Fence Decorating Safety At The Holidays

The holidays are here and many homeowners are decorating their exterior fences for this festive, joyous occasion! As you go outside to put up lights, garland and ribbons, keep these crucial safety tips in mind. 

Practice Ladder Safety

If you will be using a ladder to decorate a tall privacy fence, do it with a partner. Your partner may need to steady your ladder when you're unable to find even ground where the ladder will be stable. Your partner will also be able to pass tools up to you without forcing you to walk up and down the ladder over and over again, reducing the chances of an accident occurring. Don't use the top rung of the ladder, and if decorating a fence with sharp, pointed pickets, avoid using a ladder at all.

Avoid Using Nails to Hold Up Decorations on a Wooden Fence

Nails that are allowed to protrude from wooden fences can be bad for several reasons. To begin with, nails can chip off the stain or paint that protects the fence from moisture damage. Even worse, nails can catch on clothing and skin if someone brushes up too close to the fence. Don't use nails to attach your decorations to your fence. Instead, use outdoor-grade wire to hang the decorations from the pickets. 

Avoid Decorations that Compromise the Usability of the Fence

Many fences are in place for a reason. Privacy fences keep in dogs or keep neighborhood kids out of the pool area. Fences also keep people out for security purposes. Decorations that compromise the function of the fence, like an extension cord that prevents the gate from latching, can be a danger to your family and others. As you put up decorations on the gate, check to ensure that the gate still closes and latches.

Be Safe with Electricity

If you're decorating your fence with holiday lights, you may need to run extension cords through the yard and over walkways in order to reach the fence. To ensure that these extension cords pose no danger to your family and property, cover the extension cords with tape wherever possible, and avoid running extension cords over areas where you would potentially use a shovel or snow blower. Where ever possible, run extension cords in out of the way places, like up against the walls of your house.

Decorated fences are both festive and fun. For more information about fence decorating and fence decorating safety at the holidays, contact your local fence installation contractor at places like TrueFENCE.