Metal Fence & Timber Post. Why Not?
Today’s topic will cover something we haven’t even mentioned once during the whole existence of our Melbourne Fencing Blog. It’s post and rail fencing. Why? Because we have been so mainstream with the most popular metal security fencing options like chain wire fencing, tubular steel fencing or Colorbond fencing, that we have totally ignored simple post and rail fencing. We apologise and are here to change that small error.
Most likely if you think about post and rail fencing, you have images in your head of timber posts and rails. Am I right? Most likely, as this is a common usages of post and rail fencing in the farms of rural Australia as post and rail fencing just gives that true country warm and hearty look and feeling.
But unfortunate as it is, those white timber posts and rails do not stay that “young and pretty” forever, and they are in need of a constant maintenance. If water does get under the paint or the cracks in the wood, and it doesn’t dry out, your fence is in big trouble as water and moisture can make wood to rot. Then what’s next? Well, you better be ready to spend some big money on repairing your fence by replacing the rotten wood. Even worse, if left untreated, the rot can spread in your fence and you might be left with the only option of replacing your all your timber posts and rails. It’s not that uncommon if you think about the weather condition in rural Australia, or even the landscape. Some of the areas might be very steep, leaving your fence wide open to moisture.
What about metal fences? Aren’t they affected by moisture and water in those same steep areas? Of course they are. But when it comes to metal fencing, then there are good ways of protecting it from corrosion. We’ve spoken about them before. First one is using galvanizing and galvanized chain wire. The zinc coat used during galvanizing process will protect your fence from corrosion. So this is a good suitable solution if you are planning to use chain wire. But since today we are talking about post and rail fencing, let’s take a look at that solution.
Using metal posts and/or metal rails, you can use metal material covered with powder coating. It’s the best solution as firstly this is environmentally friendly painting solutions. We’ve spoken about it previously, but let me freshen up your memory a bit.
Powder coating is environmentally friendly coating process because when conventional liquid paint requires a solvent to keep the binder and filler parts in a liquid suspension form, powder coating on the other doesn’t. Paint actually has three main components: pigment, binder and solvent. Why elimination of the solvent from the paint is environmentally friendlier? A solvent is something that dissolves something else. In paint it makes pigment and a binder liquid so it would be easier to apply it to different surfaces. But once the paint had spread out, the solvent evaporates into the air, leaving the paint evenly applied and dry beneath it. Have you noticed while painting the smell of the paint. Easily put it’s just the solvent evaporating into the air. Some of the solvents used in paints are VOCs (volatile organic compounds), which evaporate to make localised air pollution and can have a variety of long-term health impacts. Many modern day paints, like latex paints, use water as solvent which luckily is a relatively safer than old paints.
But VOCs are not only released into the air as the paint is cured, it also happens as the paint is ageing. VOCs damage the ozone and if trapped indoors, they can cause serious health problems to people exposed to them. So here you go, using liquid paint is not only dangerous to the environment, but also very dangerous to workers, who are exposed to VOCs while applying on the liquid paint.
So above paragraph is a fresh reminder why using powder coating is environment and health friendlier. But what does it mean for corrosion and rusting of the metal fence? Powder coating is very good to protect your metal fence from those same enemies: corrosion and the end-result of it: rust. Using spray guns to apply powder on the metal surface, it is then put in the curing oven, where with addition of the heat the coating chemically reacts to produce a long, very resistant to a breakdown, molecular chains, resulting in high cross-link density.
This resistant powder coat is very strong to protect your fence from corrosion. It’s doesn’t chip, and even when scratched it still provides protection, unlike galvanized chain wire that when scratched deep enough can lead to corrosion of your wire fence. So you have to keep that in mind.
Still not convinced that metal post and rail fencing is more sturdy than regular timber post and rail fencing, and the reason is that you just want that aesthetic warm value that comes with that white wooden fence. Then remember that when using powder coating, there are a lot of colours you can choose from, and if white is your favourite, then you must get it indeed.
Still not convinced. Then one other option is mixing the two of them: metal fencing and timber fencing. How? Well, you can always use timber posts and metal rails, or vice versa, and use the colour options that suit your requirements.
And even thought Diamond Fence is metal fencing company, we do mix and mash timber and metal for rail and post fencing. Like we said, we’ll always will find a fencing solutions that will suit your needs!
So whatever your fencing project might be, either for domestic fencing, commercial fencing or industrial fencing purposes, contact us. Diamond fence, a metal fence supplier, can supply and install your metal fence, but also supply only if you wish to install your metal fence yourself. Fencing Melbourne since 1978, we are here to help you with your metal fencing inquiries.
Therefore don’t wait if you have any post & rail fencing inquiries, be it metal post & rail fencing, or mix and mash of metal and timber fencing, call us on (03) 9753 4566 , shoot us an email on info@diamondfence.com.au, or just get a FREE online quote.
