Best Lumber For Fence Posts

Cedar has a reputation for durability but unless a few guidelines are followed cedar posts can fail in as few as five years.

Best lumber for fence posts.

Besides western red cedar pressure treated wood and redwood there are other less common wood fence options available including import cedar cypress and untreated whitewoods. Redwood is the most expensive building material on our list. There are different woods available depending on the type of project you are interested in. Here s how to install new cedar fence posts and avoid the problems that made your old posts rot.

Pine fir or spruce pine fir and. Because they work well for construction these are the best types of wood for fence posts. Softwoods like pine cedar cypress and redwood come from evergreens. Wood choices for fences gates.

For posts it is often better to use construction heart or clear heart lumber grades for their durability. There are several popular choices for fence boards. The white oak will last longer but for the cost of putting up a fence you might better use pressure treated or locust if it is available. If you intend to use redwood for fence posts it s essential to use a heartwood grade.

Inspect your posts at least once a year ideally in spring or fall and reapply paint or stain as necessary to protect the wood and keep your fence looking its best. Wood for decking fencing arbors. Three factors contribute to this early failure. Lower grade construction common redwood is ok for fence panels.

Redwood for visible framing such as gate and fence posts and cross pieces you can upgrade to redwood for a better appearance. Since these types of wood are naturally resistant to soaking up moisture they re a good choice of lumber for your posts. Cypress in particular is noted for its color consistency density hardness and relative lack of knots. White oak will last longer every time.

I wouldn t use either red or white oak for fence posts. Their natural resin prevents termites and molding. However one side of the lumber may have slight imperfections. Select and construction grade woods are less expensive and of good quality for fence building.

Best wood for vertical fences. Pressure and chemically treated wood pickets or cedar style planks are a popular pick for outdoor structures as a whole gazezbos decks pergolas and more and assembled as a fence they offer.