How To Customize Your Backyard Fence To Give It A Natural & Rustic Look

When you want to create privacy in your backyard, a fence is the easiest and most effective option. Determining the right style of fence to match your home's design needs is a little trickier. You have quite a few options for color and style when building a fence, but if you want a rustic or natural look, using wood is a great place to start.

One of the best ways to make a wood fence look rustic is to use distressed wood for building, rather than new lumber you purchase at your local lumber yard. You may already know that a key element in creating rustic decor inside your home is incorporating distressed wood, and your backyard fence is no different.

Unlike using reclaimed wood indoors, using this material outdoors is a little trickier. Although you can use it outdoors, you must treat it with a water-resistant sealant to keep it from rotting when exposed to the elements. Some reclaimed wood is already pressure treated. If so, it should have a chemical smell to it and you can hang it as is. It's heavier than non-treated materials, too. Pressure-treated wood that you recycle for your fence will naturally become gray over time, so it may develop an even more rustic look within a couple of years.

If your fence is already up, you can use paint techniques to make the material appear even more rustic and weathered. One of the most successful options is to create a whitewash effect on older wood. To accomplish this look, take white outdoor paint and mix it with water. The more water you add to the white paint, the more of the wood grain that will be visible through the paint. Put a coat on the wood and see whether you like the look after it dries. If not, you can add more coats until you get the exact look you want.

You also can create the rustic look by using watered-down paint with a hint of green color on the fence. Colors with reddish tones deliver the rustic look in a fence, too. Importantly, try to stick with a matte finish when creating a rustic look on the fence.

If you want to make new wood look aged, you can also use a spray painting technique. Use brown or black spray paint lightly over the new wood. When it's time to distress it with a whitewashing technique, it's easier to see the darker color underneath the white paint, creating a greater contrast that enhances the rustic look.

If you're looking for something a little different, one popular type of natural fence is the weaved wattle design. Use medium-diameter branches or round fence posts to create the vertical posts to anchor the fence. As you trim branches off new and young trees, you can weave the flexible branches around the posts, creating a tight barrier. Keep adding more branches and winding them around the vertical posts to create the fence. This is a fun DIY job, but it can take a long time.

Using living plants as a fence is another option to create a natural backyard design. Consider using hedges to create part or all of the barrier around your backyard. You can trim the hedges to the desired height for the fence. Understand, though, that a hedge that loses its leaves in the winter may not give you the maximum level of privacy. You also could add vining plants that grow over the top of an existing fence for a natural living element.

Another natural-looking option is a rock or stone fence. This is a labor intensive job, but, when done correctly, creates an impressive look. Dig a shallow trench and fill it with landscape fabric and gravel for a sturdy base. For the fence, use large rocks on the bottom and smaller rocks going upward. Include mortar to hold everything together. You may have to use a chisel and sledge hammer to shape some stones for a better fit.