fencewood
Is there any right time to put the fence up in the backyard considering you have saved enough $$$s? Looking at the winter season we have and snow in coming months, is this the right time or should i wait until spring?
P.S.: I am not gonna do it by myself. I am gonna hire some professional fence company.
First thing first, do NOT use a reciprocating saw for this as this is dangerous and you could end up seriously injured.
If looking for something to make this easy, what you need is a trencher - you can probably rent one from your local home improvement store. It will look something like this (there are smaller models but I couldn't find a good picture). If you can't rent one, maybe try contacting a sprinkler installer to see if they could come do it for you.
EDIT: Found a smaller one, looks like this:
(source: terrasaw.co.nz)
Alternatively, as others have mentioned, you could just lay it on top of the ground for the short-term. And of course, some back-breaking labor would also accomplish the job.
Ok let's talk outdoor staining. You are right that the first thing you need to do is clean off any mold, dirt and green slime. As with decks, a good and cheap solution of TSP, bleach and water is a fine cleaner, no need for expensive premixed stuff. Using a one gallon garden sprayer, apply your TSP/bleach solution. Let it sit a bit, but not dry. Scrub with a stiff brush and rinse with a pressure washer or high pressure hose. The drying time is obviously tricky in your area, but usually a couple of days of decent weather does a good job. You can somewhat judge the dryness by it's color as compared to the color when wet.
Since the last stain you used was a urethane based acrylic, you really need to stay with an acrylic product this time. A pure oil based product may not sit well and raise the acrylic and create a mess. Also, since there was spar urethane in the last application, a stain only may not want to stick to the areas where the urethane is still in good condition. The urethane is a hard resin and will repel a simple stain. I would probably look towards using a similar product to what you used last time.
As far as what brand to buy, don't over think it. You are painting a fence, not a church! Avoid any bargain basement crap that is most likely low quality. I love Sekins, but it is very pricey. Most major brands are good. My advise is to try to use the same Behr you used last time. It will be formula compatible and the color will match. Good luck
Best Answer
Depends on where you live. The best results are when the ground is dry. Frozen ground, spring mud season etc are bad times as you cannot set the posts soundly and you may see some settling later on. Summer and early fall are great times to build a fence. See my earlier "beer" comment.