Have you ever stopped to think about how harsh winter can be on your fence? The days are starting to become shorter; winter is approaching and while it’s still mild now is the best time to check your fence will survive what the change of season has to bring.

We’re here to give you some winter fence tips and let you know how you can prepare for winter’s frozen grip, so you can keep your fence standing strong.

Snow sitting on a fence is one of the prettiest sights of winter. But wood fences absorb water, and being too saturated for long periods of time may cause rot, mildew or mould. You can help avoid this situation by brushing the snow off your fence. To avoid damaging your fence be sure to use something soft, like a broom or a gloved hand. You can also stain or seal your fence to waterproof it, which will help prevent the fence from absorbing the water.

Fix Your Fence Before Winter Comes

Perform a visual check for any visible signs of rot or decay. Before the snow starts to fall, check for any loose boards or damage. If your fence is looking a little worse for wear, it may be worth considering whether or not to replace the current installation so that it will stand up to prolonged poor weather conditions or a storm. Repairing the fence before the winter weather comes will help keep your fence strong through the winter.

Clear away any leaves or debris

Clear away any debris from the fence – move leaves and debris away from the fence line as leaves can trap moisture against the fence causing the timber to decay prematurely and faster than it naturally would without any ground contact. This is one of the many reasons we recommend using a gravel board because its primary purpose is to raise the fencing away from the ground to avoid contact.

Weak or low hanging branches

If you have any trees near your fence line, you should take care to cut back any branches that sit close to or above the fence. This will help prevent those weak or low hanging branches – potentially falling and damaging your fence. Doing this simple maintenance can save you the fence repair later!

Check your fence posts

If your fence is at a funny angle, look down at where the posts meet the ground, quite often you will see the reason the fence is leaning in a precarious manner is because the posts have rotted at ground level. The winter weather will put a fair amount of strain on wooden posts. Any weakening in the post due to continued soaking in the ground, bad quality timber and lack of treatment, and the post will eventually snap!