Front Fence

Fence Before

I’m not a big fan of fenced-in front yards. I think they make a home seem unwelcoming, and a street of them feels closed off. However, there are some good reasons to keep it and for now at least it’s going to stay. Given that, I needed to do something about the white finials. Maybe this is a personal preference thing, but I think they look terrible. Maybe if they were painted well it would be another matter, but they’re rusty and crappy.

I started by sanding down all of the bubbling paint on the fence with steel wool. I used a wet rag to remove dirt, cobwebs, wind-blown seeds and all the other detritus that had accumulated. Then, wearing a black shirt and goggles, with a piece of cardboard as a shield, I spray painted everything that wasn’t black.

Fence After

I think the end product looks a lot better. While I was at it I also painted the railing on the porch. This was one of the rare aesthetic improvements we’ve made to the exterior of the house and I’m glad I finally found a warm, dry day to do it.