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BEVO Works - Outdoor Home and Garden Store :: Save Money on Fence or Deck
Save Money on Fence or Deck
Saving Money on Your Fence or Deck
Everyone loves to save money but most of us don’t have the first clue how when it comes to certain items. You will find some great tips on saving money when it comes to your deck and fence.
Anyone who has recently built a fence or a deck knows how expensive it is. Even if you chose to use bargain or sub-grade wood materials, chances are you were surprised at just how pricey putting up your fence really can be. But if you are using premium materials, then you have a high expectation that your fence or deck will last a long time, with maintenance activities centered on protecting your wood from the elements that serve as enemies to the longevity of wood materials.
So what are the enemies to wood? It is a question that is worth answering if you really want to protect fence posts and deck boards. In a word, it is weather. This includes heat, cold, moisture, and the lack of moisture.
An expensive deck or fence can be destroyed in a matter of just a few short years without proper measures to prevent weather stressors from impacting wood. If you think you spent a lot of money building it the first time, just wait until you have to start shelling out hard-earned money on replacement wood and posts every few years.
Taking time to prevent weather damage from the start will save you money on your fence or deck for years to come.
Most people know about measures such as sealants and using only high quality treated lumber. But there are two products that you should consider when building decks and fences that you might have only thought of as optional decorative touches. Post caps and finials can add not only beauty but serve to protect posts from the worst combinations of weather-related damage.
Posts have two large vulnerabilities; one on either cut end. The cut ends accept moisture from rain and snow, and if the season gets cold enough, the water absorbed by the post can freeze and swelling can occur, which damages the rigid cellular walls of wood, causing more deterioration to occur by erosion, rot, and loss of strength.
Keeping fence and deck posts dry is essential to good fence and deck construction. Elevating wood several inches off the ground is usually the best prescription for preventing water rot-related issues. Posts that are structural and are required to be placed into the ground should always be treated and usually placed within concrete for extra strength and weather-proofing.
So that solves the bottom end of the wood post predicament, but what to do about those top ends, sticking up into the air, just waiting to be compromised by temperature and humidity fluctuations. This is where post caps and finials can be incredibly helpful.
You might have priced post caps and finials as an accent to your project. If so, they probably seemed expensive. But the moment you factor in the added protection and life they provide to your fence or deck, you will quickly realize how affordable and essential they are, if your goal is to build a longstanding fence with lower maintenance and replacement costs. Fence posts can easily increase the life of your deck or fence by 5 to 10 years, in most climates. Compare the cost of post caps to the cost of a fence replacement after only three or four years, and you quickly realize the amazing cost benefits of post caps and finials.
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Garden Structures