If your garden is fenced by certain types of fence, such as a metal fence made of double rod mesh, you can forego the laborious construction of a stone wall as a privacy screen. With a little manual skill, you can also subsequently weave protective strips made of foil or dimensionally stable polypropylene into the gaps in the fence.
How do you thread privacy screens into a metal fence?
To thread privacy strips into a metal fence, you need plastic film or dimensionally stable polypropylene strips (€59.00 on Amazon), clips for fastening, a roll-off aid and a cutter knife. The strips are threaded between the fence bars and fixed with clips.
Choosing the right material
A privacy screen made of plastic strips can basically be threaded into all fence variants that are constructed like a grid. As a rule, these privacy strips are mainly woven into fences made of double rod mesh; the corresponding strips in standard widths are also available for purchase. The following things are helpful for transforming an open metal fence into an opaque privacy screen:
- Plastic film or dimensionally stable polypropylene strips (€59.00 on Amazon)
- Clips for attaching the privacy film
- a rolling aid (not absolutely necessary)
- Cutter knife for cutting
The work of threading is basically possible with two reasonably skilled hands, but with a few more helping hands it is of course easier and significantly faster.
Threading rigid plastic strips
Plastic strips with a thickness of just over 1 mm are available from specialist retailers and are extremely weather and UV stable. These can be threaded between the various metal rods with one hand while simply being pushed from one side with the other hand. The exact method of threading obviously depends on the distance between the metal rods. However, it is usually a good idea to end up with two metal rods in front of and behind the plastic strip. With this type of threaded privacy screen, you do not need any fastening clips, but depending on the width of the fence panel, you should add around 1 to 3 cm when cutting your plastic sheet. After all, the strip “loses” length as it is threaded, which would otherwise be missing in width at the end.
Thread thin privacy film
When using thin plastic film for privacy in the garden, around 20 to 40 cm per strip should be added to the actual width. This “excess length” is required because each plastic sheet is placed at its end around the last metal rod and fixed about two metal rods further with a fastening clip. If long fences are to be provided with an original privacy screen of this type, it may be worth borrowing a roll-off aid. This can easily be hung on the fence at the respective height and allows you to work much faster.
Tip
The film or polypropylene strips for privacy protection on the metal fence are available in cool print patterns and bright colors. However, you should find out in advance which design options are permitted according to the local regulations in your community.
