Wooden fences provide a natural and rustic appearance to your landscape, and the natural versatility of wood makes wooden fence easily aesthetically and functionally customizable. However, no matter if you are dealing with an unstained picket fence or a six foot darkly stained privacy fence, wood will, like many other types of fencing material, gradually degrade over time due to the fatal combination of stress and age. This can ruin the appearance of your fence, and also make it functionally less effective at keeping people or animals out or even acting as a boundary market. Understanding the signs associated with a wooden fence that is past the point of no return can help you identify when you should consider contacting a fence company to install a new wooden fence in your yard.

Physical Damage

Leaning fence posts and broken boards are the most obvious sign that your fence may be on its last legs. General wear and tear coupled with extreme weather conditions can quickly break down wooden board. For individual broken boards, you can likely replace them to restore your fence's appearance and function, but if a large section of your fence is damaged, and if your posts themselves are causing the fence to bend or lean to one side, replacement is your better choice as the structural stability of your fence is likely to fail.

Rusting and Missing Fasteners

In a somewhat similar line to the above point, you should also pay attention to the general condition of the fasteners that hold your fence in place. Screws, nuts and bolts are essential to holding your fence upright and together, and once rust and corrosion set in, your fence may be in danger. Severely rusted or damaged fasteners may fall out completely, leaving a section of your fence or a few boards loose and swinging. While it may be possible to replace the fasteners, just like in the above point any rust points to the advanced age of your fence, and suggest that the entire structure is beginning to fall apart.

Presence of Rot and Pests

Finally, the last indication that you need to scrap your current fence and replace it with a new one is if you notice that there are any signs of wood rot or pests like carpenter ants and termites in the actual fencing material. These problems can manifest after age and wear has worn away the sealant within the wood, which repels water and pests. Both of these problems will cause your fence to fall apart from the inside out, and so getting rid of the entire thing is the proactive thing to do.