Spring Fence Maintenance

Spring season often means the perfect time for outdoor construction. Factors like mild temperatures, modest rainfall (depending on where you live) and increasing daylight hours are ideal. Combine these with a long stretch of time before the next winter's harsh weather, and it's easy to see why spring is ideal for any outdoor construction.

 This applies notably to fence maintenance. This can usually be done with little more than some easy to acquire knowhow, elbow grease and collated fasteners such as those offered by BECK's Fence Stapling System technology. Here are a few key things you need to know about handling this DIY job professionally.

Start with a thorough inspection

Getting a fence back into shape requires a thorough inspection of their entire perimeter. You will need a notebook or paper, a tape measurer and camera in hand. As you proceed, note down the kinds of damage you see and the materials you might need for it.

 Your tape measurer will let you easily measure out any lengths of fence material you need to replace. If extensive repairs are needed, you might also want a measuring wheel for numbering off the lengths of long stretches of fence. Having a camera handy is also helpful for snapping photos of specific repair hot spots for later examination.

Haul back the plant life

While inspecting your fences, you might want to also bring along hedge clippers, pruning shears, and a strong pair of outdoor work gloves. As part of your inspection tour, you might need to prune back any plant or weed growth that's building up along or on your fences. Aside from this being a good idea for the sake of preventing rot and further deterioration, it will also help you easily see any possible damage or deterioration that your plants have been hiding.

Watch out for invading pests and rot

As you inspect your fences, keep an eye out for signs of internal rot, mildew, or invading pests. This applies especially to wood fences, but rot inspection can also include checking for signs of major rust on metal fencing materials or sun damage and mildew on vinyl and plastic fences. As part of your rot inspection, check the parts around sections of the fence that look suspicious of hidden internal weaknesses. For example, termites often destroy fence wood from the inside while the exterior can look perfectly normal at first glance.

Handle the most important things first

A simple example illustrates this point firmly: You don't want to clean and repaint your fence before first replacing rotten sections. In other words, fix broken or damaged fence sections and supports before doing any aesthetic work on your outdoor fences, and work your way downwards towards lighter, more visually oriented renovations as you go.

Know what to do yourself and what to contract out

Most fence repair work is easy to handle and can readily be managed as a DIY job. However, if you're not sure about cutting your own board lengths, mixing your own concrete, or setting your own fence support posts, don't hesitate to hire a contractor with professional outdoor repair experience. They will bring in their own quality tools and knowhow for repairs that last a long time.

Using the right tools for your fence repair job

If you do decide to handle your own fence repairs, having or buying the right tools for the job will pay off in the long run. You can reuse this same equipment for years afterwards on other DIY home repair jobs and they'll also help you handle your fence repair properly. FASCO®'s (A BECK brand) F70 Gas Fence Stapler is an excellent example. This pneumatic, gas driven stapler offers forceful, pro-quality fastening power. When you pair FASCO®'s F70 Gas Fence Stapler with BECK's F40-315 Fence Staples, your work is sure to lasts for years and stay free of rust due to the hot dipped galvanized staples BECK offers. Click below to see more about our Stapling System.