Waterproofing a Wooden Fence DIY

In our densely populated cities and towns, where homes and gardens are closely together, the fence is an important element. The fence gives us some tranquility and privacy in our own garden, no matter how busy the world around us is.

Putting up a fence yourself is a job you have to prepare for and a little extra help is most welcome. You have to take in consideration that a fence has a large surface and will catch a lot of duress on a windy day. This is sometimes overlooked, when putting up a fence when the weather is nice and calm.

Therefore, the fence has to be anchored firmly into the ground. For the durability of your fence it’s also important to waterproof the wood, because rain will penetrate the wood, while the warmness of the sun dries it again, creating shrinkage and weakens the fence, which will harm the durability and lifespan of the wood. In this blog we’ll explain all the aspects involved in putting up a fence and we’ll give some tips and insides on how to protect it against the elements for a durable and long lasting wooden fence.

Putting up a wooden fence

Almost every timber yard, garden center or DIY-store offers fencing wood and all other necessities for putting up a great wooden fence. The concept of poles that are placed evenly in the ground is the most common way. All fence parts and accessories are available in many varieties and materials that can be installed between the poles. Of course there are all kinds of alternatives, but in this blog we will stick to this method. There are a lot of descriptions available and the exact details are often dependent on the used materials and personal preferences.

Lets focus on the most important part, the poles. With poles that are placed evenly from each other, we have to make sure that they are put into the ground correctly, so when force is applied on the poles by strong winds, they will not budge and stay firmly in the ground. Making sure of this, we have to ensure the potential weak spot, which is the foundation.

Using a auger to drill the holes, is not only more easily and most accurate, but it also prevents you from having potential back pains at the end of the day. When the holes have been dug, you are ready to place the poles into the ground. But before we do so, we have to make sure that the foundation is ready. Like we mentioned before, a solid fence goes hand in hand with a solid foundation and there’s no better foundation then one made of gravel and cement or concrete.

Using gravel and cement

put the pole into the hole, fill the hole with the gravel, then pore the freshly made cement into the hole and on the gravel. Now give it a few hours (depending on the type of cement you’re using) and let it harden.

Using concrete

Mixing concrete is done in a concrete mixer, or a wheel-barrel. When you have your batch of concrete, you are ready to pore it into the hole. First put down a layer of gravel, then proceed with poring the concrete into the hole, while at the same time keeping the pole in place with ‘pole support’ while poring the concrete. After that, spread some gravel on top of the concrete to get a pretty looking finished surface. Repeat this process until all poles are placed into the ground.

Now it’s time for cup of a tea 🙂

Now we made sure of the foundation, lets focus on the boards of the fence and how you can waterproof these boards for a long lasting a durable wood. To make sure that water doesn’t rot away the poles and the boards, it is important to use wood of a good quality. For example, use hardwood for the poles and to make sure the boards are impregnated with a waterproof solution like Woodcon. Below we will explain how you can waterproof your brand-new fence simple and easy.

Waterproofing your wooden fence

Now that you’re done with this fantastic job of creating a stable and durable foundation, which will give you much pleasure for the coming years, its’now time to waterproof the poles and boards.

Waterproofing is especially important, not only because you spend quite a bit of money putting it up and even though you had a wonderful time building it, you do want to make it very durable and keep it nice looking as long as possible.

Thus, waterproofing the wood is an accentual part for a long lasting fence.

So without changing the appearance of the wood and keeping it’s natural beauty we now have to make sure it becomes waterproof and water-repellent, with one application of our splendid waterproofing solution named Woodcon. 

Woodcon is the answer

Applying Woodcon on the surface of the wood, makes your fence waterproof and water-repellent and impenetrable for water. Woodcon dries-up as a transparent, invisible coating. It will not change the natural look of the wood (no glossy look). The coating does not only attach itself to the surface, but also penetrates into the wood fibers. Thereby leaving a protective layer that, unlike paint or lacquer, cannot crack, peel off or become loose in any way.

Additional benefits are: 

• Fungi, algae and moss will have a difficult time attaching themselves to the wood.
• The coating helps to stop Woodworm and Termites from entering the wood.
• The wood is also protected against fires because of it’s fire retardant properties.

Woodcon can be easily applied using a paint brush or a roller or sponges. For larger areas a low pressure sprayer works excellent. Further protective measures are not really necessary. The product is not toxic and is human- and environmentally friendly.

Enjoy your brand new wooden fence! Send us pictures of it, we love to see them 🙂

Order Woodcon Now!

Woodcon

• Woodcon makes every wood-surface including plywood waterproof and water-repellent without discoloring or changing the surface of the wood.
• Depending on the porosity of the wood, 1 liter is sufficient for an average 88 ft²
• 15 year guarantee
• Available in  1 / 2,5 / 5 / 10 / 25 Liter.