Picket Fencing - Cedar

[ajjsyd]

As soon as this rain stops and Noah brings the boat to shore I am going to finish off the federation fence (Lap & CAP) out the back.

At the moment it looks like a vision of the Somme just before Germany's last great offensive of 1918. The posts are up -all 17 of them - if I just added some barb wire we could re-shoot "all quite on the Western Front".

I already have half the form work for the retaining walls under the fences completedd and just need a few days of good weather to dry out the soil and I can finally finish it forming up, throw in copper pipe for water and the electrical conduiting for lighting and the back shed, and then it's pour concrete time.

Ah! the back shed!!!!!!!! Where i will escape to and practice the gentlemenly art of woodworking on the new work bench I just recently built and can salivate regularly over my power tool collection.

That all being said the next stop will be a picket fence for the front of our terrace house.

I have been looking at bunnings and found that the Jarah?? palings are actually cheaper (40%) than the cypress pine.
One thing is though they do not carry any posts or rails in Jarah. I was told by the bunnings rabbit man that people use pine rails & posts with the Jarah paling and just paint it.

I assume people opt for the termite resistance of cypress pine for posts and the jarah palings for the lower cost ???

Anyhow, I really like the red colour of jarah and have visions of doing the whole front of the house (6metres) in Jarah post, rails and palings and then using linsed oil and a sealer to bring out the colour and contrast it with some brass letter box and numbering etc.

Has anyone any experience doing this?, and will oiling it and then sealing it keep the depth of colour of the red jarah or will it just quickly go grey and dull within a seasn or two? I.e. am I setting myself up for a lot of regular maintainence, and just having to repaint it in three years.

Appreciate all comments and suggestions

[Shane Watson]

no, you'll most likly have to re-coat every 3-5mths...Coming from a fencing background my only advice is saying 'Treated Pine' and dont buy from Bunnies (I won't elaborate on that one though)

[ajjsyd]

What if I was to used a marine varnish or something similar?

[soundman]

Its a fence mate.

remember its in the weather 25/7/365 till it rotts or falls over.


I recon you've got 3 options

1. don't paint it at all ad let it rott naturaly then fall over.


2. paint it white with a good paint and it will rot a bit slower or may bee fall over first.

3. sand each picket starting with 60 gritt & follow through to 1200 grit use a realy good uv stable outdoor two pack clear varnish and have a fabulous wood fence. Then start again in 6 weeks. or sell the house within 4 weeks.

[Robert WA]

I am in Jarrah country and, until recently, it was readily available here for fencing, including post and rails. New Jarrah is becoming hard to get because of logging restrictions in the forests. There is still a good amount of salvage stuff around.
Jarrah is, relatively, termite resistant and, despite Soundman's gloomy prediction, is quite weather resistant. Its down side is that it very quickly weathers to a dull grey colour if not given a finish. Even when oil finished, it weathers and you will end up with a black fence in time.
A lot of the original weather board houses in the WA mill towns were clad with Jarrah and, 100 years on, those left standing are still sound. However, if not painted, they are black.
If Jarrah is your cheapest option then use it. Don't expect your nice sanded surface to last for long and forget about trying to keep the rich red colour. Whatever you do, you will end up with rustic. Personally, I would use treated pine and paint it, because that is a cheaper and easier option here.
Just one point. Jarrah is a sought after timber. It is to timber what barramundi is to fish. There are lots of deep red timbers around in the world of eucalypts. Don't pay for barramundi and get shark. Bunnings also mills Karri and, while it is a nice timber, it attracts termites from miles around.

[ajjsyd]

Many thanks for the info. i think I will get out my paint brush.