Your garden fence goes through a lot. That’s no secret in itself, as it’s exposed to the most drastic weather extremes all year round, from blistering hot summers to saturating autumn showers, and eventually ice-cold winters, before it does it all again. That’s not to mention, of course, all the casual and sudden impacts that your garden fence panels might have to deal with, like rogue footballs or excitable pets ricocheting off it during a particularly exciting garden game.
Most fences can happily withstand all this for years on end. But even the most well-built and reliable fence can start deteriorating eventually. Not only can this have a noticeable impact on the beauty and aesthetics of your space, but depending on the nature of the damage, it can even be downright dangerous. Here’s what to look out for!
Your garden fence panels have holes in them
This isn’t always something that’s easy to spot unless you take a look up close, which is one of the reasons why it’s worth carrying out a quick inspection of your garden fence panels from time to time, at least once every couple of months or so. While small holes are sometimes caused by animals, more often than not they’re drilled by wood-boring insects.
The best course of action from here depends on the extent of the issue. If you notice that it’s just limited to a small section, you might be able to solve the problem by replacing a single garden fence panel. But if it looks like it’s already spread across multiple panels, then a simpler and more effective solution might be to replace the whole fence entirely. Now, some types of wood boring insects are more prolific than others, so it might be a good idea to get a professional to take a look before you start to take any more definitive action, as they might be able to provide you with some more useful and specific information to act on.
Your planks are cracked
You shouldn’t see significant cracks start to form in new garden fence panels, but after a long enough time, or maybe a hot enough summer, cracks can eventually start to form. We won’t go into too much detail here, but the very short version is that it’s basically to do with pressure and moisture, and wood expanding. You might be tempted to simply paint over these cracks, especially if you think they amount to nothing more than cosmetic damage.
However, they could instead be indicative of a more structural issue, so before you fetch that paintbrush, it’s once again time to call in a professional to take a quick look. They’ll be able to give you a clearer idea of the best way to proceed, whether that’s by repairing your fence or replacing it entirely.
There’s rot spreading in your garden fence panels
With the weather being the way it is in Britain (especially recently), this is something that countless people across the UK have had direct experience of. Grey or yellow stains spreading on your garden fence panels are generally good indications that your fence is developing a rot problem. It can be particularly prevalent in the summer, as the (sometimes unjustifiable) high levels of rain and humidity combine to create the perfect breeding conditions for mould and other bacteria.
Once again, whether you need to replace a single panel or your whole fence all depends on how far the rot has spread. As soon as you’ve identified it though, don’t wait too long to act on it. Rot is one of those issues that not only looks unpleasant, but can seriously damage the structural integrity of your fence, which could even end up posing a physical risk to you, your neighbours or your family. And speaking of which…
Your fences are noticeably leaning (or even falling over)
This is one of the singularly most obvious signs that your fence needs replacing, and it’s the one that can be the most actively dangerous. Even wooden fences are heavy, and whether they fall inwards or outwards, they have the capacity to really hurt someone. Heavy weather is one of the most common reasons for fences to become unstable, as a large influx of rain can make the soil beneath looser and softer.
Now, it’s true that it often takes quite an exceptional amount of rain to do this, but even so – the next time you experience a bout of sustained heavy weather over a number of days or weeks, it might be a good idea to keep half an eye on your fence, just in case. It could end up saving you a lot of time, effort and stress in the long run!
If you’ve noticed any of these warning signs in your own fence, and you’re weighing up replacement garden fence panels, then rest assured you’re in exactly the right place. We’ve certainly got no shortage of options for you to choose from here at Welch Fencing. What’s more, we also provide a fantastic range of concrete fence posts to complete your project. As a UK manufacturer of concrete fence posts, we have our very own fleet of delivery vehicles at our disposal, allowing us to get your products right to your door.
If you have any questions about any of our products, or you need any more detailed information, feel free to contact us on 01772 336 476, or fire us a quick email on sales@garden-fence-panels.co.uk.
