Another Fence Question

[stormdog74]

Does anyonw here know of a difference in quality between cedar and redwood as pertains to fencing?

Also, is there a significant difference within a paritcular wood, say redwood, that would make a difference as far as longevity is concerned? I have been to the following local lumber yard (link has descriptions and prices) and a couple of others and other than appearance and size I don't see much difference.

Thanks again for any advice.

http://www.bercoredwood.com/html_pages/fencing.html

[dlminehart]

I haven't seen evidence of much difference in longevity. Since cedar is a little lighter toned, it offers a somewhat wider range of colors when using semi-transparent stains. I'm in the process of staining my redwood fence and having to deal with this issue. Seems its really easy to have redwood come out pretty dark.

[LCHIEN]

this may be a misperception but redwoods are a slow growing, very small range of habitat tree, almost endangered, vs. western red cedar which is found over a wide range and seems to be very plentiful. It would seem to me to be more environmentally friendly to spare the redwoods and use the cedar.

OTOH, the prices for redwood fence boards in your link are cheaper than the price for Western red cedar here locally in Texas. Very average grades of WRC go for $2 a 1 x 6 x 6' dog-eared rough cut board. And the 1" is iffy, usually around 5/8" actual thickness I find. Around .550-.650" with calipers, sometimes on the same board.

WRC Fences here seem to last around 15 years, maybe a bit longer

OK, so somebody tell me where I'm wrong.

[Black wallnut]

this may be a misperception but redwoods are a slow growing, very small range of habitat tree, almost endangered, vs. western red cedar which is found over a wide range and seems to be very plentiful. It would seem to me to be more environmentally friendly to spare the redwoods and use the cedar.

SNIP

OK, so somebody tell me where I'm wrong.

Actually, since you asked Redwoods are a very rapid growing tree and despite a smaller growing region are not even close to being endangered. Folks that live where they are native call them weeds! They thrive in logged off areas as a second or third growth. Western red cedar has a larger growing area.

I've worked with WRC but not redwood as redwood is priced a bit above WRC. This could be due to the fact that WRC is a very common tree in my area of the world. WRC is suitable for outdoor projects but tends to be rather weak in the direction of the grain causing it to split easily and makes for poor screw holding strength. I think I've heard that redwood is better but have no experience with it.

[LCHIEN]

Thanks BW, I found this in Wiki (I guess that makes it not endangered):

Coast Redwood is one of the most valuable timber species in California, with 364,000 ha of redwood forest, all second growth, managed for timber production

[stormdog74]

Thanks guys. Cedar is about 2/3 of the price of redwood here.

[mashtun]

Another Fence Question

I don't know about the differences in woods, but my nieghbor just had a fence made out of rough cut cedar put up. The people at Sherman Williams asked for the size and told him he would need 2 gallons of stain.

The fence is 24 feet long, and 6 feet high, and it took him almost 6 gallons of stain. The rough saw cedar just sucked it up like water.

John

[dbhost]

this may be a misperception but redwoods are a slow growing, very small range of habitat tree, almost endangered, vs. western red cedar which is found over a wide range and seems to be very plentiful. It would seem to me to be more environmentally friendly to spare the redwoods and use the cedar.

OTOH, the prices for redwood fence boards in your link are cheaper than the price for Western red cedar here locally in Texas. Very average grades of WRC go for $2 a 1 x 6 x 6' dog-eared rough cut board. And the 1" is iffy, usually around 5/8" actual thickness I find. Around .550-.650" with calipers, sometimes on the same board.

WRC Fences here seem to last around 15 years, maybe a bit longer

OK, so somebody tell me where I'm wrong.

Can you PM me an address where I can buy WRC pickets 1x6x6 dog ear for $2.00 ea? Those things are snatching $2.79 a piece cheapest I have seen them in the bay area... I'm willing to drive anywhere in the metro area if it means saving $200.00 on pickets!

[dlminehart]

The redwood used for fences is typically pretty soft, rough, absorbent, and doesn't hold screws or nails well. OTOH, it is pretty resistant to the elements and pests, at least if you make a minimal effort to seal it. I used a semitransparent stain on mine 10 years ago. While the surface has gotten grungy and darker in the meantime, with some mildew or fungus in the areas that were always shaded, it cleaned up almost like new with a pressure washer.