How to Weather Fence Panels
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Did you know that Homeright sells Deck Pro Tank Sprayers? I asked them to send me one so I could use it for some projects.
Now, you may be wondering what kind of project I’m doing with a Deck Pro and some baking soda…..
I recently bought six sections of privacy fence on clearance because it was damaged. What? Who cares? I use weathered fencing for a lot of projects, including directional wedding signs for my Etsy shop. I’m running out of the weathered fence boards, so when I saw that I could buy new boards and speed up the weathering process with baking soda, I knew that my new Deck Pro would be the perfect way to apply said baking soda.
The (Amazon Affiliate Link) Deck Pro comes with two different spray tips for various applications. In my case, I wanted a nice stream of water (and baking soda) and less of a spray, so I removed the spray tip and used the wand sans spray tip.
As a true test, and because I was not certain this was going to work—I only started with one panel. LOOK at the difference. The panel in the foreground was after two applications of dissolved baking soda and sunshine. This was after about 36 hours. Needless to say, after this little experiment, all of the panels got a good soaking of the mixture.
Things I noticed:
- Upon the first soaking, the chemicals in the boards definitely did what they are supposed to do-repel water.
- The second soaking made more of a difference.
- I believe this will work best on warm sunny days-as I think the sun activates the baking soda quicker.
- The fence is not as near as “gray” as I need it to be, but I truly believe that it has definitely sped up mother nature’s effect.
The Homeright Deck Pro is very easy to use. In my case, I added 1/2 of a one pound box, and warm water to the desired level in my one gallon Deck Pro, shook it up to dissolve the baking soda—then pumped the handle in order to get a pressurized spray. This was my first time using a sprayer of this sort and it was fun to see that there’s a handy little valve to release the pressure when you’re ready to clean your Deck Pro.
From the Homeright site:
- Translucent polyethylene tank makes tracking the liquid level easy.
- The funnel top makes filling easy for liquids such as: wood preservatives, stains, sealers, deck cleaners, semi-transparent stains, pesticides, weed killer and insecticides: Not intended for use with thick or latex materials.
- The carry strap eliminates the need to hand hold the tank while spraying and the detachable hose is great for cleaning.
- The spray wand has a locking trigger for continuous spraying and accommodates two nozzles:
- The cone nozzle provides adjustable spray patterns.
- The flat nozzle provides a wide, even spray pattern.
- The Deck Pro sure-grip pump handle makes pumping easy and features a clip for convenient wand storage and chemical resistant seals.
- To safely depressurize the tank simply press the pressure-relief valve on the top of the tank before cleaning and storage.
- Pressure-relief valve limits the pressure to approximately 40 psi.
- Chemically resistant seals are compatible with paint thinner and mineral spirits.
Now for the good news!
A giveaway from our friends at Homeright.com
I get to give away Deck Pro Sprayer to 3 winners! Yep, three lucky readers will get a sprayer of their very own. And the best news is, you get to choose either a 1 or 2 gallon sprayer. I personally chose the 1 gallon because it weighs less when filled with water. 
How to ENTER:
Easy-Leave a comment on this blog post about why you would love to have your very own Deck Pro Sprayer. After leaving a comment on this post, follow through with the Rafflecopter widget, as that is where the winner will be chosen at random. You can earn some bonus entries with the Rafflecopter widget if you’re on Facebook and Twitter. Must be 18, US resident. Void where prohibited by law. Winners will have 48 hours to respond to the notification that they have won (via email). Otherwise alternate winners will be chosen.
Good luck!
So, you think you don’t need to weather fence panels with baking soda? Take a look at what my friends are using their Deck Pro Sprayers for:
MakelyHome.com filled up some water balloons!
11 Magnolia Lane uses one for an easy beach cleanup sprayer!
This was a fun product to review. I’ll be back next week with another great Finish Max project to inspire you.
gail
disclaimer: I am happy to be a Homeright Brand Ambassador, receiving great products to review. I have been compensated for my time, however-all thoughts, opinions and projects are my own.
My new stockade fence replaces sections next to the gray older sections.
The entire fence is covered with Ivy–a Secret Garden Wall circles the pool in center.
If I try to speed up graying on the new stockade fence so it matches the older section, with Baking Soda, will that kill the ivy?
I’m sorry Lisa, I have no idea if it will kill the ivy. If you already have the fence up, I’d just let nature take it’s course. 🙁
gail
I clearly have missed the give away… but still, glad to read a new tip on aging wood!
Great use of the deck pro…though water balloons sounds fun too!
I think buying broken fence panels is a pretty good investment into your company…
You should probably go back and link your shop… (in that first paragraph) where you mentioned ETSY and your signs.
Some people might not be aware of your fantastic rustic sign business! 😉
I could SO use something like this. Spraying deck sealer, herbicide, fertilizer, the list goes on.
I can see sooooo many applications for one of these.
I would do my 76 yr. old mom’s handicapped ramp. It is faded and looks terrible.
I can think of many uses here on the farm for the Deck Pro Sprayer, but mostly I wouldn’t have to “borrow” the hand pump one my husband uses. I would have my own weed killer sprayer. I would also be able to clean my fence before I paint it. I would be able to wash my wicker furniture before I paint it. I would be able to wash my porch and sidewalks. I would be able to …
I’d use the spray tank to clean and seal the deck
this would work great for my deck and front porch
I would use it to wash the outside of my trailer and my fence, to prepare my fence for a new coat of paint. Then to spray fertilizer on my lawn and shrubs.
i have a wooden fence and this would help us spray it and protect it
Hmmm I could use it for all those fun ideas! My gazebo could use a spray though… Baking soda? Who knew!
