# Picket fencing?



## Queen Bee (Apr 7, 2004)

For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of having a picket fence to define my front yard! Now that we are living at the farm -- the property and house SCREAM for one! LOL...

I want a real wood one NOT the plastic vinyl stuff. So, I called Lowe's and they stated their fence panels are 26+$ the posts are 12$ each...

So, my question: is there a better /cheaper place to purchase the fencing materials? We can do the labor. Thanks for any suggests.. QB


----------



## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

Actually dog eared cedar fence boards are fairly inexpensive when purchased as 6" X 6' ones. Those could be cut down and shaped into the pickets you'd prefer. Nothing wrong with making your own fence instead of buying some panel someone else has already made as your labor would be less costly than anothers. After all, that is the way it has been done for a couple of hundred years.

When you have the pickets made paint all surfaces thoroughly with a high quality primer and paint. Keep the paint renewed every few years so that scrapping and priming isn't needed each time, only repainting.


----------



## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Use Landscape ties for the posts. They usally run 1.99


----------



## Nette (Aug 17, 2003)

Queen Bee, my weekend farmhouse has been screaming for a picket fence, too, but the cost and then the up-keep for a REAL picket fence sort of turned me off. The latest thing I've been looking at is scroll-top ornamental wire fencing. In fact, in a ~1915 picture of the house, that's what is surrounding it. Besides looking "right" for the house, it also offers the benefit of being able to see through it, and thereby not obstructing the beautiful views surrounding the house. If you've got your heart set on pickets though--that's what you need to do!


----------



## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I did pickets for a fence a few years ago. I bought 12' 1x4's and cut the picket shape myself. I used a drill press to cut the 1/2 circle in the sides below the point so we had a arrow shape. I could cut several at a time. DH made me a little tool to get the pickets cut all the same angle. I loved my fence. Check the price of 1x4's - different lengths will be different pricing per foot. They can cut them at the store into shorter lengths for you.


----------



## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

If you get a picket fence, I suggest that you use a colored wood stain instead of paint. Keeping paint looking good on a picket fence is a very time and labor intensive job.

With an oil stain, you can just put it in a garden sprayer and spray the fence to refresh the color. No sanding, no scraping, no painting all the tight little spaces between the boards and all the many little nooks and corners.

You can make a very handsome fence with old pallet boards. Take the pallets apart and cut a point or other shape into the top edge.

The new "pressure treated" fence posts are junk and only last about 2 years before they rot off.


----------



## cjb (May 2, 2006)

If you can be patient, search craigslist often. I have seen people advertise their picket fences for free if you dismantle them yourself.

I have a gothic-topped picket fence around our veggie garden. Looks great but, I have to say, not very effective at keeping anything out of the garden!


----------



## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

"I have a gothic-topped picket fence around our veggie garden. Looks great but, I have to say, not very effective at keeping anything out of the garden! "

Put more goths on top.  (Sorry, too good to pass up.)


----------



## Ohiogal (Mar 15, 2007)

You are on target with building one yourself. I am in the process of building one...I bought 4x4x12' lengths, cut them in 1/2 and those became my posts. I will NOT skimp on posts, without a proper post, all your work is lost. So do NOT go cheap on posts! And put a post cap on to prevent rot in the future!
On the pickets themselves, I decided against the pre-manufactured panel as I thought the wood quality was not very good. They were thin and warped on some of them. The pre-cut pickets were less that 1/2" in thickness, and warped on the pallet. No thanks.
I'm re-using old fence boards that are 1" thick, I'll cut them down with a table saw and shape the ends as I need them with a guide on the saw.
Also, if you build your own, make sure the stringers (boards that run lengthwise between posts) are beveled on one edge, so rainwater runs off and does not pool between the picket board and the stringer. A 45* angle is great. You can cut that with a circular saw the length of the board, and use 2x4 pressure treated - not 1x3's. Again heavier duty is best (longer life).
I plan on spraying mine with stain, as a previous post suggested. So much easier to maintain in the long run!


----------



## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

Lowe's prices generally run higher..Home Depot will drop below any verified price and soemtimes Menards are cheaper..when we bought our picket fencing it was $16 per panel..and if you buy landscape timber sometimes they are cheaper as fence posts than posts..

we are replacing some picket fences this year ourselves..we have 42 inch gothic top panels..and love them..we had some severe storm damage last nov


----------



## just_sawing (Jan 15, 2006)

There is a cheaper way if you can find a Sawmill in the local area with a resaw. MIlls that cater to the Pallet industry have dedicated machins to resaw thicker boards into thiner ones. 
With the glut of pine and the lower prices because of that you can purchase 4X4s treated, Dog ear the end and they can put it though cutting 6 fence pickets out of each. A 8 foot 4X4 is about $8.00 and it would produce 12 4 foot pickets that are treated. The mill will charge probably by time and you may be able to assist


----------

