Wood Fences
For a free wood fence estimate or to discuss whether a wood fence is right for you, contact HoCo Fence.
What are the Advantages of Installing a Wood Fence?
Wood fences are still among the most popular types of fencing available. Known for their natural beauty, level of privacy and price, many people are still choosing wood fencing in spite of the growing popularity of vinyl fences.
Next to chain link fences, wood fences are among the most economical fencing options. They offer the same level of privacy that vinyl fences do without the sticker shock. They are also generally easy to install, giving you the privacy and security you want with a short installation time.
Wood fences are also endlessly customizable. With a variety of paint and stain options available at local hardware stores, you are never “stuck” with the same old fence year after year. A coat of paint, a few decorate accents, and your fence is as good as new with a completely different esthetic.
Unlike vinyl fences, wood panels are easy to repair. Should a board break or warp, it can easily be replaced with a new board without having to replace an entire section of fence.
However, wood fences require regular maintenance in order to maintain their beauty. More on that later.
What Types of Wood are Used in Wood Fence Panels?
The most common types of wood used in fence panels are pressure treated pine, spruce and cedar. Each of these types of wood has its own advantages. Pressure treated pine and spruce are the least expensive options and are usually treated with insect deterrent to keep termites and other insects from infesting the wood. Cedar has natural bug repellant properties and are rot-resistant, giving them a long lifespan. Cedar also tends to warp less than pine.
What Kinds of Maintenance are Required for Wood Fences?
Every wood fence, whether it is pressure treated or not, should be treated with a stain or paint and water repellant at least once every other year, if not once a year. Humidity, rain, snow, and heat commonly found in Maryland wreaks havoc on wood fences if they are left untreated. Depending on the esthetic you are trying to achieve, a few coats of stain or paint complete with a water resistant top coat will keep your fence looking like new for decades.
For many people, the maintenance required to keep up a wood fence is enough to steer them toward a vinyl or chain link option. In terms of dollars and cents, the cost associated with maintaining a wood fence sometimes makes another option more affordable over time. Yet the natural beauty of a wood fence combined with the knowledge that you are using a renewable resource to secure your home, yard, garden, or patio makes the annual or bi-annual maintenance worth the work.