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Using a pressure washer on a wood fence
Updated
A wood fence needs the same care as a deck: a 25 degree tip (often green) or wider, about a foot from the boards, and strokes along the grain. A home electric washer is plenty. The main thing a fence adds is length, so reach and a long lance matter more than extra pressure.
Why fences fur up
Fence boards are often softer and thinner than decking, and old boards are weathered on the surface. A narrow tip lifts the soft wood between the growth rings and leaves a hairy, striped finish. Kärcher's wood deck guide gives the rules we would use on a fence too: scrub and rinse in the direction of the grain, and keep about 30 cm, roughly 12 inches, from the surface for the rinse.
How to wash a fence
- Move plants back or cover them, and wet the plants on the other side too if you use a cleaner.
- Apply a wood cleaner made for pressure washers with the soap tip and let it work a few minutes.
- Rinse top down with the 25 degree tip, board by board, in long vertical passes.
- Test on a back corner first. If the wood goes fuzzy, step back or switch to the 40 degree tip.
- Let the fence dry for a few days before you stain.
Vinyl fences
Vinyl is easier. It does not fur, but it can scratch or chalk under a narrow tip. Use the 40 degree tip (often white), which Generac lists for easily damaged surfaces, plus a soap made for pressure washers.
Reach: the fence problem
A long fence means moving the machine often. Check the hose and cord together. Our picks run from a 19 ft hose on the Karcher K1700 to 25 ft on the Westinghouse ePX3500 and the Greenworks. See our hose, cord and outlet guide before you reach for an extension cord.
Which of our picks fit a fence
- Sun Joe SPX3000: the 34 inch lance lets you reach the top and bottom of a board without bending much, and it has the 25 and 40 degree tips. The catch is the 20 ft hose.
- Westinghouse ePX3500: 19 pounds, easy to roll along a fence line, with a 25 ft hose. The catch is its short 17.5 inch wand and no 40 degree tip.
Check any listing's numbers with the cleaning units calculator, or see all five machines on our picks page.
Look over the fence before you spray. Pets, people and open windows next door are all in the line of fire.