Your fence may not be glamorous, but it may be the most important part of your garden, especially if you have children and/or pets. It’s also probably one of the more expensive bits of your garden so it’s a good idea to take care of it and give it some protection from the weather, especially the rain (and sunlight, when there is any). Preventing mould and splintering from happening in the first place is usually a whole lot more affordable and less hassle than having to replace part (or all) of your fence.
These days, you can find a high-quality fence product for just about any need or taste. If you’re looking for maximum speed and minimum effort, then using a fence sprayer is generally the best way to go, in which case, you’ll need a fairly thin fence paint to avoid clogging. Alternatively, if you’re prepared to put in a bit of time up front, you can apply a thicker product with a paint brush and walk away knowing you’re unlikely to need to do it again for quite some time.
Modern fence paints are generally completely safe to plants, animals and children when they are dry. Some fence paints are even safe while still wet, although we’d recommend keeping pets and children away from them in any case, since you won’t want paw- or fingerprints messing up your handiwork. We’d also still recommend covering up any nearby plants to avoid getting unsightly drips on their leaves. A standard dust sheet will usually do the job nicely.
It may seem a pain, in fact, it may be a pain, but it really is worth taking a bit of time to prepare your fence before you start painting it. Certainly you’re going to need to deal with any damage. Fence paints are meant to prevent damage not repair it. You don’t necessarily have to sand the wood, but cleaning it is usually a very good idea and you might want to think about treating it for mould and algae, especially if you spot any early signs of it starting to take a grip on the wood.
Remember that the instructions given on the can assume “ideal” situations. In particular, they assume that the fence is in good condition and that the fence paint is being applied over a similar colour. If you’re planning on putting fence paint over a completely different colour, then you’re probably going to need extra coats and you might want to get a small pot and do a test paint before you commit.
As a final point, if your fence is looking really bad and you have to take a decision between trying to paint it or just replacing it, we’d say, have a feel of the wood and see if you think it’s generally solid. If it is, we’d at least have a try at repairing and painting it before you go to the hassle and cost of replacing it. In that situation, we’d suggest using a fence treatment to give the wood some real love. If it holds up, literally, then you might want to try painting it a decorative colour, if you feel so inclined.
Best Fence Paint – Round Up
We’ve split this round up into two sections, namely best fence treatment and best long lasting fence paint. We’ve used our own judgement to decide what’s a fence treatment and what’s a fence paint rather than just going by what it says on the tin. For the record, we have no connection with Cuprinol, they just make a lot of good products so they get a lot of entries on our list. When putting this list together, we’ve looked for products which deliver colour and protection, last the course and have a reasonable price (for what they offer).
Read Our Article On The ‘Best Fence Sprayer Systems’ Here
Best Fence Treatment
As far as we’re concerned, if a product’s main job is to treat and protect the wood, rather than colour it, then it’s a fence treatment rather than a fence paint, even if it says something else on the can.
Top 7 Best Fence Paint in UK
Cuprinol 5L Spray Fence Treatment
According to Cuprinol, this fence paint will do the job in one coat. Frankly, we’re not convinced. We’d say two to three coats would be more likely. On the plus side, this fence treatment is still a pretty economical buy and applying two to three coats of spray-on paint is, in our opinion, much easier than applying two to three coats of brush-on paint. Once it’s on it protects your fence to the standard you’d expect from Cuprinol.
Cuprinol 5L Spray Fence Treatment - Forest Oak
- Colour and weather protection
- Even coverage in 1 coat
- For use with Cuprinol sprayers or a brush
- Up to 3m2 per litre
- Drying time: Up to 6 hours
- Colour and weather protection
- Even coverage in 1 coat
- For use with Cuprinol sprayers or a brush
- Up to 3m2 per litre
- Drying time: Up to 6 hours
Cuprinol Ducksback Shed & Fence Paint
We recommended this as a wood preserver and we’re recommending it here for much the same reasons. It’s a wax-enriched product, which will limit your choice of top coat, but we think that’s OK because you don’t actually need to use one unless you want to for aesthetic reasons. This product is low-drip, virtually odour free and safe around anything you’re likely to find in a garden. Basically if your priority is to make sure that your fence lasts as long as possible with as little maintenance as possible, then Cuprinol Ducksback could be just what you need.
New 2016 Cuprinol Ducksback Shed & Fence Paint 5 Litre Autumn Gold....
- Protection for 5 years
- Shower proof in 1 hour
- Non-drip easy application
- Shower proof in 1 hour. Wax enriched, water repellent
- Frost Protection
- Protection for 5 years
- Shower proof in 1 hour
- Non-drip easy application
- Shower proof in 1 hour. Wax enriched, water repellent
- Frost Protection
Cuprinol Less Mess Fence Care
This is another Cuprinol product which is billed as doing the job in one coat. Again, we’d say be prepared to use 2 or 3, although, to be fair, if your fence is in pretty decent condition then one coat might well be fine. It doesn’t drip or smell, dries quickly, is safe around plants, pets and children and offers a very robust level of protection for your woodwork.
