Do I need to sand this fence before I paint it?

[Hoohaahoo]

I want to paint the fence around my garden, similar to the colour that’s on there. DH reckons I need to sand each panel first. Do I really need to? I was just going to slap it on.

Help please!

Photo

I would just slap it on and hope for the best

www.cuprinol.co.uk/advice/fences.jsp
Cuprinol suggest stripping the fence back to bare wood.

Fence panels are already rough. I see no need to sand that.

Never sanded a fence panel in my life, I brush it with a stiff broom & then slap it on always looked absolutely fine.

I never sand fences either. They are always a bit rough. And the paint is fence paint not like gloss or something g that you need to achieve a smooth finish on.

I would use a coat of primer specifically made for outdoor use first.

The difference between fence paint and fence stain. Fence paint sits on top, stain soaks in. Ideally old paint should be removed before new applied. Stain you can just go over.

I once used fence paint. Never again. Applying a new coat of stain is bad enough!

I painted a lot of fences about 6 weeks ago. Nothing sanded first.

Is it paint or stain?

Rough fences love stain and will soak it right up.

If it's outdoor paint then it might need a coat of primer first. Painting a rough fence is a chore and a half.

There is no way on this earth I would sand a fence. Why doesn't your DH mow the lawn using nail scissors while he's at it?

I did our fence (using Ronseal One Coat Fence Life and a sprayer). The fence was manky as anything beforehand. It had old paint, bare patches, peeling patches and lots of green algae. I didn't prep it in any way, I just sprayed over the top. It looked good after one coat and fabulous after two (it's really quick and easy to use a sprayer, so the extra coat was not a lot of trouble). It still looks fabulous now. I honestly think you don't need to prep a fence if your product is good. The product instructions might say otherwise, to cover themselves, but a painted fence is going to look good no matter what.

Incidentally, I think you can hire sprayers if you need to. Or you might consider buying one, depending how much you might use it. They really are a game-changer compared with using a paintbrush - incredibly fast and low-effort.

You do need to check that the product you're using is sprayable, though.

Worth checking if you own all the fence you intend to paint/spray - some people don't appreciate it when you paint their stuff.

fences expand and contract a lot, because the moisture content rockets up every time it rains, and plummets every time the sun shines.

So paint is unsuitable because it will crack or peel.

An ordinary paint will also trap moisture inside, promoting rot.

Why do you want to use paint?

It’s my fence, I wouldn’t bother painting someone else’s fence.

I want to paint it because it’s looking a bit shabby at the moment. I want to give it more protection before autumn/winter comes round.
I’m a complete novice at this though so would appreciate any advice!

When I say paint I mean this sort of stuff, not like indoor paint.

I painted my fence about 5 years ago using Cuprinol garden shades. There were some old panels that were stained previously and some new raw wood where we had made repairs. I painted over the whole lot with no sanding. On the older panels I did a quick once over with a stiff brush just to get dirt and spiderwebs etc. off. It is still looking good now and hasn't chipped or peeled.

Christ , sand it? Tell your husband to crack on 🤣

No one ever sands it, you slap it on.

Oh and when he’s sanding it op take a video then post it on social media. 🤣🤣🤣

That is a stain not a paint.

If I were you. I’d slap on aload of moss/algae remover/killer. Let it soak in

Jet wash it all off...

Wait for 2 nice dry days.

Slap on 2/3 coats of stain between the recommended drying times.

If you were painting or it was already painted you would 100% need to sand it, prime it, paint. And to be honest for the effort and how cheap standard fence wood/panels are I’d just replace it rather than sanding it!

that fence stain is a water-based emulsion that leaves a colured, waxy film on the surface to repel water (until it wears off)

it is not a paint and is suitable for rough timber. It does not have the paint drawbacks I mentioned.

When new, if you throw a bucket of water at the fence, it will bead up and run off without wetting it (like a greasy nonstick pan).

You will know when it has weathered away, because water will wet the surface.

A jet-washer will take it off, for example if you want to use a different or paler colour. It will also remove dirt, moss etc.

Thanks for the helpful advice!

No way am I sanding the fence

Yeah that's definitely a stain rather than paint. I use Ronseal Fence life plus on my shed and it soaked right in quickly, like feeding the wood. It looks great when it's done.
I'd advise a strong power washing and a lot of hot, dry days would be best before giving it a coat or two.
We had to do our shed in winter (needed to buy one quickly and couldn't wait for summer). The wood has really expanded in this heat now and we had to give it a couple more coats because expansion meant you could see new, fresh wood appearing.

shrinkage.

Ok so power wash now, then wait till it’s had a couple of days of hot weather, then I can slap the stain on?