Fences in Manhattan are mostly wood garden fences behind row houses and iron fences and railings at the front. Wood in a shaded yard between buildings stays damp and turns green. Iron by the sidewalk rusts from winter salt. We wash and stain or paint wood fences, and scrape, prime and paint ironwork.
Fences are not common in Manhattan, and we will not pretend otherwise. Where they exist, they are worth keeping up. Behind brownstones and townhouses, wood fences divide one garden from the next, often cedar boards or lattice panels set between masonry walls. At the front, low iron fences and gates guard the areaway beside the stoop. Roof decks and terraces have privacy screens and planters built of the same wood. Those are the fences we stain and paint, along with garden gates and trellises.
A garden fence between tall buildings sees little sun. It stays wet after rain, grows a green film and rots first at the bottom, where boards meet soil. We wash it gently, treat mildew, let it dry, replace nothing without telling you, and apply a stain that soaks in. Solid color stain covers old weathering well. Semi-transparent stain shows the grain on newer cedar. Both sides matter, so we ask you to talk with the neighbor about access, since the fence may be shared.
Iron needs a different method. We scrape and wire brush rust and flaking paint by hand, prime bare metal with a rust-inhibiting primer and finish with an exterior enamel, most often black. Old coatings on ironwork may contain lead, so we contain and collect what comes off. On a landmarked block, a change of color on a front fence can need Landmarks Preservation Commission approval, while repainting the same color is simpler. Everything for a rear garden is carried through the house, and we protect floors on the way.
Fence painting & staining in New York: common questions
Who is responsible for the fence between two brownstone gardens?
That depends on where it stands and what the owners have agreed, and we cannot settle it for you. Before we work, we ask that both neighbors know the plan, because we need to reach both faces to do the job properly.
How do you get equipment into a rear garden with no side passage?
Through the house, as with most Manhattan row houses. We bring compact equipment, lay floor protection from the front door to the garden door and carry debris out the same way in sealed bags.
Can you repaint the iron fence and gate by my stoop?
Yes. We hand scrape and brush the rust, prime the bare steel or cast iron and apply enamel by brush so no spray drifts onto the sidewalk or parked cars. Wet paint signs and barriers stay up until it is dry.
How it works
- Free estimate: Call, text or book online. We walk the job and measure.
- Written quote: Prep, paint and price in writing.
- Prep & protect: We cover floors and furniture, repair and prime surfaces.
- Paint & walk-through: Two coats, clean lines, full clean-up and a final walk-through.