthefurred · 18/05/2023 14:37

You seem to want to pick a fight with your neighbour.

Doggymummar · 18/05/2023 14:40

Did you need planning permission? It's very solid for a fence. The wall is lovely

Whitebeamtreelover · 18/05/2023 14:40

kingtamponthefurred · 18/05/2023 14:37

You seem to want to pick a fight with your neighbour.

This. You seem to be wondering how you can escalate things. You can’t enter their land, or their airspace, without their permission.

Sererus · 18/05/2023 14:45

Can't you just use a ladder to reach over to paint their side? Or is the fence too tall for that? It's not worth risking falling if you can't easily bend over the top to paint the other side.
We're moving soon and the fence needs re-painted (detached house so no neighbours to consider), I think I'm going to go for something other than boring brown/grey after seeing this thread. Lilac sounds lovely but don't think DP would like it, so maybe a light green or blue.

SoupDragon · 18/05/2023 14:47

Ladysaurus · 18/05/2023 13:54

Dang. Photo didn't attach

You're going to struggle to paint the far side of that any colour at all!

there's no reason not to paint your side purple though. It won't look "striped brown and purple" from their side.

pilates · 18/05/2023 14:48

I would hate a purple fence and wouldn’t inflict on my neighbours however much I didn’t like them. Painting a fence surely makes it high maintenance as it has to be done every year?

Lancasterel · 18/05/2023 14:48

Pretty sure in every house we’ve ever owned - with many, many fences over the years 😂 - we and our different neighbours just paint/treat our side however we like. My husband would hit the roof if next door came round and told us they were painting the fences purple on our side 😂

AlwaysGinPlease · 18/05/2023 14:52

Ladysaurus · 18/05/2023 14:30

Why shouldn't I let them paint their side?

Because it's my property. I've paid for it. Why should I let them do whatever they want to it, potentially damaging it? They won't pay to replace it if they want it dark grey, as is fashionable for example,and it bleeds through.

Well that's not how it works 😂

Original poster
Ladysaurus · 18/05/2023 14:54

I've seen plenty of posts on Mumsnet alone talking about how a neighbour has painted their side of the fence and it's showing through.

They generally get the rally cries of 'make them pay to replace it'.

I come to get opinions before I paint my fence on my boundary before I've even 100% chosen a colour so I am not one of 'those people', despite it being my property... But I'm anti social and my neighbours can do whatever they like to my fence.

I will consider my options. Now it's actually up I have a better idea of what I am working with and can make a plan and hopefully get some kind of treatment on, be it purple or otherwise, before the weather turns at the end of summer.

OP posts:
onthefence23 · 18/05/2023 14:56

You've made a bit of a mistake here. They might not allow access for you to paint on there side should have been done and dried before it went up!

Fandabedodgy · 18/05/2023 14:57

Paint your side whatever you like.

Paint the other side something non offensive and neutral.

onthefence23 · 18/05/2023 14:58

And in fairness with that fence design unless you're sloppy it shouldn't bleed through or show really so could do different colours

mistermagpie · 18/05/2023 15:00

If relations aren't great they might not allow you to access it from their side anyway?

Our fence is painted that really boring brown that everyone has, but my neighbours painted their side black. It's a terrace too but I don't actually know who owns the fence, we never discussed it, just painted our own sides and that was that. If you peer between the panels you can probably see a mishmash of the brown and black paint I guess, but it's been that way for years and I've never noticed.

If I was you I'd do your side purple and do their side something bland. Unless they like the purple obviously, but your own way forward is to talk to them.

saltinesandcoffeecups · 18/05/2023 15:01

onthefence23 · 18/05/2023 14:56

You've made a bit of a mistake here. They might not allow access for you to paint on there side should have been done and dried before it went up!

Problem is that future maintenance needs to be considered.

Here’s how I would have approached it.

-Let neighbor know about fence plans
-Ask neighbor for color preferences and permission for access to paint periodically
-Paint and seal wood (agree with you here)
-Install fence
-maintain different colors as needed

or
-buy synthetic fence in light neutral color
-install fence
-paint my side purple
-enjoy maintenance free fence

BBNoM · 18/05/2023 15:03

Don't go for the garden paints like cuprinol. They're plastic based and they start to peel after a couple of years and you need to keep doing them. Such a headwreck! I've a brightly coloured shed and we need to re-do it every two years. Go for a stain, i actually prefer the look of the coloured stains now