Fence painting and staining in Markham

A wood fence doesn’t fall apart from one winter, but it shows every one of them. The sunny side fades to grey, the shady side picks up mildew, and paint lifts at the bottom where snow sits against it.

Fence painting done with a proper wash and prep stops that before the boards themselves start to rot.

1. We walk the fence with you and look for loose boards, soft spots and wobbly posts. Anything broken gets fixed first through our deck and fence repair work.
2. We cover garden beds, plants and the interlock or lawn along the fence line.
3. We pressure wash the fence at a pressure that suits wood, to lift dirt, mildew and grey surface fibres without gouging the boards.
4. Peeling paint gets scraped and sanded back to a firm edge. Loose paint takes the new coat with it when it lets go.
5. We let the wood dry. Coating damp wood is a common reason a finish fails early.
6. The paint or waterproof coating goes on in even coats, worked into edges and gaps, with lattice done by brush.
7. A second coat goes on where the product calls for it. Then we clean up and go over the fence with you.

Our fence restoration project shows faded, peeling privacy screens after a wash and a fresh coat of paint.

Paint suits an older fence with patchy or mismatched boards. A penetrating stain or tinted water-repellent suits a newer fence where you want the grain to show.

Paint and solid-colour coatings sit on the surface as a film. They hide the grain and keep their colour longest, but they can peel if water gets behind them.

Penetrating finishes soak into the wood and, applied properly, don’t peel. They wear away slowly instead, so they need redoing more often. The U.S. General Services Administration’s guidance on staining wood puts one coat of semi-transparent stain at 2 to 4 years on smooth wood, and a two-coat system at up to 8 years depending on exposure.

A painted fence generally stays painted, because a penetrating finish can’t soak through old paint. A bare or stained fence gives you a choice. Our guide to fence painting vs staining goes through the trade-offs, and we’ll tell you what we’d use once we see the fence.

We give a free quote after seeing the fence, because the price comes down to its size and how much prep it needs.

Length, height and one side or both set the amount of painting. Prep often takes longer than the painting itself: scraping loose paint, covering plants and the neighbour’s yard, and fixing broken boards first. Lattice and cut-outs add time because they’re brushed by hand.

June, July and August give the most reliable painting days in Markham, with May and early September workable in mild, dry spells.

The USDA Forest Products Laboratory’s Wood Handbook says latex paint should go on at 10°C or warmer and stay above that for 24 hours. Oil-based paint can go on from about 4°C, and some products are rated lower, so the label has the final say.

Averages at the Buttonville weather station in Markham (Environment Canada climate normals, 1981–2010):

Scroll sideways to see the whole table.

Every finish also needs dry wood and no rain or heavy dew while it dries.

A new pressure-treated fence needs time to dry out before its first coat. Viance, which makes preservatives for treated lumber, says that’s typically about 60 days after installation.

Keep the bottom of the fence dry and fix small problems early.

• Aim sprinklers away from the fence, since constant wetting is hard on any finish.
• Pull mulch, soil and snow piles back from the bottom boards.
• Wash off mildew in spring before it sets in.
• Touch up scuffs and the first spots that peel, instead of waiting for the whole fence to need it.

Our guide on pressure washing decks, fences and interlock covers cleaning wood safely between coats. If you’re replacing or extending a fence, check the fence height rules in Markham and Toronto first.

A short, plain board fence on a dry weekend is a fair DIY job if you’re patient with the prep.

A long fence, two sides, lattice or heavy peeling is a lot more work. Overspray from an unfamiliar sprayer can also land on a car or a neighbour’s siding.

We bring the washer and prep tools, and can do the fence along with deck staining and waterproofing so the yard matches. Our deck staining guide covers when and how to stain a deck in Ontario.

We work across Markham and nearby, including Richmond Hill, Thornhill and Stouffville.

The quickest way to start is to text a photo of your fence to (437) 684-2535 with your street or postal code. We’ll set up a visit and give you a free quote.

• The wood has gone silver-grey and looks dry or fuzzy
• Paint is peeling, flaking or bubbling off the boards
• Green or black spots of mildew on the shady side
• Water soaks straight into the boards instead of beading up
• Patchy colour where one side or one section gets more sun
• A new pressure-treated fence that has never been coated