DId we really catch your attention when we started talking about using stencils to create detail on your fence, but you’ve always been a much bigger fan of patterns and repeating visual details than word art? Then perhaps you’d rather consider painting something like this repeated stencil pattern outlined in just a few simple steps on HGTV instead! They give you lots of awesomely useful tips for choosing a colour scheme, keep your pattern repeats straight, and keeping your edges neat and tidy.
15 Stunning Fence Painting Designs to Inspire Your Own Backyard
In our house, any sunny day, no matter the season, is basically just one big excuse to get crafty, especially in our outdoor spaces. There’s just something about the warm weather and sunshine that makes us feel creative and starts us itching to decorate, embellish, and spruce up just about everything around us! Suddenly we’re looking at just about surface around our home and thinking about how great it would look with a bright, fresh coat of paint or a bit of a sketch added to it. We’re sure it’ll come as no surprise to you, then, that we’ve become really enthusiastic about the idea of fence painting in the last few months. Our backyard fence is a large expanse of free space that only family and friends really ever see, so it’s basically the perfect spot for us to create any kind of image we please so long as we have fun making it with our family and the finished product makes us feel pleased! Before we take a brush to the wood, however, we decided to take a look at how other people dressed their fences up, just to gather ideas and really plan out what kind of painting we can to create.
Just in case you’re as intrigued and excited about the idea of painting your yard’s fence as we were, if not more, here are 15 of the best ideas, designs, and tutorials we’ve come across so far, just to help you get your creative juices flowing!
Flowers and a monarch butterfly
In our house, the most time we spend in the backyard is in the summer when the days are long and the weather is warm. It makes sense, then, that the most time we spend around our back fence is in the summer as well, which has us wondering whether a lovely outdoor summer scene, like those we see play out so often in our actual yard, might be the best thing to paint! We’re crazy about this stunning monarch butterfly making its way over to some bright garden blossoms, as painted by Yard Fencing Genius.
Colourful kid painted fenceposts
If you’re going to get creative in a way that’s extra big, very fun, and a little unconventional, are you absolutely intent on getting your kids in on the process as well? Then perhaps a fancy mural isn’t quite the way to go for your family. Instead, we’d suggest taking a look at how Bored Art handed their kids brushes and a whole range of bright paints and encouraged them to make every single fence post look different in whichever eye catching way they pleased! We love the fun, eclectic look of the whole thing in the finished fence. We’d probably invite the whole neighbourhood of kids over and let our children’s friends get in on the project too, just to make it as colourful and diverse as possible!
Why Does Fence Paint Colour Matter?
The colour of your fence paint can have a huge impact on the overall look and feel of your garden. When it comes to making any outdoor space look larger, bright colours are key! That’s because lighter shades will help reflect more light, making the area appear bigger and brighter than it actually is.
Light blues, greens and yellows are all great options, as they are able to capture natural light and bounce it off surfaces. In addition, white is also a good choice for creating the illusion of space. When choosing colours for your fence paint, try to pick shades that match the overall colour scheme of your garden. This can help create an aesthetically pleasing environment and will make your space appear even bigger.
The First Steps:
There are a couple of things to consider before you go straight into painting your fence:
Prepare Your Fence
Don’t just rush into doing your garden space. You’ll want to sand any uneven fence parts and apply a good base coat prior to painting. This ensures that you have an even base to start with.
Think About Your Outdoor Space
Do you have window boxes that can be painted as statement pieces? Or do you not have any furniture? Taking your garden items into consideration is important, as these will help tie the colour scheme together.
Choose A Colour Scheme
Are you trying to make a small garden feel busier or larger? If your aim is to make the garden appear larger, you’ll want to consider lighter colours, such as baby blue or neutrals, for example.
What Colour Should I Use On My Garden Fence?
Now the fun part, that let’s look at which colour you should use on your garden fence. To make a small garden look bigger, you want to avoid dark colours, as a dark fence will absorb any natural light.
