What is a fence rot board?
A rot board for a fence is a 2x6 piece of wood that sits and the very bottom of the fence. Since pickets are placed on top of the rot board, your fence will sit 6 inches higher than it would without one.
What is the purpose of a rot board?
A rot board on your fence is meant to protect your pickets from rotting. As a result, homeowners can get many more years out of a fence.
Some of the advantages include:
- Fence sits higher: Since the pickets go on top of the rot board, your fence will sit 6 inches higher than it would without one. It might not sound like much, but 6 inches can actually make allot of difference. A higher fence means it is that much harder to climb. This discourages burglars from attempting to climb the fence and can even helps obscure the amount of vision between you and your neighbors.
- Protect pickets from rotting quickly: With the massive amounts of rain that Houston occasionally receives, homeowners often find their backyards with standing water. This doesn't just make your backyard inaccessible and put the health of your grass at risk, but it is also very bad for a wood fence. Standing water speeds up the process of rotting wood. A fence rot board overcomes this problem though. The purpose of the rot board is to protect the pickets from rotting since they will be sitting 6 inches off the ground.
- Easy replacement: After the fence is several years old and the weather has taken its toll on the wood that is at the bottom of the fence, instead of the pickets rotting and you having to replace the whole fence, just the 2x6 rot board will need to be replaced. Replacing a rot board on a fence is very easy. You simply buy a new 2x6 to put where the rotted one is. With a hammer or crowbar, pull off the old rot board and dispose of it. All you need is a hammer and nails to install the new rot board and you are done. This is a much more practical and affordable way to have a long lasting fence.
- More years out of your fence: Since the pickets are off the ground and safe from standing water, you will get several more years out of your fence. If you take a few steps to maintain and help protect the life of your fence, you can probably get about 20 to 25 years out of it. One important aspect of achieving this is to apply water sealant to all of the wood when you have the fence installed. Another way to expand the lifespan is to clean it occasionally. You can easily rent or buy a pressure washer to periodically spray all the dirt off of your fence. This will also keep it looking as good as it did when you first had the fence installed.
Should I Install A Rot Board On My Houston Fence Or Not?
The best answer is yes. Installing a rot board with your Houston fence is advantageous to you as a homeowner if you want to have a long lasting fence. The only time it is not advisable is if you have a very limited budget. If the expenses associated with having a rot board makes the difference between having a fence and not having one, then don't have one installed. However, if you can reasonably fit it into your budget, then go ahead and have one installed.
Who Should I Hire To Build My Fence In Houston?
Fencebuildersofhouston.com is a reputable fence company that specializes in Residential Wood Fences In Houston. They are definitely one of the best residential fence builders in Houston TX and their prices are very affordable.
Who Should I Hire To Build My Fence In Houston?
Fencebuildersofhouston.com is a reputable fence company that specializes in Residential Wood Fences In Houston. They are definitely one of the best residential fence builders in Houston TX and their prices are very affordable.
