A fence can be costly so it’s important that it remain sturdy and strong as long as possible but with the moisture Sugar Land has if your not careful you may need fence repairs sooner rather then later to today we are going to share about mold and wood rot that can impact the integrity and structural soundness of your fence.
First let’s discuss what wood rot is and what it can do to your fence. When trees are living in their natural environment one way for Mother Nature to do a little housekeeping is to get rid of trees and this can happen when a tree starts to decay due to fungi that’s invisible to the naked eye. Fungi grows when it damps so in areas like Sugar Land to avoid fence repairs you want to seal the wood after its been installed. A wood sealer acts like a raincoat keeping the lumber safe from moisture that can lead to fungi which in term causes your wood to rot and decreases its strength. An even better idea would be to use a wood that is more water resistance. The main reason for wood rot is that when you had your fence installed, they used the wrong type of wood for our climate. While a pine fence is chapter on the front end if you wait a few years your going to be calling our Sugar Land fence repair company to replace rotted sections with pressure treated or cedar lumber.
The best type of wooden fence in our area, with our climate: Pressure treated lumber. The difference between pine that is “wet” and dry lumber also know as pressure treated lumber is that the wood has gone through a chemical drying out process. The lumber yard uses a chamber that is set at a controlled temperature, then they take the wood and stack it to create airflow between the boards of pickets. This process is referred to as Kline dried and you may hear your local fence company refer to it as southern yellow. A southern yellow fence is less likely to need repairs because this process makes the wood resistant to wood eating creatures or fungi and minimizes the issues that “wet” or “green” wood have. With traditional pine that is not treated you stand a greater chance of your fence warping, splitting, cracking, and shrinking. On average pine wood takes 8 months to a year to completely dry under normal circumstances but in Sugar Land where we have a rainy reason…good luck!
How To Tell If Your Fence Has Wood Rot?
Most often your fence will just show small sections where the wood is starting to tot but over time this damage will worsen and spread to our sections of your fence if you don’t repair it as soon as you see any signs of wood rot. The best way to stay ahead of the curve if you inherited a pine fence when your purchased your home in Sugar Land is once every year talk a walk around the perimeter of your yard and inspect your fence for any early warning signs.
Mold or mildew is visible
Wood that appears darker in certain areas
If you paint or stain your fence and you notice its flaking
When a fence starts to bend and is no longer straight this can be a sign of wood rot or structural damage
If boards are splitting or looks as if the wood is being chewed up at the bottom
Obviously, some of these signs are very visible but a fence is easily overlooked, it appears tat as long as its standing up everything is fine until a storm hits Sugar Land that leaves people scrabbling to find a fence repair company quickly.
Its always a wise idea that once a year you have a team that you trust come out to have a look and make suggestions. A ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Contact Our Sugar Land Fence Repair Company
Our team at Emerson Fences and Exterior Home Enhancements would be happy to come out and take a look. Our estimates are free of charge, and we don’t follow the standard rule of thumb in our industry. What does that mean? Well, most Sugar Land fence repair companies will tell you that if just 20% of your fence needs to be repaired that you should remove 100% of it and start over- hmmm, I am not sure about you but our math says that means that 80% of the fence is still salvable. Instead of costing you money on expensive and quiet frankly unnecessary installation our fence repair contractors judge the structural integrity of your fence by testing each post. Then once we have checked each post, we will tell you what needs to be done to salvage your fence or if its time for a new one. As the owner of Emerson’s, you have my word that our team will not try to sale you something you don’t need just to pad our pockets. Give us a call and let us help you keep your backyard safe and secure. Call 281-545-7740 or complete the contact form on our page and we will respond promptly.