# Forum Home Renovation Fences & Screens  Hardwood horizontal screen/fence

## smokyjoe

Hi Guys, 
            I need to erect a fence/privacy screen. It will only be about 7 metres in length, and about 1.8m high. Originally I was thinking of just buying some prefab Merbau privacy screens (1800 x 1800), but now that I've seen them in person I realise how flimsy they are, and how bad it will look. So I'm looking at doing a proper fence.  As mentioned, it is only about 7m in length. The area that is going in is all polished/painted concrete. The plan is to drill and Dynabolt/chemset some posts every 1.5m or so.  I want something that will look nice, as this will be highly visible from our outdoor entertaining area. For that reason I'm thinking of using hardwood decking. I'll be getting some help from someone that is very handy with wood, but as I need to make all the decisions, purchase all the materials (and live with the fence), I want to understand the options, issues etc. with doing this, so I'm asking for some advice from you experts  :Smilie:   1. Are Jarrah decking boards a good option for this? I'm thinking of buying these: Jarrah Decking -        I know that Merbau is a popular option, but I'm concerned about the leaching staining the concrete, and I understand that this is much less of an issue with Jarrah (and this is also kiln dried, which should help). Am I right here?  2. I'm thinking of leaving no gaps. I certainly don't want big gaps like most of the 'privacy' panels have. the idea behind this fence is to stop people walking alongside it from seeing through into our outdoor entertaining area (it borders common property). Is this an issue with expansion/shrinkage? Is it better to leave a very small gap?  3. Are there any disadvantages in going for the wider boards (130mm)? Most of the fences I've seen have the thin horizontal slats (with gaps between). I think I'd prefer thicker slats, with minimal gaps between. Is there a functional reason for the thinner slats, or is down to aesthetic preferences?  4. Are posts every 1.5m sufficient?  5. Is there anything else I need to consider? Any general tips?  I'll be using galvanized screws, timber posts, and probably capping it. I'm planning to pre-stain it, so that I don't get stain on the concrete (and just touch up if necessary after erecting the fence).  Apologies if I've cross-posted this. I originally submitted it to the woodwork forums, then realised it's probably more appropriate here.  Thanks!

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## METRIX

Hi Guys, 
            I need to erect a fence/privacy screen. It will only be about 7 metres in length, and about 1.8m high. Originally I was thinking of just buying some prefab Merbau privacy screens (1800 x 1800), but now that I've seen them in person I realise how flimsy they are, and how bad it will look. So I'm looking at doing a proper fence.  As mentioned, it is only about 7m in length. The area that is going in is all polished/painted concrete. The plan is to drill and Dynabolt/chemset some posts every 1.5m or so. Only 7m x 1.8m that is a decent screen   I want something that will look nice, as this will be highly visible from our outdoor entertaining area. For that reason I'm thinking of using hardwood decking. I'll be getting some help from someone that is very handy with wood, but as I need to make all the decisions, purchase all the materials (and live with the fence), I want to understand the options, issues etc. with doing this, so I'm asking for some advice from you experts  :Smilie:   1. Are Jarrah decking boards a good option for this? I'm thinking of buying these: Jarrah Decking -        I know that Merbau is a popular option, but I'm concerned about the leaching staining the concrete, and I understand that this is much less of an issue with Jarrah (and this is also kiln dried, which should help). Am I right here? Leeching has nothing to do with Kiln Drying, all decking boards are Kiln dried, it is the tannin inside the timber which leeches out, Merbau has a high tanin content and will leech all over your concrete causing bad staining, Jarrah still leeches but not as bad,   2. I'm thinking of leaving no gaps. I certainly don't want big gaps like most of the 'privacy' panels have. the idea behind this fence is to stop people walking alongside it from seeing through into our outdoor entertaining area (it borders common property). Is this an issue with expansion/shrinkage? Is it better to leave a very small gap? This is a bad idea, the timber needs room to expand / contract you would need to leave at least a 3mm gap if you go wider boards a 5mm gap would be better  3. Are there any disadvantages in going for the wider boards (130mm)? Most of the fences I've seen have the thin horizontal slats (with gaps between). I think I'd prefer thicker slats, with minimal gaps between. Is there a functional reason for the thinner slats, or is down to aesthetic preferences? No disadvantage it comes down to personal preference, screens tend to look better with thinner boards ratehr than larger ones, we usually make them from 45mm boards, or a combination of 45 / 90  4. Are posts every 1.5m sufficient? No, our screens have post spacing at 900, if you go too far between posts the boards will twist as there is not enough support  5. Is there anything else I need to consider? Any general tips? Heaps, but to many to list here  I'll be using galvanized screws, timber posts, and probably capping it. I'm planning to pre-stain it, so that I don't get stain on the concrete (and just touch up if necessary after erecting the fence). If your referring to the screws holding the boards onto the posts, don't bother with galvanised, get Stainless screws, pre oiling is a good ideas, the screen will need ongoing maintenance around every 12 months will need re oiling to keep it looking good, this is normal for timber.  Apologies if I've cross-posted this. I originally submitted it to the woodwork forums, then realised it's probably more appropriate here.

