I never hesitated for a moment when I decided to paint my fences black. The repainting depends on how many climbers and plants you have to disguise or blend in with them. All my fences have climbers and/or shrubs and planting on and in front of them, so it's not as big a job as when you have masses of bare wood to do. I don't mind painting though - I find it quite therapeutic, so it doesn't bother me giving them a touch up each year. The shed is worse because the r*ddy slugs chew their way all over it.
A small roller can be easier for doing a quick repaint than a brush. The emulsion heads work better on rough wood than the ones for gloss paint.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The repainting has not bothered me too much either, it's more that my personal preference is the natural look of wood. But I don't think I could cope with living with mis-matched sides... my colour OCD is already screaming at the thought of it
I love black fences / sheds etc. They help the colour of foliage etc to really sing as well making the fence itself fade into the shadows.
The only caveat I would add is that a shady black fence will grow as much green algae etc as a cream one (see also Nollie's post). I don't, however, think it looks nearly as mucky as it does on a light coloured fence.
In my current garden I have one corner where the fences are painted black and I don't notice them anymore. The fence which runs the length of the garden on the opposite side has been left untreated and I don't notice that one anymore either. There's a lot of planting in front of both sets of fences so (especially in the summer) they are just not a noticeable feature in the garden.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
I prefer natural wood too but there were three different stretches of fence panels in my garden when I moved in which hadn’t all aged gracefully so painting was the best option. I wouldn’t worry about algal growth, a quick spray with a patio cleaner when necessary will get rid of it (there are environmentally friendly ones available).
The algae/moss certainly doesn't show up so badly on the darker colours. It also depends on how much it annoys you! I really don't mind it - it goes with all the moss
The fences already here were painted in that hideous 'cedar' [ie dirty orange] colour, so there was no way I was living with that. A few other neighbours have done their fences in the green or a cream/beige. The willow green is a nice contrast for the black, but I fancied a change, hence the grey I mixed.
Pale colours can look smart if you have a small, contemporary space, and you want a few choice plants to stand out in front of a wall or fence. It's particularly good for a dining/seating space, but as ever - it comes down to personal taste. In a larger, more open space, it can be too much without lots of planting to break it up.
I love that colour @Fairygirl - it's the sort of grey I have in most of my house! I think I'm going to stay clear of doing my entire fence in a lighter colour though, for reasons others have suggested. It looks great on individual items like that though. What I'd really love is a feature brick wall that I could paint white or cream (or pink! or whatever I fancy!). My mum has a small brick wall between the house and the first fence post and it looks so lovely with pots of flowers against it. One for the future maybe! Thinking about it, I do have a brick shed....
@Pete.8 I've only just seen your earlier photo for some reason - your fence looks lovely and how I wish I could have mine. Especially as I'm aiming for a cottage garden look, it looks much more fitting. Hopefully I can find something that doesn't stand out and get enough shrubs and climbers to have it be less noticeable
Yes I have similar greys indoors too @gilla.walmsley, and that's why I found it odd that I couldn't seem to get an outdoor paint in a similar shade. They were all too dark.
I just have things like the bench and some pots etc done in it, so that helps with the coordination. It's a nice contrast with the black woodwork elsewhere. Having lots of planting means the black isn't dominant either, and I have golden gravel, so there's enough lighter colours to help set that off. You could experiment with mixing a paler colour and doing your shed though, and see how you feel about it. If you hate it, it's not a major problem to redo it darker
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Very true @Fairygirl ! Funnily enough I've just spent weeks mixing my own paint colour for my walls indoors, and have finally made a colour I'm happy with. Seems impossible to buy light coloured emulsion paint these days too... even the lightest things in the ranges comes out too dark for me!
It also depends on the light in a room. I used a neutral colour in a hallway in a previous house, but when I used it in a room which had decent light, it looked totally different. It can be tricky when you buy paint of any kind. I moved into this house nearly ten years ago, and when I updated the paintwork, I decided to use various paints that had been left to save buying any more. It worked very well!
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
The repainting depends on how many climbers and plants you have to disguise or blend in with them. All my fences have climbers and/or shrubs and planting on and in front of them, so it's not as big a job as when you have masses of bare wood to do.
I don't mind painting though - I find it quite therapeutic, so it doesn't bother me giving them a touch up each year. The shed is worse because the r*ddy slugs chew their way all over it.
A small roller can be easier for doing a quick repaint than a brush. The emulsion heads work better on rough wood than the ones for gloss paint.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The only caveat I would add is that a shady black fence will grow as much green algae etc as a cream one (see also Nollie's post). I don't, however, think it looks nearly as mucky as it does on a light coloured fence.
In my current garden I have one corner where the fences are painted black and I don't notice them anymore. The fence which runs the length of the garden on the opposite side has been left untreated and I don't notice that one anymore either. There's a lot of planting in front of both sets of fences so (especially in the summer) they are just not a noticeable feature in the garden.
The fences already here were painted in that hideous 'cedar' [ie dirty orange] colour, so there was no way I was living with that. A few other neighbours have done their fences in the green or a cream/beige. The willow green is a nice contrast for the black, but I fancied a change, hence the grey I mixed.
Pale colours can look smart if you have a small, contemporary space, and you want a few choice plants to stand out in front of a wall or fence. It's particularly good for a dining/seating space, but as ever - it comes down to personal taste. In a larger, more open space, it can be too much without lots of planting to break it up.
This is the colour I mixed @gilla.walmsley
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@Pete.8 I've only just seen your earlier photo for some reason - your fence looks lovely and how I wish I could have mine. Especially as I'm aiming for a cottage garden look, it looks much more fitting. Hopefully I can find something that doesn't stand out and get enough shrubs and climbers to have it be less noticeable
I just have things like the bench and some pots etc done in it, so that helps with the coordination. It's a nice contrast with the black woodwork elsewhere. Having lots of planting means the black isn't dominant either, and I have golden gravel, so there's enough lighter colours to help set that off.
You could experiment with mixing a paler colour and doing your shed though, and see how you feel about it. If you hate it, it's not a major problem to redo it darker
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
It can be tricky when you buy paint of any kind.
I moved into this house nearly ten years ago, and when I updated the paintwork, I decided to use various paints that had been left to save buying any more. It worked very well!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...