It soaks in to the wood as opposed to sitting on the surface, which can make for a longer-lasting finish.

It’s the best fence paint for keeping mess to a minimum, and can be applied with either a brush or a spray gun. Although it achieves good coverage most of the time with just one coat, there are some instances where two coats might be required. For example: Although only one coat is required, if you’re covering a bright or very rich colour, you may wish to apply an extra coat of this Ronseal fence paint depending on personal preference. The paint dries as either the water or solvent dissolves, and both types of paint have their advantages and disadvantages. Water-Based PaintBoth water-based paint and solvent-based paint can be used on exterior surfaces – as long as the specific paint products states that it’s suitable for this purpose. The paint tin should state whether it is water based or oil/solvent based. When fence painting with a brush, you should work with the direction of the wood grain. If painting with a spray gun, you should work in sections, moving the paint sprayer left to right over the section whilst working either top to bottom or bottom to top. This fence paint is wax enriched, which helps with repelling water from the surface, and it offers an all-weather barrier to protect exterior wood. The ‘Ebony Wood’ is perfect for anyone wishing to create dark, striking fences. This One Coat Fence Life – Medium Oak by Ronseal has an elegant, rich colour. It’s the best fence paint if you’re after a traditional look and easy application. It can be used on both sheds and fences. When it comes to the infamous job of painting fences and sheds, there are a few brand names that often come to mind. Ronseal is one of them, and their One Coat Fence Life – Dark Oak treatment is quite a popular choice. This Ronseal fence paint offers good coverage, is easy to apply and is reasonably priced. Therefore, it’s the best fence paint in terms of value for money.

Always clean off dirt, mud and mould before fence painting. If your fence is mouldy, then consider applying a fungicidal wash to kill mould and algae before going anywhere near a paint brush. Painting over mould and moss will only result in the paint not adhering well to the wood. As a general rule, darker colour fence paints may be able to get away with one coat, depending on the original colour of the wooden fence. More vibrant colours are more likely to require a second coat (or maybe even a third). In terms of colour, this paint is available in nine different hues. I’ve chosen to focus this review on the ‘Silver’ Copse finish which is a matt, dark grey fence paint – it results in a modern, contemporary look.Cuprinol will likely need to be heavily diluted if used with a paint sprayer, so there is a possibility that another coat will be required in that case. Two coats might also be needed if painting over a darker colour, or applying the paint on fresh wood. A 1 L tin provides enough fence paint to cover approximately 12 m² (approximately five fence panels), so it’s one of the more expensive options featured on this list, but the coverage is good and it’s easy to apply, often only requiring one coat.

For reference: a 5 – 6 L tin of paint will cover approximately 30 m² (about 10 fence panels) . Although, of course, this depends on how many coats are needed. A 9 L tin can cover around 54 m² ( up to 17 fence panels) . The number of coats you need to apply also depends on the manufacture’s instructions for weatherproofing. For a lot of fence paint brands, one coat is enough to protect your fencing. However, do read the small print before making your choice – there are some paints that may require you to use two coats to fully protect the wood. This fence paint is not limited to use on rough-sawn timber and can be used on anything from garden fences to playhouses, and even wooden garden furniture. Everything from dining sets to benches can be made a lot more colourful using Johnstone’s Garden Colours, making it possible to create some really decorative and unique pieces. This Sadolin Shed and Fence Woodstain is the best fence paint if you’re looking for something that will freshen up the appearances of fences whilst also offering weather protection for several years.

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Some fences may only require one coat, but it’s more common to need two or three. The drying time between coats is around 2 – 4 hours and the overall drying time should no more than 5 hours in total. Choose water-based paint if you want a fast-drying fence paint that is more environmentally friendly . Water-based paints extend well over surfaces and you won’t need to use chemicals to clean the brushes. Plus, lighter colours (like white) won’t yellow over time. Painting a lighter colour over a darker one will likely always result in some of the base colour showing through. Better results will be achieved with several coats of paint, but there’s always a risk that it won’t turn out quite as vibrant as expected.