So, what colour of fence paint makes the garden look bigger? Here are our suggestions:
Green
Green is a great way to make your garden look larger, reflecting natural light and creating an inviting atmosphere. In addition, it also blends with the grass and other plants, making it a great choice to give the illusion of more space. Green is also one of the most popular choices for gardens due to its similarity to plants, as well as its calming effects
Light Blue
In the summer, when the sky is a nice light blue, this colour paint can help blend the fence panel into the skyline. Not only will your outdoor space reflect light better, but cool colours can help create a calming outdoor space. Why not add some blue flowers to compliment your new paint? If you’re unsure of how to do this, a garden designer can help you tie in other elements to your chosen colour scheme.
Cream
A cream colour fence paint is a much better option than darker shades if you’re trying to increase the size of your garden. Neutral light colours such as cream allow for other statement pieces to ‘pop’. For small outdoor spaces, strong colours draw attention to the borders of your garden, so be sure to avoid that. A cream shade is a great way to promote natural light and accentuate the plants you already have.
Soft Pink
Soft pink is another fantastic way to make other garden features stand out. Add some ornamental flower pots, nice garden furniture, hanging baskets, and other small plants. The soft pink will allow your garden fence to create zones of light and colour, whilst promoting the illusion of space.
Cool Grey
Similarly to blue, cool grey can make a small garden look bigger as it blends nicely with the sky. Cool-coloured paint shades are great for small gardens as they create space and light. If you do want to incorporate a dark colour (such as dark grey), why not add it onto small pots as they’re less of a focal point? This way, your garden design can involve a range of neutral tones, whilst giving the illusion of a larger garden.
Ideas for painting fences outside
Keeping your garden fence maintained may not sound like much fun, in fact it’s a tiring job that will sap the energy of even the most practical of person. But painting or staining your fence and garden gate every couple of years will preserve it for many years to come, not only improving the appearance, keeping the neighbours happy but also adding value to your home. When the time comes though don’t rush out and splash the paint on, take your time and follow our top tips for painting your garden fence from below.
Like with most DIY jobs, preparation is key and the more care you take and time you spend ensuring the preparation work is completed as best as you can, the better the results shall be.
Strim and Trim
Mow the lawn and get the strimmer out to trim around the bottom of the fence, gate and fence posts, and if you don’t have a strimmer then bring out the edging shears or scissors!
Debris and Dirt
Using a hard bristle hand brush or broom, brush away debris and dirt from all areas of the fence that shall be painted. It’s also a good idea to sweep away any leaves and grass cuttings from around the base of the fence to stop them blowing up against it during painting.
Scrape before you Paint
If the old paint is flaking, cracked or chipping, then you’ll need to scrape the fence before moving onto the next step. Use a wide blade paint scraper and coarse sandpaper to smoothen.
Wash and Dry
Using a pressure washer if you have one, or if not then a garden hose and spray nozzle, wash the fence thoroughly. Keep your hard bristle brush and a bucket of soapy water to hand for any stubborn spots of dirt. For fences that have attracted mildew and algae, apply a diluted bleach solution (1 part bleach to 1 part water) with the hand brush before rinsing clean with the pressure washer and leaving to thoroughly dry.
Masking or Removal
When repainting a fence with a gate, then it’s best to remove the hinges, door handle and barrel bolt. If you’d rather then you can mask off the hardware so that it doesn’t get painted, you can even wrap a small plastic bag over the handle, simply sealing the edges with masking tape.
Protect don’t Forget
Now that you’re almost ready to start painting, lay tarpaulin or dust sheets to cover up the ground below the areas of fence you’ll be painting. This will protect your flower borders, grass, garden decking or whatever lies underneath from getting splattered in paint or stain.
Trees and Greens
If there are tall shrubs or hedging trees planted close to, or making contact with the fence then place a sheet of plywood or hardboard against them. This will allow for you to squeeze in between the wood and the fence and gently lean back on the hedging keeping it away from the fence whilst painting.
Paint don’t Faint
For best results and to make a tiring job that little bit easier, avoid painting during the heat of the day when the sun will be at its strongest and sun light will cause the paint to dry too quickly, resulting in a patchy finish.
Our final tip for painting a fence although quite an obvious one, is to check the weather forecast and choose a couple of days that are looking dry, the last thing you want is torrential rain, which is when you should be reading our article, DIY jobs for a rainy day.
