A few weeks ago I decided the weather was getting cooler and it would be a perfect time to finally start tackling those outdoor chores we had been restricted on completing for the past couple of years because of our foundation issues. Well, the foundation was repaired back in August so now is the time to finally start tackling the yard.
I know we have the option to pay someone to do my long list of honey-do's for the yard, but I thought it would be a fun, rewarding and learning experience to do this yard renovation on my own! Ask me when it's done if I learned anything other than hiring someone is a better option!
The yard has a long list of to-do's for the renovation (that's another post!) but it all starts with restaining the fence.
I started by doing a lot of technically research on how to restain a fence. I utilized trustworthy tools like Google, hours of HGTV and DIY network, Pinterest, and asked all my handyman patients what to do first. After many afternoons on the couch "researching" I finally came up with a plan of action for the fence.
- Buy a power washer
- Power wash the fence, deck, patio, exposed foundation, and the house in general
- Power sand and hand sand rotted areas of the fence
- One week to let the fence dry out.
- Buy a paint sprayer
- Stain the fence/deck with a paint sprayer and back roll the fence with a cloth roller
- Never do it again, hire someone
Step 1 was easy and much cheaper than I expected. I'm an Amazon Prime member so I thought I would get a power washer price point there, but most likely purchase at Lowe's or Home Depot. I found a great power washer for a great price then headed up to Lowe's to see what they had to offer. Their selection was pretty limited, about 5 at most and a few of them ran off gas. I knew I wanted to stay simple with an electric plug and go so that ruled out most of them. The smallest option they had was almost $150 and had wheels and just looked bulky.
I thought I would take a risk and bought this one off Amazon for $100, paid $6 for next day shipping so I could get started after Brunch with friends! Sure enough it arrived at 5pm on Saturday!
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| Power washer from Amazon |
The best part, it arrived MOSTLY assembled! I just had to screw a few self explanatory pieces together and I was set! I was really nervous about using it so I think I read the manual like 3 times.
I finally got the courage and went out and just started spraying! I was so worried when the color on the fence changed, I made Hunter come out and look to make sure I did it right and didn't ruin the fence. Once I realized that new "color' was actually the real wood color, we started having a little fun with it! Hunter drew my name on the fence, I timed myself on each board to see how fast I could go, then finally just settled down with some audio books. ( I think I've listened to about 6 books on this activity!)
Now to focus on the important part of this project. I grossly misjudged the amount of time it was going to take to power wash the fence!! That afternoon, I allowed about 3-4 hours to do both sides of the fence. In reality it took about 30 hours to do the entire fence, deck, house, foundation, and patio. In all fairness, I don't think our fence had ever been power washed so I think that increased the time it took to complete the project!
So if you are here because you searched blog tags on how to power wash a fence I'll give you my words of wisdom.
How to Power Wash a fence by Lauren Jarvis
- Hire someone
- If you don't hire someone, quadruple the amount of time you estimate to wash the whole fence
- Get a waterproof cover for your phone
- Order anti vibration gloves (TRUST ME) Try these.
- Download MULTIPLE Audio books to listen to while working
- Wear sunscreen (you will get sunburned)
- Wear sunglasses ( you will get particles of the fence in your eyes if not)
- Do it when it's warm outside and sunny. (You will get wet and if its cold, and the sun will help you see the dirt on the fence.
- Get lots of water to drink. (you will be thirsty and need to spit out wood chunks in your mouth, frequently)
- If you have dogs, pick up to doo-doo's! You don't want to accidentally step in it... trust me.
- Check the length of the cord and hose.... make sure it reaches the end of your yard
- If you have plants or flower beds by your fence, cover and protect them with a tarp (it will get real nasty and the spray could damage the plants.
- Turn on the water FIRST, the motor can't run dry or it will burn it out.
- Next turn on the power washer
- Find a good pebble or rock that will hold the trigger open. You will get tired of pulling the gun!
- Start power washing from a distance and walk closer slowly. You will quickly damage your wood if you wash too close
- Wet the area you're about to clean really well. It will help loosen the dirt. (I didn't see the need to use a prewash. I worried about the chemicals since we just installed sod and have dogs in our backyard)
- Start washing!! I made slow up and down movements on one board at a time, then would move up and down quickly. I alternated that the whole length of the fence.
- Wash the bottom portion of the area first (before the ground starts to puddle water and spray back up at you)
- Once you do the bottom, wash the very top portion next.
- Next, get all the small crevices in the corners and along the boards. It's easier to see these spots when everything else is really dirty still. Otherwise those areas get lost when its clean and you don't see it until it's dry again.
- Wash your little heart out. Enjoy the time to listen to books, music, or just think!
Your fence will look beautiful and you will feel very accomplished!!
Do you have any suggestions for power washing??
