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Weed eaters can definitely damage vinyl fences, especially if they are run at full throttle. Weed Eater is great to clean up the edges of your fence but it’s best to start with a low setting and work your way up until you get the desired result.
Weed eaters can be incredibly powerful tools that are capable of doing all sorts of tasks around the yard – but they are also capable of dealing quite a bit of damage if not used safely.
If you have a vinyl fence, you definitely want to make sure that you exercise caution when using a weed eater to clean up the edges.
It can be easy for users who aren’t used to working with such tools, and if the weed eater runs at full throttle or is applied improperly then it can cause damage to just about anything – vinyl fencing included.
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Type of Weed Eaters
There are mainly two types of weed eaters, gas-powered and electric. Gas-powered models are more powerful but also require oil, mixed fuel, etc., before usage. Electric-powered models are perfectly fine to use on vinyl fences as long as they are used properly.
Battery-powered models are yet another option, but even though they are great for not polluting the environment with harmful emissions, these models don’t tend to be as powerful and lasting as the other two types of weed eaters.
How to Trim Grass Around a Vinyl Fence?
Vinyl fences are a great way to keep your yard looking neat and tidy. However, they sometimes need attention from the ground level up.
One of those times is when you have overgrown grass that is encroaching on the fence. Here are ten steps for trimming the grass around a vinyl fence.
1) Check with your local home improvement store or hardware store to see if they sell weed eaters designed specifically for use on vinyl fences. If not, don’t worry – there’s another option!
2) If you can’t find one at either place, try using an electric lawnmower with an attachment blade instead.
3) You’ll want to hold onto something sturdy while cutting so it doesn’t tip over as it vibrated against the vinyl. Use a ladder or step stool to lean it up against the fence, then cut grass away from your vinyl fence.
4) After trimming, inspect the edge of your fence for any damage that may have occurred due to the cutting noise. If you find gouges in your vinyl fencing’s smooth plastic surface, sand them down using heavy-duty sandpaper and an electric sander if available.
5) Fill any dents with exterior-grade spray foam for plastics. Allow several hours for it to dry out before continuing on to step 6!
6) Once all dents are filled and dry, use black caulk (if there’s no color difference between your fence and trim), or another matching exterior grade spray foam for plastics to fill in any gaps between the vinyl fence and your ground. Allow it to dry as well, then touch up with black exterior paint if necessary.
7) Go over the entire trim of your vinyl decking along the top of your fence, as well as that around any stairs or ramps that lead down from it, using caulk (if there’s no color difference between your fence and trim), or exterior-grade spray foam for plastics to seal up any cracks or openings where grass can grow through.
8) From here on out, be sure to stay on top of regular lawn maintenance by mowing regularly and keeping your grass at a safe height!
9) If regular lawn maintenance is unattainable for you, there’s always the option of putting in a low-maintenance ground cover such as decorative stones or mulch.
10) If that idea doesn’t appeal to you, an easy way to maintain a neat and clean appearance along the top edge of your vinyl fence would be to use rubber mats with plastic spikes on their undersides.
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How to Weedeat Around Vinyl Fence?
It’s the height of summer, and it won’t be long before your grass is growing out of control. It can seem like a daunting task to take on this type of project, but you don’t have to do all the work yourself.
One option for keeping your yard looking nice is renting a weed eater from Home Depot or Lowes. But what about vinyl fences? Will they get damaged by a weed eater? We’ll discuss five steps that will help you keep your yard in tip-top shape without damaging any property!
1) Start at one end and trim along the edge of the fence with short, quick motions;
2) When you reach an opening (a gate or door), pull back and go around it;
3) Continue until the entire fence is trimmed;
4) If you want to make sure no one can see in your yard or onto your property, trim the other side of the fence as well to create a tight seal over the vinyl fencing.
5) Finish by going along the top and sides of the fence with long sweeping motions. Although this may take some time, it’s definitely worth the effort in order to protect your vinyl fencing.
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If you are using a string weed eater, then you should probably trim the vinyl fence first before you start. If you are already in the middle of the job and trying to cut along the vinyl fence, it’s best to start on one side of the fence, come in close to it, and then move to the other side.
This will help avoid damage to your vinyl.
How to Do Edging Around a Vinyl Fence?
You can use your weed eater to do the edging. It will be a little hard because you have uneven ground and it is hard to edge a vinyl fence because it usually doesn’t have a gap to let you set the edger against.
If you have sloped ground, then use a shovel and dig a trench along the edge of your fence. Then lay down some landscape fabric and weed block cloth over the top of it.
The edging will sit on top of this. You can even go ahead and lay down some bricks if you want.
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How to Mow Strip Under Vinyl Fence?
In order to mow strip under the vinyl fence, you should:
1. Make sure that the weed eater cord is fully plugged into an outlet.
2. Pick up the weed eater and use it as if you were cutting grass to mow strip under a vinyl fence.
3. Use only one hand to hold the weed eater while using the other hand to feed out more cord as needed if you do not want to stop and plug in your weed eater for a moment or two (if it has an auto-feed option).
4. Use medium pressure when holding down on the weed eater handle to maintain balance and keep from straining yourself. Keep both feet even with each other possible as well as try not to stand on one foot for any long periods of time to keep from straining your legs.
5. Mow back and forth over the strip until you have a bare spot that resembles grass after mowing it under the vinyl fence.
Be careful not to damage the weed eater by hitting rocks or other hard objects as this may cause the weed eater to stop working properly.
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Read More:
- Vinyl Fence Posts with Concrete
- Can Vinyl fene withstand wind?
- Power wash / Pressure wash your vinyl fence?
What are the Alternatives for Weed Eaters?
While a weed eater is the most convenient tool for trimming grass along the perimeter of a vinyl fence, there are other options available.
A long-handled string trimmer would probably be safer and cause less damage to the vinyl fence.
Using a push edger, while not as convenient as a weed eater, will also trim grass without causing damage to the vinyl fence or harming your lawn mower engine with gas fumes.
A good alternative for a small yard is a pole saw which can easily do all aspects of maintaining a vinyl privacy fence.
These saws have very sharp teeth on them that cut through thick branches. This avoids having to climb ladders or move from side to side when cutting around large trees in your yard.
The only downside is that it does require an extension cord to operate.
You can also purchase a brushless weed eater. These tools are the same as the traditional ones, minus all of the harmful emissions.
They also provide less noise and vibration which will keep you from irritating your neighbors.
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Conclusion
The weed eater can damage a vinyl fence, so make sure you are using it properly and know all of the alternatives for weed eaters available. Also, make sure that you take safety precautions and have a knowledgeable person to help you if necessary. Just know that using these guidelines will help ensure that you have a well-maintained vinyl fence for years to come, without having any issues with it getting damaged.
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