Selecting the Right Wood for Homeowner Fence Repair
There are many different varieties of wood lumber and grades offered at any local hardware store so it will be imperative that you understand the important items when purchasing materials for your repair.
Pressure Treated Lumber
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Pressure treated lumber is chemically treated to inhibit fungal growth and insect activity. These common types of pressure treatment are ACQ (alkaline copper quaternary), CA (copper azole), and the newest type is MCQ (micronized copper quaternary). There are several grades of pressure treatment and proper selection depends upon the seriousness of the venue and just how the wood is going to be exposed to the weather.
Fence Posts
If we take into account the privacy fence for the majority of homeowners, fences post is among the most critical element. The post bears each of the stress from really agitates and is confronted with moisture and insects underground that induce the post to deteriorate and weaken. Wood fence posts must be pressure treated and rated for ground contact. This really is commonly listed as AWPA grade UC4A; the preservative retention requirements are highlighted below:
- ACQ retention of 0.40 lb/ft3 (PCF)
- CA-B retention of 0.21 lb/ft3 (PCF)
- CA-C retention of 0.15 lb/ft3 (PCF) within the Wolmanized brand
- Note that the MCQ pressure treatment plan is not rated by the AWPA standard.
What about cedar posts? The grade of wood coming out of the lumber mills has declined significantly in the last Twenty years - it once was you could become older growth heart wood (in the core of the tree) that would long lasting as a post, currently the high quality is actually to variable to recommend using cedar and other naturally rot-resistant wood. A lot of the trees brought in to the mill originate from 10-year re-growth and the posts contains very wide rings from the sapwood layer that will not likely last.
To be sure your fence will mean A decade or higher without worry the most effective way is to use pressure treated 4" x 4" pine posts who have the correct AWPA grade of UC4A. For severe locations that hold moisture, this type of low-lying areas or and then there is heavy clay soil along with you might want to opt for UC4B grade posts for extra rot resistance like a higher cost.
If you are buying your fence posts you will probably find green pressure treated 8' landscape timbers nearby and want to yourself "those timbers are much less expensive these 4" x 4" pressure treated pine posts, I'll just stretch your budget and make use of the landscape timbers" - RESIST that thought. The landscape timbers may last for 1-3 years and often will easily be weaker and fail earlier than the right pressure treated pine post.
Fence Rails
Fence rails should also be pressure treated for your longevity of fences, nevertheless the rails usually are not encountered with precisely the same severe environment underground because the fence posts so AWPA grade UC3B is acceptable for unpainted fence rails. If you are planning to paint your fence rails or apply an opaque stain then AWPA grade UC3A they can double.
Fence Pickets
A choice of fence pickets is more of your personal preference in line with the appearance that you would like and when you want to end a fence with a stain or paint. Cedar pickets include the most frequent decision for their combination of pleasing appearance and natural insect resistance all for any reasonable price. White cedar is the perfect choice for a moment use a translucent or semi-opaque stain because color could be more predictable than red cedar - although many of the common stain manufactures have color samples for each with their stains about the common wood types. Spruce or 'pine' pickets provide a more rustic appearance and so are additionally installed in 6inch widths.
Fasteners - Nails and Screws
Note the existence of copper in every with the pressure treatment options - copper is necessary to supply the safety against decay and insects it also has some unwanted effects. Copper will corrode standard fasteners much faster than regular wood - fasteners must be hot-dipped galvanized or stainless steel materials (meeting or exceeding the needs for ASTM A 153 Class D standard for durability).
Tips
- Pressure treated posts should be rated for ground contact; AWPA grade UC4A. 4" x 4" x 8' posts are compatible with most homeowner situations.
- Pressure treated fence rails should be AWPA grade UC3B if left unpainted, grade UC3A if painted or through with an opaque stain. 2x4 rails in 8 foot lengths are normally used.
- Nails, screws along with other fasteners used in combination with pressure treated wood should be double hot dipped galvanized or stainless steel; ASTM A 153 Class D