Fence Panels

[janzman]

I take great care in painting my fence panels with a suitable product...Ronseal,Cuprinol. If my neighbour who has the other side of the same panels doesn't touch his side at all, what would be the long term effect on the life of the panels.

[Old_Geezer]

My guess is that it'd probably reduce it especially if the prevailing wind hits their side. I'm guessing that it's your fence and they therefore leave it alone. If the wood was pressure protected at the start they ought to last a while anyway. I'm unconvinced that time, cost, and effort of a yearly re-protect necessarily works out cheaper than a replacement every ten years though.

[SlackAlice]

The unprotected side would eventually weather and fail. I have an agreement with my neighbour that every 3 yrs I can access their garden to paint their side.
Obviously, at a convenient time. My panels are also (not easily) removable.

[KARL]

Presumably you are thinking that there is a level of neglect by your neighbour which puts the fence at risk. There are two important points to have in mind before indignation takes over. The first is the question of who owns the fence, this should be clear from the legal documentation covering the properties on either side, or perhaps subsequent history records that one or the other put it up. The other point is whether the fence is made of wood which was treated against rot and insect attack. If it is treated wood then the application of (and expense of) coatings likely has more cosmetic value than anything else.

[Chipchopper]

I'm just wondering if it is your fence, would it be a viable option to turn around the panels to treat both sides ?

[The Builder]

The big unknown, Janz, is the quality of the timber and the treatment given to it before you get your hands on it.

It's very difficult with things like fence panels. "You get what you pay for" still holds. Panels are sold quite cheaply, and I've no idea what level of preservation they get.
Assuming it's been well treated, I can tell you that a fence post of good quality, planted in the ground can still be rot-free after 40 or even 50 years.

Unless you suspect your panels are really cheap and nasty, I wouldn't worry about it.
I agree with Karl. Fence staining is mostly "cosmetic."

[Vagus]

The fence on one side of the garden which we share with a neighbour has been frequently painted by him over the 35 years we’ve both lived there.
We’ve never painted our side and the fence is still in good condition.
Conversely, the back fence needs replacing and will probably be done this year.
The other side fence was replaced about 17 years ago.
All the fences..both sides and the back..were put up at the same time and we’ve never painted our side of any of them.
Go figure..