Cuprinol LMFCBL6L Less Mess Fence Care Black 6 Litre, 6l
- Specially formulated to colour and protect rough sawn timber
- Special pigments ensure rich colour and even coverage in just one coat
- It is quick-drying, low odour and safe to use around plants and pets
- LMFCBL6L
- Specially formulated to colour and protect rough sawn timber
- Special pigments ensure rich colour and even coverage in just one coat
- It is quick-drying, low odour and safe to use around plants and pets
- LMFCBL6L
Ronseal One Coat Life – Quick Dry Garden Shed & Fence Paints
It’s Ronseal, it does what it says on the tin. At least it does if your fence is in decent condition. If it’s a bit the worse for wear (or lack of maintenance), then you’re probably looking at two or three coats, likewise if you need it to cover a strong colour, you’re going to need a bit more. This product definitely needs to go on with a brush rather than a spray, but overall it’s very straightforward to apply.
Ronseal 5L One Coat Life - Quick Dry Garden Shed & Fence...
- Areas of use: Sheds and Fences
- Coverage: 6.0 m2 covered per litre
- Finish: Opaque Matt
- Drying time: Rainproof in 1-2 hours
- Number of coats: 1
- Areas of use: Sheds and Fences
- Coverage: 6.0 m2 covered per litre
- Finish: Opaque Matt
- Drying time: Rainproof in 1-2 hours
- Number of coats: 1
Sadolin Shed & Fence Woodstain
This is quite a thin woodstain, we’re guessing this is because it’s intended for use with a sprayer although it can be applied just as well with a brush and even though it’s thin it doesn’t really drip. It doesn’t claim to be a “one-coat” product, we’d guess you’d need two coats for an average job, three if you’re covering a bright colour. That said, one can goes a surprisingly long way. The thinness means that it dries quickly and it offers good protection to the wood, especially since it’s enriched with wax.
Sadolin Shed & Fence Woodstain Grey Shadow 5 L
- 5 years protection
- Showerproof in 30 minutes
- All weather barrier to protect wood
- Wax enriched water repellency
- Non drip application
- 5 years protection
- Showerproof in 30 minutes
- All weather barrier to protect wood
- Wax enriched water repellency
- Non drip application
Best Long Lasting Fence Paint
Again, as far as we’re concerned, if a product is designed to deliver a combination of colour and protection then it’s a fence paint regardless of what it says on the can.
Cuprinol Garden Shades
As far as we can tell, this is basically the coloured equivalent of the spray fence treatment so much the same comments apply. The key differences are that this is more expensive (which is understandable) and that it seems to dry to a much darker shade than you’d think when you put it on. We haven’t been able to test this, but we have heard that it doesn’t last anything like the 6 years it says on the tin, at least not on the likes of benches, which are being used regularly, 2 to 3 years is apparently more like it.
Cuprinol GSUS25L Garden Shades Urban Slate 2.5 Litre
- Beautiful matt colour which enhances the grain of natural wood, with 6 year weather protection on wood.
- Suitable for wood, terracotta, brick and stone.
- Brush or Spray
- Water based
- Gives beautiful long-lasting colour and weatherproof protection
- Beautiful matt colour which enhances the grain of natural wood, with 6 year weather protection on wood.
- Suitable for wood, terracotta, brick and stone.
- Brush or Spray
- Water based
- Gives beautiful long-lasting colour and weatherproof protection
- Ideal for decorating fences, sheds and garden furniture
- For accurate, even spraying, use only with the cuprinol fence sprayer or cuprinol power sprayer
- Specially formulated to complement the natural colours in the garden and to allow the texture of the wood grain to show through
- It is water based and harmless to plants and pets
Dulux Weather Shield Quick Dry Satin Paint
The good news about the Dulux Weather Shield paint is that it dries to a really premium-looking colour and finish. Basically it’s everything you’d expect from Dulux. We do, however, have two issues with this product. Firstly, it’s not particularly environmentally friendly, in fact it’s specifically labelled as a biocide, which can harm aquatic life. Secondly, it’s pretty expensive for what you get and we can’t quite stop ourselves from thinking that the high price is largely due to the fact that it says Dulux on the can.
Dulux Weather Shield Quick Dry Satin Paint, 750 ml - Green Glade
- Dulux 750 ml Weather Shield Quick Dry Satin Paint - Green Glade
- Dulux
- Paint Guns & Accessories
- Flexible paint film
- Long lasting protection
- Dulux 750 ml Weather Shield Quick Dry Satin Paint - Green Glade
- Dulux
- Paint Guns & Accessories
- Flexible paint film
- Long lasting protection
- Quick drying
Best Fence Paint – Summary
As always, the best fence paint for you depends on what your priorities are. We’d be happy to recommend any of the products on this list, including the Dulux. Our choice would depend entirely on what we wanted to paint and, frankly, how much effort we felt like making.
Read Our Article On The ‘Best Fence Sprayer Systems’ Here
If it builds, screws or fixes, Jeff knows all about it. Former Joiner and handyman with over 25 years in the business, Jeff is our ‘hands-on’ tools, garden and hardware expert. Our in-house heavy lifter, you certainly know when he’s around. BIG guy with a big heart, a super warm and friendly guy. Always eating and always active, Jeff literally never stops and always has a smile on his face but more importantly for our readers, is an expert reviewer
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