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When to Stain

I am often asked how soon you should stain your fence this is the answer that I have found:

The most common reason for staining a fence is two-fold; aesthetics (the look of the thing) and preservation (stain helps to extend the life of some types of wood). 

For untreated wood (except cedar) you can and in most areas should stain your fence immediately you finish putting it up. 
Semi-transparency or solid, latex/acrylic or oil based stains all work and have various pros and cons. 

For cedar fences, personal taste is your best guide. This is one of the woods where preservation is less needed. Teak and cypress being two others (but the prices for these can be prohibitive). 
Good cedar will “silver” within a year or two, depending on your area, and the amount of “weather” you experience. If you like the look of silvered cedar, it is completely unnecessary to do anything but wait. 
If, however, you do not like the “silvered” look, the fence will need to be stained, usually after the first year. 

Pressure treated wood should be allowed to weather a bit before staining. It usually comes with a bit of color from the chemicals used in the process, so it is best to let that fade, particularly if you are using a semi-transparent stain. 
Depending on your area and the amount of “weather” you get this will take anywhere from 2 months to a year. 
Once the wood has started to grey give it a good cleaning, allow it to dry, and then apply your stain. 
If you are using a solid stain, the timing is less important, you can usually paint it with a solid stain within weeks of finishing your project.

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Powder Coating

The Fortress Iron fencing and railing we sell and install comes in a black color. Most customers like the black color for the fencing and railing, because it is a basic color and accents most colors well. Although, some customers may already have an iron fence or rail and they need something to match the existing materials. If this is the case, all is not lost. Powder coating is a great option, and there are many colors available to match most any existing iron projects.

Powder coating is a method of applying a “decorative and protective finish to a wide range of materials and products” (http://www.accentornamentaliron.com/our-work/powder-coating/). It is applied by grinding particles of pigment and resin and spraying it onto the desired surface. The powder adheres to the surface by using electricity. After the coating is sprayed onto the surface, it is cured in an oven.

Although Fortress Iron fencing is specifically designed to be protected (with a 20 year warranty) and doesn’t necessarily need the extra protection from the coating, it will allow you to get the specific color you may need to match to another existing material. (For additional information on Fortress fencing, visit their website at www.thefortresscompany.com.)

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Fortress Ornamental Iron vs. Ameristar Ornamental Iron

A Comparison of Fortress Ornamental and Ameristar Ornamental Fencing

In our 25+ years of experience in the fencing industry we have seen a lot of fencing products come and go. Just like our customers CFC Fences & Decks does a significant amount of research before we purchase, stock, and offer any product. The strict criteria we use not only evaluates the product but the financial stability of the manufacturer and the strength of their warranty. In the category of ornamental fencing often referred to as “Ornamental Iron” or “Wrought Iron” we can confidently offer you Fortress Ornamental Fencing.

The premium quality of Fortress Ornamental Fencing offers the most durable, warranty coated, yet cost effective system capable of handling the most aggressive grade changes.

While the popular Fortress Versai® residential line is an improvement to our competitors Ameristar Montage® fencing the 3 panel styles, optional picket finials, and post caps are essentially the same. The same is true with the Commercial grade Fortress Versai 2 ® that we offer instead of the Ameristar Montage Plus® available elsewhere.

While the Fortress Shield warranty backed coating in our experience is equal to the Ameristar E-Coat warranty, Fortress has superior UV Resistance. Fortress Versai ®also has a superior rail to picket connection with a hidden pin hinge instead of a spot welded L tab. This also allows Fortress panels to rack (follow the slope) 18” beyond the Ameristar limit of 30”. While both products are made out of G-60 Steel Fortress Versai boasts 14% more steel in the rail, and 10% more steel in its 5/8” sq. picket. Fortress also has a 15% advantage in corrosion resistance in salt spray tests a deciding factor for fencing along a roadway.

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Clearance Materials

Here at CFC Fences and Decks we accumulate quite a bit of fence and deck materials that we can offer at clearance prices. This materials is sometimes extra from install jobs we do, sometimes it is slightly damaged materials that is not good enough for us to use on our install jobs. We often have Cedar Fence materials like, posts, slats, and rails that are damaged, have cracks, or are warped. We offer these materials at sometimes 50% off retail Prices.

