Wood continues to be a very popular construction material in North America. It has a familiar look and feel and it’s easy to work with. It’s a tradition that’s more than 200,000 years old.
The life expectancy of wood, particularly in outdoor settings, is largely determined by the requirements of the particular application. While an untreated 7’ high spruce fence may start to show rot in less than 1 year, a well maintained cedar fence, deck, railing or gate – in the right conditions, with the right framing, installed low to the ground, but not on the ground – may possibly be good for as long as 25 or 30 years.
Because all of our designs are meant to be installed in outdoor applications, Fence-All’s preferred choice of wood has always been Western Red Cedar.
- Solar radiation is the most damaging component of the outdoors. Harsh sunlight destroys the wood fibres, causing microscopic cracks and splits to develop. Rainwater then washes away these loose fibres and fresh wood is exposed to re-start the process all over again.
- Moisture and humidity fluctuations, caused by the changing weather and seasons, result in the shrinking and swelling of the wood. As deeper splits develop from this stress the wood will tend to warp, cup, curl, split and check at an accelerated rate.
- For Privacy Fences, the moisture and humidity changes noted above often cause gaps (typically 1/8″ to 5/8″ wide) to develop between the boards. This is to be expected and is not a cause for concern–the fence remains structurally sound. We recommend Tongue and Groove (i.e. interlocking fence boards) fencing for customers who want no gaps at all between the boards as the fence ages.
- Cedar is a light weight wood which causes less stress on the posts and framework, resulting in a longer lasting fence.
- The decay resistance and water repellency of Cedar comes from its natural chemical components (thujaplicins and phenolics).
- Pressure Treated Lumber is neither advertised as better looking nor maintenance-free in comparison with all natural cedar.
Fence-All strives to offer our customers the most advanced and highest quality products available anywhere while keeping the price friendly. Based on our local climate, the typical applications for wood designs, and the options available to help maintain wood in the outdoors; Fence-All offers hundreds of combinations of wood fence, deck, railing and gate choices along with options for upgrading and/or customizing as desired.