OK…. filling balloons, now that is the best idea yet for a sprayer. I’ll be passing that along to the balloon fillers in my family. And to think we only use our sprayer to spray things. Silly us.
I’d use the sprayer to seal our wood fence.
Oh My !!! I have the deck / porch for this HOME RGHT DECK SPRAYER would be a joyful to have clean better & fast results,,,then on to the water balloon tossing…TY…
We live near the beach which means sand is EVERYWHERE…even when we dont go to the beach. On a planned trip I would definitely fill it up and put it in the car so I could run a last rinse on everyone before we got into the car and made a mess of things. On the regular I would definitely keep it filled up and by the door so they could rinse their shoes off and let it air dry outside. Plus, I could wash away those stubborn Banana Spider Webs we get down here! (Ekk, I hate spiders!!)
Good sprayers are a necessity and I have so many uses!
Great to be able not to have to search for weathered wood, but make your own.
Thanks for the tutorial!
I have so many Christmas gifts to make and this would make them so easy!
I love the idea of using the sprayer to wash off after going to the beach!
Love this idea to get a weathered look. But of course I have a Deck that needs to be Treated.
I actually need a new fence, this would be perfect for a water repellent.
Wow what a cool project. Being able to get weathered boards “on demand” wow
I would use this for ant killer for our yard, but the water balloon idea is brilliant!
We are currently re-doing our back fence in sections as time (and budget) allow. I love the idea of using something natural to ‘age’ it so it looks uniform. I try to garden as organically as possible, plus we have a herd of cats so using less chemicals even for something like fencing is truly a blessing!
Love the idea of filling water balloons! And with teenagers in the house, easy entertainment!
I can’t decide! Spray my fence, my deck, my garden! Will definitely need a second sprayer!
We have a huge deck and since I’m getting older your deck sprayer would be a life saver! Thanks!
EVERY TIME I use my current deck sprayer, I lose my patience. Won’t spray, won’t close tight enough to build up pressure, when I do get it closed properly, I can’t reopen it, etc., etc. Would I like a replacement that actually works on the first try? Absolutely!
This would be perfect for use on my fence
I would love to win the deck sprayer. I work on up cycling furniture all the time. I would love to add this to what i could do with pieces and I want to put a wood fence around our patio so this would be great to have to get the look you did.. beach! I live at the beach! Thanks for this opportunity! Love your site and work you do!! i am learning so much from you!! <3
Oh, I would LOVE to win a deck sprayer! I, too, make signs and other things out of old boards, and they are getting very hard to find! I was so happy to see your aging experiment and I can’t wait to try it. It would be so much easier with the sprayer! Thanks for the chance to win!!!
We are hoping to fence our back yard in so we can say “who let the dogs out”. I hate the look of new fencing so this would help us make it look better.
Oh Gail, that is a great idea! I didn’t know baking soda would weather the wood. SWEET!!! And I’d like to duplicate what you are doing and clean the back patio then stain it. Love to win! 🙂 thanks!!!!
Oh My Goodness! I had only ever used a pump sprayer to clean my deck ! So Many Other Uses!!!! Can’t wait to try some of these. (really like the water balloon idea!)
I just moved into a 1940s home, and this sprayer would be sooo helpful for all the long-neglected outdoor cleaning that needs to be done! Thanks to you and Homeright for offering the giveaway.
I’d find a million and one uses for the sprayer – Now an empty nester and can’t wait to start repurposing furniture, etc. with some of your ideas. Thanks!
Would love the sprayer for my home projects.
I would love to win the Homeright Deck Pro for our enormous deck!
I assume my husband would want to use it to stain the deck but I love the beach sprayer idea!
I really need to find my inner handywoman… and any thing to help me achieve that would be awesome. . I need it for aging newer wood, spraying “homemade” concoctions for weeds, bug deterrents etc. What a help it would be.
My husband and I are suburban farmers and raise chickens so I can think of lots of uses for the sprayer! We might even actually get around to sealing our privacy fence. Most likely it would be used for gardening. What a great giveaway!
I could use a sprayer for a lot of things–from spraying weed killer, spraying for insects, dog repellent, cleaning articles to aging wood as you did. Love the idea of aging wood.
Wow….this looks amazing….so many uses, but the deck is certainly # 1 on the list!
So many uses. I can’t pick just one!
I need one to use at my son’s house to help clean his deck then apply sealer. This is his first house and he has no tools! This sprayer would really be put to good use! Thanks! Pam
I would love to get my hands on one of these sprayers for all my little projects… I think I might do the Sam thing with the fence panels that’s a great tip! As well as us it to spray a couple white fabric photo backdrops I have that are a little dingy and I’d rather paint or stain them than toss them out.
I want one to use cleaning my front sidewalk!
I would use this sprayer for a lot of projects around our home! Love the idea of speeding up the weathering process of new wood! Will definitely be doing that!
I would try to see if I could use it with mil paint–I think it would thin enough.
The Homeright Deck Pro Sprayer looks like the perfect sprayer for the HUGE project in my future – sealing a new 6 foot wide, 300 foot long dock. Yep, I’m being very boring and practical; I’m going to use the sprayer to spray a water sealer on treated lumber.
…maybe I’ll need a second sprayer to fill water balloons after I finish the job!
Thank you, Gail!
Carol