We also have shorter pieces of composite decking that we offer at super good deals! If you have a small deck, a landing or even just some stairs there is a chance we might have enough for the job. We have random railing parts that could also be of use. We have had people buy our wood for firewood. People often buy our clearance decking and wood to build garden boxes. We even have had customers buy clearance materials to build a tree house. We have a clearance page that has an updated list of the clearance materials that we have. www.fenceutah.com/sales Also look out for our red clearance flag when we have special deals or items we are trying to sell fast.

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Trex Seclusions continues to grow for commercial and government solutions

We are coming off a strong year of sales growth with the Trex Seclusions™ fencing product. Residential sales continue to grow but added to that have been several successful projects with developers, commercial entities, and government agencies. Specifiers are increasingly turning to Trex as the product of choice for many of the same reasons that the industry-leading decking and railing products are selected. Strength, durability, and aesthetic appeal are primary drivers. Additionally, as “green” building continues to gain traction, the recycled content of the Trex product and the fact that it qualifies for LEED points is exceptionally important to architects and engineers.

Last year, our installation sales alone comprised over 60,000 linear feet of fencing, plus several hundred gates and custom complimentary items. We are proud to be a provider of this product. With over eight years of experience with the fencing, we can confidently state that our crews are some of the most experienced installers in the country.

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Trex Decking for Boardwalk

Hurricane Sandy sure did a lot of damage along the coast. While surfing the web at my usual news websites I noticed an article about the rebuilding of the boardwalk on Belmar beach. The city decided to reconstruct the boardwalk due to its economic affect that it has on the community. The cool thing is that they chose Trex decking for the entire project. In a ceremony to kick off the build Mayor Doherty said “ the new promenade will have 14,000 Trex boards, and will be built to a much higher standard than the previous boardwalk”. 

Now Trex decking comes in 12, 16 and 20 foot length boards. If they were to use the 12 foot long boards that would equal 168,000 linear feet of Trex decking. That about 10 semi truck loads of decking.

The article can be found at : http://nj1015.com/belmar-begins-construction-of-new-boardwalk-videoaudio/

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Utahs Acceptance of Wood Fencing Alternatives

Utah’s fencing market is prime for alternatives to wood. There are several cultural reasons that seem to have driven this demand. Utah’s predominant religious community emphasizes church and family pursuits on Sunday and specifically discourages yard work related activities on this day. That means shorter weekends to take care of things like fence maintenance. For anyone who has spent time in Utah, you have likely experienced what I’m referring to.

Additionally, with over 225 sunny days per year and a moderate climate, Utahan’s spend a lot of time outdoors and away from home during their free time. Although we sell materials in addition to installations, we have found that a significant number of our customers, even those with the skills to do so, prefer to pay others to install and maintain their fences and yards because they simply do not want to allocate time away from other priorities.

Another factor that seems to contribute to decisions on fence building and maintenance is a higher than national average family size, which likely leads to higher demands for family time and a significant need for privacy and enclosed yards.

With an aggressive construction growth market over the last several years, we note that residents pay close attention to what their neighbors are doing. A quality Installation with an attractive fence in one home always leads to calls from neighbors. In some areas, such as the Traverse Mountain community in Lehi, we joke that we should set up a satellite office right in the neighborhood since we have done literally dozens of fences surrounding our initial installation.

Obviously, this is an unscientific set of observations, but based on 18 years of building in Utah I think that a combination of these and other similar factors is what led to the a need for change from traditional wood fences and therefore the rapid and widespread adoption of vinyl fencing in the past and now the growing demand for composites.

That change came in the early 1990’s. At the time, we noticed a sharp increase in demand for vinyl. We were receiving so many requests that we decided to add vinyl installations to our service line. The appeal of vinyl was clearly coming from its low-maintenance attribute and distinct look. This gave it an attribute of being perceived as a premium product and it initially sold at a much higher price point than wood.

When we first entered the market, there was relatively low competition and therefore margins were high. The market grew rapidly and consumers drove demand so high that at one point that there was more vinyl being installed in Utah than in any other state.

