The options for colors for fences can be limited and you’ve heard that masonry paint comes in tons of options. Or maybe you want weather protection for your fence. So, can you use masonry paint on your fence?
You can paint a fence with masonry paint. Masonry paint is often used to paint exterior surfaces, such as brick, concrete, and stucco. While masonry paint works best on these surfaces, you can also use it on any fence material.
What Is Masonry Paint?
Masonry Paint was created to be used on outdoor surfaces such as brick, stone, concrete, stucco, and lime. Because of this, masonry paint has to be much more durable than traditional interior paints. In addition to its durability, its thickness also provides protection and insulation to whatever it’s painted on.
There are three different types of masonry paint available. These are:
Acrylic
Acrylic is the most common type of masonry paint. It’s cheap, easy to apply, and great for “repainting”. It is also plastic-based, which makes it water-proof. This type of masonry paint would probably be the best option for a fence that isn’t made of concrete, stone, or brick.
Silicate
Silicate is the newest type of masonry paint. It is created with silica and other hard ingredients. What’s unique about this paint is that as you paint the masonry surface, a chemical reaction occurs and the paint is bonded with the surface. It becomes part of the masonry. This would probably be the best option if your fence is concrete, brick, or stone.
Lime wash
Limewash is the oldest type of masonry paint. Because of how old it is, it is the preferred type for conservation and heritage properties. It is applied in layers and must be reapplied every three years. This probably isn’t the best option for a fence.
Benefits Of Using Masonry Paint
Because masonry paint is specifically made for exterior surfaces, using it to paint your fence could be a great idea. It is made to be extremely durable and water-proof, so the paint will provide protection from the weather, which is great no matter what material your fence is.
Steps To Paint Your Fence with Masonry Paint
So, you’ve decided that you are going to use masonry paint on your fence. Here’s a step by step guide on how to do it.
Remove any old paint
This really only applies if your fence is metal, wood, or vinyl. Having old paint on your fence could allow for cracks in the masonry paint, which would allow water to creep in and ruin the rest of the paint, and possibly, the entire fence.
Clean the fence
No matter what material the fence is, you’ll have to clean off any dirt, rust, or vegetation. If it’s an old wooden fence, additionally you’ll have to sand it.
Prime the fence
The type of fence will determine what kind of primer you’ll use. Every material has its own primer and the right one must be used. For example, concrete has high alkalinity that could easily break down any primer that isn’t specifically for concrete.
Choose a paint
Masonry paint comes in three different types (which I’ve talked about above) and also comes in loads of different colors. Just about every paint brand sells masonry paint, so if you’re partial to a certain brand, then check out what they have.
Start painting
Once the primer is dry, you can start painting. The quality, color, and type of paint will determine how many layers you need. Make sure to paint on a sunny day, with no chance of rain soon, to give your paint plenty of time to dry.
Upkeep Of Masonry Paint
The upkeep of your painted fence will require consistent washing and cleaning. This can be easily done with a pressure washer. Or by hand with soapy water, if you do not mind spending the time.
When it comes to repainting, there isn’t an exact amount of time to wait to redo your fence. Just periodically check the paint to know when it needs to be redone. If it starts to look thin, you could repaint or just try washing it. If there are cracks in your paint, then it will definitely need repainting.
When it is time to repaint your fence, simply just go through the above steps again. Don’t forget that it is really important that you get the old paint off.
What To Look For In Masonry Paint
When looking for the perfect paint for your fence it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the number of options. Whichever paint you decide on, it is important that it has these three things:
Elasticity
This is essentially the flexibility of the paint. As temperature changes and your fence naturally subsides, if the paint on your fence isn’t flexible then it will crack. Higher elasticity will prevent that from happening.
Breathability
The paint should be breathable, so that moisture does not get caught in the material of the fence and destroy it.
Guarantee
The paint should come with some sort of guarantee or warranty from the company. A good guarantee could be anywhere from 10 years to a lifetime.
Also, it may be tempting to buy cheaper paint, but it’s important to remember that more expensive paint will usually be of better quality and will come with a better warranty.
Best Brands For Masonry Paint
There are a lot of different paint brands out there and each one offers a variety of options. It can be hard to dig through it all and find the best one for your fence. Below I’ll give you some brands that are known to have great masonry paint.
Behr
Keim Royalan
Dulux
Kilz
These brands are just some options to help you start looking for a great paint for your fence. There are other great masonry paints out there and whichever you pick will surely work great on your fence. Just remember the three properties; elasticity, breathability, and a guarantee, and there is no way you could go wrong.