Painting Your Espalier
How should I seal/coat/paint my trellis for a vine or a rose? Is coating necessary? What colour tones are possible? These questions apply to classic trellises as well as to modern trellises. Wooden climbing supports will take on a grey patina over the years, but this effect is not necessarily to be considered a defect, as it can give a rustic and natural effect. The three hardwoods-- robinia (black locust), oak, and chestnut can be but need not be painted (coated). All other types of wood should be given a protective coating outdoors. The edges of the lattice laths will need to be lightly sanded for the coating to hold properly (otherwise, expect the dreaded 'edge curling' of the coating).
Wire rope systems are an alternative on already structured walls-- here, a rose trellis in FassadenGrün's heavy construction style.
A warm yellow-brown wood colour can be maintained outdoors for at least a few years with thick-layered conventional- or even better organic- glazes. They have to be repainted after 2-3 years, at the latest about 7 yrs. Weatherproof coatings and varnishes made from historical recipes sometimes last even longer.
With white paint, the weather-related colour loss can be particularly unsightly. Use high-quality weatherproof paint / oil coatings which do not flake off in chips but in tiny grains, and that can be recoated without time-consuming extra sanding. Organic egg tempera has proven to be a reasonable and proven alternative.
Pulsitz / Saxony, robinia grapevine trellis made from a historical model with coating of "Sweden-Falun Red," -- a purely mineral colour from the copper mines of Falun. This colour gives a strong contrast but looks warm and pleasant from close up. It lasts 8 years and much longer. Important: The colour does not peel off in stripes and flakes, but rubs off fine, so you can easily repaint when needed, without having to scrape the old paint away.
Grimma / Muldental / Saxony: old vine trellis; in unfavourable micro-climates, grey wood may also be overgrown with moss or algae. Here it is probably a result of the nearby river with the resulting high humidity. Even dirt particles from the air can "dock" more easily on the wood at such locations and influence the patina colouration.