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## barney118

If I were to do another fence I'll use timber look aluminium.  
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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## smokyjoe

> Only 7m x 1.8m that is a decent screen

  Yeah, decent screen but I would assume quite small as far as a fence is concerned which is the direction I'm now heading.   

> Leeching has nothing to do with Kiln Drying, all decking boards are Kiln dried, it is the tannin inside the timber which leeches out, Merbau has a high tanin content and will leech all over your concrete causing bad staining, Jarrah still leeches but not as bad,

  As it's kiln dried, and not green, does that mean I can seal it straight away? Is there anything else I can do to reduce the tannin leach?   

> This is a bad idea, the timber needs room to expand / contract you would need to leave at least a 3mm gap if you go wider boards a 5mm gap would be better

  Yep, I've learnt this. I'll go for 5mm gaps.   

> No, our screens have post spacing at 900, if you go too far between posts the boards will twist as there is not enough support

   I'm planning on anchored posts every 1500mm, and with 2 vertical droppers (or floating posts) between, so every 500mm.   

> 5. Is there anything else I need to consider? Any general tips? Heaps, but to many to list here

  Ha ha. Fair enough. I know what it's like. I'd consider myself an 'expert' in some fields, but certainly not this. However, I will have my father who is very handy, and is a keen woodworker helping me with this. However, he tends to cut corners and take risks a little more than I'm comfortable with, hence the post. Which leads me to....... 
As per this thread over in the concreting section (http://www.renovateforum.com/f211/cu...g-slab-114277/ ), I'm a little unsure about anchoring it. My father is adamant that we can just drill holes with an impact drill, place some allthread in, and chemset it in place. He says that as the slab is 4" there is no way it can move. The internet is telling me otherwise. It seems that as we're going for a solid fence, we will need to cut 10" or 12" holes, and cement in the posts properly.  
I'm not getting any response in my other thread, so I'm asking here in the hope of getting some guidance. I don't really want to have to mess up the nicely painted slab, but I certainly don't want the fence falling over, damaging things and ripping up the concrete in the process.    

> If I were to do another fence I'll use timber look aluminium.

  For durability and maintenance, I'd love to do this, but I just can't get past the look. In this setting I don't think it will look any good.

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## METRIX

Yeah, decent screen but I would assume quite small as far as a fence is concerned which is the direction I'm now heading.  
As it's kiln dried, and not green, does that mean I can seal it straight away? Is there anything else I can do to reduce the tannin leach? I would recommend to seal it straight away, some say to weather it for 6 weeks, but the decking experts onhere agree to oil it ASAP, this is the way we do deck's and don;t have any issues with it. 
Yep, I've learnt this. I'll go for 5mm gaps.   I'm planning on anchored posts every 1500mm, and with 2 vertical droppers (or floating posts) between, so every 500mm. Droppers are fine but these need to be tied into the ground and not left open at the bottom, as the timber will still have a tendency to drop with a 1500 span, as said earlier we always do out support posts at 900 max spacing. 
As per this thread over in the concreting section (http://www.renovateforum.com/f211/cu...g-slab-114277/ ), I'm a little unsure about anchoring it. My father is adamant that we can just drill holes with an impact drill, place some allthread in, and chemset it in place. He says that as the slab is 4" there is no way it can move. The internet is telling me otherwise. It seems that as we're going for a solid fence, we will need to cut 10" or 12" holes, and cement in the posts properly.  It really depends on the anchoring your  talking about, and how big the baseplate is and how many and how big the  anchor / hole is, this is an option, but probably not one you will find  an answer on a forum from,  
As you are going for a 1.8m high basically solid structure, it will have a lof of lateral forces on it from wind etc, Personally I would prefer my posts to be set in concrete, 4" is not a lot of slab if the fixings in them are inadequate, and depending on how close to the edge of the slab you are it may cause cracking of the slab edge during high winds. 
I certainly don't want the fence falling over, damaging things and ripping up the concrete in the process.  This is a real possibility if it's not done properly.

