Good Fence Guide

The good fence guide:

The ColorFence guide to a good fence:

Steel fencing has been established for over 50 years and has been tested in the harshest of climates.

We all want to make our yard an extension of our homes, with ColorFence, home improvement has never been easier. The secure metal fencing can help your garden look classy and timeless with a choice of color options and styles.

In this guide, we’ll offer an insight into different fences available on the market. We’ll look at their design, practicality, functionality and their benefits. Back in the day the choices were limited, but now the fence buyer has a number of different options to consider before their purchase!

We’ll walk you through the different options available on the market currently and the key facts we’ve come across as we looked into replacing and upgrading general purpose and domestic fencing. We will also reveal how by choosing with the long term in mind and how to ditch the preservatives and quit worrying what damage the weather might cause to your fence – once and for all!

The ColorFence Team

Entry Level - The Basic DIY Fence

When it comes to fencing in the yard, the most popular (and cheapest) option is to install standard 8 foot wide lap panels supported by timber or concrete posts.

Widely available, these panels sold by DIY centres are often made
with cut-price low grade materials. This keeps the costs down but the sacrifice is quality and longevity -buy too cheap and you are looking at just another temporary fix. Most professional fence installers aren’t interested in fitting the cheapest lap
panels because the inherent quality issues invariably end up back with them. So if cheap lap panels are what you decide on, it is likely that you will be installing them yourself, or finding a “handyman” to do it for you. Chances are, many of the problems you are having with your fence are because it was just such a DIY effort.
Installed with the best of intentions perhaps but it’s a big job, that suddenly doubles in size.

Cutting corners just saves up problems. You’ll need some reasonable skills to get a successful DIY effort completed.

Shifting eight foot square fence panels is not easy – and it’s worth having two people on the project as fence posts and panels are quite heavy. It all depends on the size of your garden, of course, but the job could take a weekend to complete if everything goes smoothly.

Once it is up – then of course you have to treat it. Even DIY panels
labelled as treated will have only the barest minimum of protection.
To stand any chance of the fence lasting you should set aside at least another weekend to coat your panels with an expensive coat of preservative.

However the trouble with modern treatments is that they are water based – so from the very start realise that you really need to treat BOTH SIDES of the fence for the protection to be effectively

Mid Range - Close Board Fence Systems

Close board (or feather edge fencing systems are the next step up. They are what most professional fence installers recommend to clients who prefer timber fencing. You could install these fence systems yourself but normally they are only available from specialist suppliers and their erection is not normally considered to be a DIY job. As with anything, however,
there is a massive variation in service and standards out there. It pays to be cautious. Find a professional however, and you will benefit from their experience of day-in-day-out, fitting fences and remove much of the hassle.

Rather than being supplied in complete 6ft wide panels, close board systems utilise better quality vertical boards that are nailed together, board by board, to form the fence on site. As they are made to measure they may be suitable for awkward boundaries. Many companies will treat the wood for you after set up, but going forward that is going to be your ongoing role.
Treated regularly they should last – but there will always be a battle between the elements and the wood and nature has the odds stacked in her favour.

Battling the weather is a full time job

However you look at it, whatever you paint it with, a wooden fence
will struggle to look as good as new even if you use the most expensive Concrete posts are often considered as a longer lasting alternative to timber posts in traditional systems. The truth is, however, they might not actually last as long as you might think. Exposing concrete with reinforced metal bars inside (as all fence posts do) to the elements will inevitably cause the post then the fence to fail. They won’t rot, but they will corrode.

The pros of Wood

The cons of Wood

(Annual) maintenance required
Weathers quickly
May rot due to moisture
May warp due to moisture
Easy to fix dCan become infested with destructive beetles and burrowing insects.corations, lights and planters to
Posts liable to rot undermining the rest of the structure
Wide variation in quality - of fence materials and installation companies

Mid Range - PVC vinyl ‘plastic’ fencing

As you would expect a fence made of plastic is incredibly lightweight. This is great when handling and assembling but perhaps not ideal when you intend that it be a lasting investment. As with timber fences quality varies wildly, some systems are designed to make use of existing concrete posts, whilst others even employ plastic posts. The panels themselves vary – usually supplied in sections moulded to replicate sections of wooden boarding. A single 8 foot panel section may therefore be made from 3-4 strips of this plastic boarding. Some companies use waste plastic to form their ‘timber panels’ and then let the imitation wood grain surface soften their appearance in your garden. The plastic does not need painting, but will over time be exposed to extremes in weather. It’s worth considering that long after your fence might have been broken and been cleared away the plastic panels it was made from will still need to be responsibly dealt with and will continue to live on in land fill.

The pros of pvc/vinyl

PVC fences are a low maintenance alternative to wood - you need never paint or stain again
Wide range of styles, post caps to match, and colours to choose from
High-quality PVC can resemble traditional wood from a distance
It’s easy to clean; dirt can be washed away using only a sponge and hose (or a pressure washer)

The cons of pvc/vinyl

PVC fencing is tough but it can still crack. A stray football or minor impact can damage it and repair involves filler, sanding and a great deal of effort. Extreme temperatures can make it brittle which again makes it susceptible to damage
Mold and mildew will thrive on PVC fences
PVC fences are more expensive than their wooden counterparts. You may save money in the long run, but the upfront costs are greater

If you want a fence that lasts,
that doesn’t rot, and won’t break the bank
there is a clear choice...

High Quality- The Colorfence System

The Colorfence fence is perhaps theultimate choice. For the last 50 years it’s been widely used across Australia
and Europe and has steadily gained a reputation for its quality. By using the highest specification Colorbond steel in the fence structure itself, Colorfence is now regarded by many as the premier fencing solution in the market. It is easy to see why when you also factor in that prices are actually in line with inferior midrange systems.

Immune to the rot and resistant to the weather that so quickly effects Guaranteed not to rot, rust or peel Colorfence is available in a range of colors that last and last. You need
never paint it. You need never treat it.

It really is virtually maintenance free. An occasional wash down with a hose is enough to keep it looking in top
condition. Owning a Colorfence will therefore not only save you the
expense of maintenance, but will also save you time and hassle. Time that can be far better spent ‘enjoying’ your yard rather than toiling in it.

Colorfence approved installation teams are highly efficient that operate with the minimum of disruption and maximum attention to detail. In no time at all Colorfence can make your fence the envy of the neighborhood.

Colorfence is a remarkable system. It has none of the
drawbacks of wood or PVC systems – but all the benefits. What’s more it’s better value than either of them.

A major benefit of Colorfence is that you can rely upon it to do what
it should come wind, rain or shine. It’s a level of confidence that can only be experienced, when your product has been exhaustively tested. Tests and cyclonic ratings have proved that when professionally installed Colorfence is capable of withstanding wind gusts of up to 209km/h. Once it’s up – this is one fence that really does stay up!

Pricing is straightforward and attractive. Starting costs are in line with mid range timber systems but over the ongoing peace of mind that your investment will continue to save maintenance time and money year after year.

For homeowners, Colorfence finally offers the promise of a lifetime of
hassle-free enjoyment of yards.