However, by the late 1990’s to early 2000’s, a significant influx of manufacturers and installers not only depressed pricing but the sheer number of installations (particularly because the product was becoming increasing available to lower-valued homes) diluted the sense that vinyl was a premium product. As a matter of fact, in the last few years, we have actually seen a backlash in our area. Several recently developed and very large master-planned communities in Utah and Salt Lake County explicitly prohibit the installation of vinyl fences because they feel it cheapens the look of their communities.

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Trex Advantages – MoneyPit.com

I came across an article on themoneypit.com referencing Trex Seclusions wood composite fencing. The article talked about the Trex Company and its advancement in the composite world. Trex Seclusions wood composite fencing is more than a fence; more durable than vinyl and even most other dog-ear composites. It read, “The perfect fence should do more than just define a border. It should promise privacy and be welcoming at the same time. It should raise property value while being low-maintenance… But most of all, the perfect fence should be an extension of your home.”

How true is this? Most homeowners will take the cheap way out and install a chain link, wood, or vinyl fence, and not take into consideration the loss of value, the amount of maintenance, or money needed later on to maintain the wood fence or cheap vinyl fence they just paid for. Wood has to be stained every other year and vinyl is so brittle, errant rocks leave holes, kids punch or kick out panels, and lawn mowers and weed whackers break posts.

There is a great quote I love to reference when making a big dollar purchase. It says:The bitter taste of poor quality lingers far longer than the initial sweetness of a cheap price. Before ever hearing this quote, I would tend to lean to the “value” item I was purchasing, rather than taking into consideration how soon I was going to have to replace it compared to the name brand item that initially cost more. When replacing a fence or building a new one, you need to understand that a wood fence usually lasts 10-12 years with perfect maintenance. Vinyl again is so brittle that constant maintenance is needed to fix holes, panels, and posts that get damaged. Trex Seclusions wood composite fencing is durable like wood, and has the benefit of vinyl with its low-maintenance. With Trex Seclusions’ 25 year warranty and world renowned company backing that warranty; it’s hard to imagine ever having to do anything more than the occasional washing.

http://www.moneypit.com/product-reviews/trex-seclusions-privacy-fencing-information-and-benefits

 

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Wood Fence as a Sustainable Green Product

  • You’re picking from a renewable resource. Every year Washington is among the top six states that plants new seedlings. Hundreds of millions of new trees are planted to replace the mature trees that are harvested, ensuring that new-growth forests will develop and be ready for harvesting 60 to 80 years from now.
  • Your fence is 100% bio-degradable. Years from now you can rest assured that the fence you purchased today can be chipped down, reused for other components or safely bio-degrade in a landfill without any harmful impact to the environment.
  • Making wood fences requires less energy. 47% of all materials made in America are from wood. However, the total energy needed to manufacture all of those wood products is only 4% of the energy required for all manufacturing. Concrete, chain-link, vinyl or ornamental iron can’t make that claim and all require more energy to manufacture their fence products. Wood is by far the best resource for making products that don’t require excessive amounts of energy, and that makes for sound choices for our environment
  • USA made. Most importantly, all of the wood fencing products sold by Fence and Deck Supply are made in the United States of America. CFC is proud to support US jobs from our renewable resources.
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Composite Fence Overview

Composite fencing looks and feels like a real wood fence, but it is not. It is generally made from recycled materials such as plastic and wood fibers.

What is Composite Fencing?

The “composite” in composite fencing refers to the process of binding two or more dissimilar materials together to create something new and generally stronger. In this case wood fibers and plastic. Years before there was composite fencing, composite lumber was used mostly in decks. Composite lumber can be a lot more expensive than wood, and it was a long time before the companies that made composite decks had a lot of requests for composite fences. It was easier for people to justify to themselves that the expense was worth it when it came to something that they used almost everyday for activities ranging from relaxing in the sun to hosting a family barbecue. Eventually the increasing demand for low-maintenance “green” materials had people looking to composite lumber for their fencing needs too.

Uses

Composite fencing has a wide variety of uses. It doesn’t rot or decay, so it is ideal for constructing a compost bin. You can also use it to build a privacy fence for your pool or hot tub. Before you purchase the materials, though, make sure it won’t stain if splashed with chlorinated water. If you are looking to fence in your yard to keep kids and pets in or unwanted visitors out, the strength and durability of composite fencing as opposed to vinyl fencing makes it the better choice.

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