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## smokyjoe

Well, I've been convinced to do the cement footings properly.   
This is my plan so far.  
1. There will be 5 Cypress posts, 1.4m from center to center. We're going to cut a 10" hole in the existing slab, dig down to 600mm, seal the bottom 600mm of the post with an inground sealer (i.e.http://www.bunnings.com.au/timber-pr...p0106_p0960008), and cement in. Posts will be about 2m above ground (with a pointed tip). I'm planning to use either 100x100 or 115x115. At each end of the fence, the boards will overhang the posts by about a foot, to avoid cutting/digging etc. right against walls.  
2. There will be vertical droppers halfway between each post. These will essentially be floating, not fixed to anything. I am a _little_ worried about sagging. How much would it help having another cypress post running horizontal at the top or bottom? I'm hoping to avoid this if I can, as I'd prefer to look at just jarrah, but unfortunately the most visible side (to me) will be the rear side..  
3. I'll be using 130 x 20 or 140 x 19 Jarrah boards (depending on which supplier I can get it from in fixed lengths). I'm hoping to get 3m long boards so that they span 2 posts. They will be spaced 5mm apart, with a 50mm gap at the bottom (I haven't done the exact math for height and length yet). I'm not planning on capping (unless the advice from the question above changes my mind). Are there benefits to capping, besides aesthetics and potentially avoiding sagging issues? e.g. does the top board weather worse if the side grain is exposed?  
4. I'm thinking that if I decide that I don't like looking at the rear side of the fence, with it's posts and droppers visible, I could add more decking boards to the back of the fence later on, so it's double sided. My only concern is then only being able to maintain (clean, seal etc.) one side of the boards. Is this a valid concern?  
5. One of the sections (1.4m wide) will be a gate. We'll be making a Z frame from cypress posts. Hinges will be on the front side, so that the gate swings outwards, not inwards.  
6. Boards will be scrubbed with a napisan solution, dried, and oiled before going on. I'm thinking Cabot's AquaDeck. Is this reasonably durable? Is there another that would last a lot longer? Am I correct in assuming that a water based stain will be easier to get any spills etc. off concrete than an oil based stain?    
Thanks to anyone that can comment on one or more of my points.

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## breakerboy2000

I have done a screening fence around my carport, (6mx6m) I used recycled merbau from Deckstar, 85x14 instead of the typical 90x19, lighter for screening, and both sides are flat opposed to grooved one side. they also come pre oiled, you just have to add another coat when they are up, although i added 2 more. 
I also dynabolted my 2 posts for the gate into the concrete, although they are fixed to the top of the carport as well, I am sure it wouldn't make for a strong fence if they were just dynabolted with no top support, you may be better with an in ground footing. 
I used s/s trimhead screws which was suggested in this forum. (my thread is somewhere) I am happy with the result.

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## Marc

Joe, beats me why do you ask questions and then do the opposite? Anyway, its your fence. 
As far as privacy and gaps, you can still have full privacy and 3 or 5 mm gaps if you get the edge of the boards planed at 60 degree angle.

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## smokyjoe

> Joe, beats me why do you ask questions and then do the opposite? Anyway, its your fence.

  Sorry, what are you referring to here?

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## gilly75

Rather than adding a second side of decking simply to conceal the posts, couldnt you kust wrap the cypress posts with jarrah decking vertically? It could look like a bit of a feature.
Or alternatively, cant you just put the decking on your side? I dont see why a fence always has to face to the side your neighbours see!

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