How to choose your garden fence: Protecting your fence with opaque finishes

EDIT: This post has been edited to reflect the fact that we now have an opaque finish specifically for Sheds and Fences called Shed & Fence Paint. 13.5.2016

In the last post in our fencing series we explained using saturating oils to protect your fence against the elements. This week we’re discussing an alternative option – an opaque stain. We will be explaining the main reasons to use an opaque finish and how to apply them, focusing on Shed & Fence Paint from Owatrol.

Opaque stains give a very different finish to saturating oils and are often available in a large range of colours. They are usually applied with 2 coats, making this quite a quick way to coat and protect your fence.

We would suggest using Owatrol’s Shed & Fence Paint because it is quite simply the best product on the market. It’s a premium product which provides excellent adhesion as it’s fortified with Owatrol’s Emulsa Bond so it doesn’t need lengthy preparation and priming!

It forms a flexible film on the surface of the wood and unlike similar products, will not flake or peel. We’re so certain of this that we’ve guaranteed it for 15 years on vertical surfaces and 5 years on horizontal.  It provides excellent protection against moisture and the damage caused by UV rays.

It is also super easy to maintain with no sanding or stripping required.

It’s available in 34 different shades so whatever look you’re going for, you’re bound to be able to achieve it with Shed & Fence Paint.

Protect your fence with Shed & Fence Paint

As with saturating wood oils, we recommend using Seasonite first if your wood is new and allowing it to weather. Check out our guide for how to protect your new wood. If your wood is weathered you can go straight into to the preparation for using Shed & Fence Paint.

To prepare the surface for using Shed & Fence Paint there is no lengthy priming, we would advise that you simply need to clean the wood with Net-Trol wood cleaner to remove any built-up dirt and grime and to allow the Shed & Fence Paint to adhere well to the wood.

This is done by simply scrubbing on the Net-Trol, leaving it to work and rinsing it well with water. You should then leave the wood to dry thoroughly before continuing with the application of Shed & Fence Paint.

How much do I need?

When working out how much Shed & Fence Paint you need, bear in mind that for every litre of Shed & Fence Paint you should be able to cover approximately 8 to 10m² of your fence.

You can apply it with a brush, roller or airless sprayer – it’s up to you. Apply the first coat (not too heavily) and allow it to dry for 3-4 hours before applying a second coat.

If you are using a sprayer, for the best finish you should back brush or back roll straight away. This will ensure a uniform coverage.

Start at the top of a fence panel and work to the bottom of it in continuous lengths before moving onto the next panel. This will ensure that you get the best and most even coverage along the length of your fence. And that’s it, your fence is done!

The great benefit of using a matt opaque wood finish like Shed & Fence Paint is that it’s incredibly quick to apply and requires very little maintenance. They also give you many different finish options as they’re available in so many different colours. It’s great for creating something a bit different in your garden.

You can even use it to paint your concrete fence posts so they blend in with your fence.

If using a good quality product such as ours then you won’t have your fence subject to peeling and flaking. Do be careful with cheaper high street brands which do not offer the same results!

To learn more about Shed & Fence paint, click here.