Fence Panel Treatment

[Bigbud78]

Can anyone recommend a good treatment for fence panels ? Have got 40 6x6's to do Is it just a case of cuprinol from screwfix or can anyone recommend something better ?

Spray-able and clear would be preferably but I will paint it on if it lasts.

Thanks Jim

 

[Harbo]

Creosote - it can still be found but not clear and stinks but works!

Rod

 

[NazNomad]

+1 for creosote, can't beat it.

 

[Sheptonphil]

+2 for creosote, but only the proper coal tar stuff, not the carp substitute DIY shed sell.

I pay £45 for 25 litres delivered.

Seems to go much further than Cuprinol type preservatives costing twice as much.

Phil

 

[owsnap]

I remember our neighbour using that creosote, the smell was still there 3weeks later!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Only three weeks? :lol:

 

[lurker]

Slight hijack:

I put up a fence last winter and the panels (from the smell) where dipped in creosote before delivery.
I have no problems with them but would like the fence to be a bit lighter.
Can I just overpaint?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It bleeds through. You'll need an aluminium primer or similar.

 

[Fatboy]

creosote and old engine oil - repels anything and everything!

 

[llangatwgnedd]

Yes. creo and used engine oil.

 

[user 24793]

Another thread hijack! Does the fence need to be bone-dry to be treated?

My fence, put up earlier this year, is already pressure treated but the guy suggested painting it every few years as an extra layer of protection. If I'm going to apply something would I need to let it dry from any rain for a few days first? Will be doing similar to the shed I hope!

 

[Fatboy]

Another thread hijack! Does the fence need to be bone-dry to be treated?

My fence, put up earlier this year, is already pressure treated but the guy suggested painting it every few years as an extra layer of protection. If I'm going to apply something would I need to let it dry from any rain for a few days first? Will be doing similar to the shed I hope!

yes, let it dry or you'll be trapping moisture inside - which is what you're trying to prevent

 

[graduate_owner]

I needed some preservative and on investigation I found several alternative types.
1. There is creosote if you can get it, but as has been said - it stinks.
2. There are the Cuprinol type products that are spirit based and available in different shades. Usually quite expensive although I have found Blackfriar and Barretine to be cheaper than the big names.
3. There is a Cuprinol brand product which I have used and which is not the spirit based type. I bought it from premiumpaints2 on ebay (Cuprinol Exterior Wood Preserver 25 LITRE -GOLDEN BROWN) and it cost about £60 for a 25 litre drum. Strange stuff though, goes on like water (water based so I suppose that is fair enough!!) and looks seriously grott. Then the colour seems to develop after 10 mins or so.
4. I also tried a product called Lumberjacks by Everbuild, and that was ot spirit based either, completely clear finish.
5. Finally there is the cheap, ghastly fence treatment that is a waxy sort of finish that repels water but blocks the grain of the wood completely.

Which is best? Well the thing is you don't get to find out until several years have gone by and the timber is still good (or starting to rot), by which time you have probably forgotten which treatment you used anyway so you can't compare. In that respect this post may not help, but it does at least tell you what is available. Personally I would avoid the waxy stuff but any of the others seem to be advertised as good for the job and the Cuprinol from ebay was comparatively economical - an important consideration for the volume you will need.

K

 

[graduate_owner]

Rikki - if you apply tbe preservative to wet wood then it won't soak in and so won't be as effective. Let the wood dry out as much as possible and let the preservative really soak in untill it runs off. Yes it will use more preservative and so cost more, but you don't want to have to replace the wood because it has rotted, then have to apply more preservative to the replacement wood. That would be seriously false economy. Just get that wood saturated with preservative until it runx down ths panels - put a plastic sheet at the base if any drips will be a problem.

K

 

[graduate_owner]

Another comment - there is a wood preservative product called Deep Kill paste made by Sovereign Chemicals of Barrow in Furness, Cumbria. As it's name implies it will stop woodworm and wet or dry rot. It is not cheap though. The last time I bought some it was about £120 for 10 litres but it is good sruff. It has a consistency similar to mayonnaise and will 'sit' on a length of timber while it soaks in, unlike liquids which will just run off. This is a real benefit when treating timber joists that have their ends embedded in the wall because you can slap it on and let it soak in along the joist area that you can't reach - it travels along about 10" apparently, good for floor and attic joists. You could also use it at the base of posts in the ground, but of course posts will be wet at and under ground so it won't soak in as much. Still worth doing though.

K