Honestly, didn't realize how much of a hassle fences are until I got mine installed last year. Thought it'd be simple—put it up, maybe stain it once every few years, done. Ha! Turns out it's more like having a needy pet or something. Constantly checking for loose boards, dealing with warped wood after every rainy spell, and don't even get me started on the endless battle against mildew. It's like the fence is determined to turn green no matter what I do.
Last weekend I spent hours scrubbing and pressure washing that thing. My arms were jelly by the end of it, and I'm pretty sure my neighbors think I've lost it...standing there yelling at the fence as if that'll make it behave any better, lol. But seriously, is this normal? Am I missing some secret fence-whisperer technique that makes this easier?
Even worse, I've got some friends who brag about how their fences look perfect with zero effort. Like "oh yeah, we just slapped some sealant on it five years ago and haven't touched it since." Meanwhile, here I am battling splinters and algae like it's my second job.
I'm starting to wonder if I just got unlucky with cheap wood or maybe my yard's cursed or something. Curious if anyone else has had similar frustrations or if I'm just being overly dramatic here...
You're definitely not alone in this struggle. I went through something similar when I built my fence a couple years back. Thought I'd done everything right—picked decent wood, sealed it carefully—but still ended up with warped boards and mildew spots popping up after every rainy season. Honestly, I think a lot of it comes down to the type of wood and how much sun or shade your yard gets. My neighbor's fence looks pristine, but their yard gets full sun all day, while mine is partly shaded and stays damp longer.
One thing I've noticed is that pressure washing too aggressively can actually make things worse by roughing up the wood surface, giving algae and mildew more places to hide. Have you tried using a milder cleaning solution first? I've had some luck with diluted bleach or vinegar solutions before gently rinsing it off. It's not perfect, but it seems to slow down the green invasion a bit.
But yeah, fences are definitely more maintenance-heavy than most people realize going in...you're not being overly dramatic at all.
"Honestly, I think a lot of it comes down to the type of wood and how much sun or shade your yard gets."
Yeah, this makes me wonder—did you happen to use cedar or pine? I've seen cedar fences hold up pretty well even in shady spots, but pine seems to warp and mildew way faster. Also curious if anyone's tried those newer composite fence materials...are they really as low-maintenance as advertised, or is that just marketing hype? I'm tempted to experiment next time around, but not sure if it's worth the extra cost.
