DIY Garden Fencing with Ronseal

June 16, 2020

Whenever I post a rare photo of my garden on Instagram, I always get asked about the fencing. It makes a real statement in our small city garden. In this post, I want to share how we built our own fencing with limited skill and on a tight budget.

As we neared the end of our house renovation, we turned our attention to the garden. Our new extension looks out over the garden so something had to be done to improve the view. The boundary walls were a mix of old stone and cement blocks, so couldn’t be painted. I researched fence panels, but we didn’t have the budget. I also didn’t think they would suit the look I wanted to create in the garden.

The next option was to build our own. After some research online, I bit the bullet and placed an order with our local builders providers. All the products I used are easy to get and costs will differ, depending on where you shop.

This is what I used:

Treated Rough Sawn Timber 175mm x 22mm 4.8M (7″ x 1″)

Amount varies depending on the area you are covering

Exterior wood screws

Square garden posts x 9

Rapid set cement (many brands have this specifically for fence posts)

Ronseal Fence Life Plus (Tudor Black Oak)

Ronseal 4″ Fence Brush

Step 1: Measurements

Map out your measurements so that you know how many timber lengths and posts to order. If, like me, you want to reduce your cuts, I measured out a fence post every metre, so I could attach timber planks and connect them, to create one long wall of fencing. Decide how many lengths high you want your fence and add in an allowance for a gap. I kept mine at 1 inch, but on reflection would keep this tighter. My main aim was to hide the ugly boundary wall, but this would work perfectly creating a boundary wall either.

Step 2: Fence Posts

Measure your fence post locations and dig holes. After we dug the holes, we set each post into position. Use twine running from one end of the garden to the other to ensure they are aligned. Also make sure your post is at the correct height to take all of your timber lengths. I then used some small pieces of timber to secure the posts in place, using the wall as support. This allowed me to mix and pour concrete for all 9 posts at the same time. Follow the instructions on the cement brand to ensure your mix sets correctly. This is rapid drying cement, so you have to work quickly once it is mixed.

Step 3: Fencing

This is the fun part and you start to see your fencing take shape. Once your concrete has set you can start to attach your timber lengths. It is a bit like a jigsaw, connecting all the pieces. I started at the top and worked my way down, screwing in the timbers. This is a two person job. Because of my measurement planning, 8 lengths fit on each post and connected at every second post. Use a piece of timber as your spacer so you get an consistent gap all the way around.

Step 4: Painting

Once all your timbers are secure, you are ready to begin painting. I didn’t like the bare wood look and wanted to go darker. I choose Ronseal Fence Life Plus for the following reasons: colour variety, durability and price and will go into more detail on that in a minute. But first lets get those fences painted.

Before you paint anything, dust down your fencing to remove any dirt and dust. Next, give your paint a good stir. The consistency is thicker an a regular paint, which makes it very easy to apply. It doesn’t drip and sticks to the timber once applied.

To say the Ronseal Fence Brush was a life saver on this project is an understatement. If you are using this product, pick up a brush. It was fantastic for applying the paint and was a similar width to my timber panels, making the application even easier.

I tested out a small section of the fence paint just to make sure I was happy with colour. I gave my fencing 3 coats. The first coat was light and I didn’t want any of the original timber showing through. The second and third coat came out much darker.

Ronseal have a wide range of colours to choose from and I choose Tudor Oak Black. Fence Life Plus is UV protected and does not grey in the sun which is was important given the dark colour we chose. I bought mine from my local Woodies DIY, who had a huge range of the colours in stock. Click here to find a stockist near you. Next, load up your brush with the paint and brush it on. If there are any drips, just brush them into the timber.

You need to wait 4 hours between coats. I spread this job out over several evenings and took my time. Impressively, the colour lasts for 5 years. Yes, you heard me correctly. 5 years. Our garden is low maintenance, so this was music to my ears. Fence Life Plus is also versatile and can be used on rough or smooth timbers. Because I had used rough sawn timber in this project, the fence paint went on really well. The colour and finish are excellent. It was shower proof in 1 hour, completely dry in 4 hours, perfect for the unpredictable Irish weather conditions.

Finally, I found Ronseal Fence life Plus to be good value for money. I used the measurement feature on their website to figure out how much product I needed. I purchased 2 x 9 litre pots to be sure I had enough, but only needed about 12 litres for this project. It also come in 5 litre pots, but my local DIY didn’t have any in stock. I intend to build a timber shed so will no doubt use the remainder on that project, whenever I get around to it.

Overall, I am really happy with how the fencing turned out. The ugly walls are hidden from sight and the black oak colour makes the space look contemporary and smart. Ronseal Fence Life Plus was an easy product to use. It has provided the finishing touch to our DIY fencing and I would recommend it to anyone tackling a similar project.

Thanks for reading,

This post was a paid collaboration with Ronseal, but all opinions and views are my own. I have also included no affiliated links to assist you with information for your own project.