The Quick Guide to the Best Fencing Material

So you’ve decided you’re going to buy a fence. Now for the first big question: what’s the best fencing material for the job?

That depends on what you’re after in terms of style and cost.

Here are three of the most common fencing materials and what you get out of each one.

Aluminum

Aluminum is one of the cheapest fencing options you can find on the market.

And while it may not offer as much in terms of privacy and security as other types of fence, it does come with a distinct advantage: lack of maintenance costs.

Aluminum fences are popular among builders primarily because they are highly resistant to corrosion. The metal itself, usually combined with other metals to make alloys for fences, has a few other benefits as well:

• After gold, it’s one of the most malleable metals
• It’s non-metallic
• It doesn’t spark
• It’s a good heat conductor

Because it’s highly malleable, it’s easy to form aluminum into almost any shape. And because it’s a good heat conductor and doesn’t spark, you won’t have to worry about it catching and melting around electrical sparks.

In fact, aluminum is often used as a conductor in tubes for electrical wires.

As you can imagine, there are all sorts of aluminum styles you could choose from, since the metal can be easily shaped into almost anything. That gives you a lot of freedom to be creative–especially because the material is relatively cheap compared to others.

Wood

Wood is a bit more expensive to install than aluminum, but it’s a classic fencing material for good reason.

Wood fences offer a combined sense of privacy and style. Plus, there’s something warm and welcoming about wood. You can pull into your house and feel the stress run off your shoulders at that sight.

Oh, and it’s good for keeping kids and dogs in, too.

Popular wood fence materials include:

• Cedar
• Pine
• Fir
• Spruce
• Cypress

Pine, fir, and spruce are all good choices if you’re looking for the right combination of durability and affordability.

Cedar and cypress, on the other hand, naturally contain a chemical called cypretine, which makes them a natural insect repellant. They’re also generally rot resistant.

PVC

Finally, there’s PVC fencing, which is hands-down one of the cheapest ways to put up a fence around your yard.

Instead of wooden stakes and pickets, this type of fencing uses PVC sleeves on top of wooden posts. The wooden posts add stability to the fence, but it’s much cheaper than a typical wooden fence since you’re using less actual wood.

The good news is that the PVC itself gives you the freedom to try different heights and colors, all without breaking the bank.

If you live in an area with all four seasons, though, you should consider how PVC will age due to weather.

Figuring Out the Best Fencing Material

What’s the best fencing material for you? The one that marries style, budget, and effectiveness.

That’s where we come in.

You know what you want from a fence. We know how to make it happen. Ready to talk about your fencing project? Use our contact page to get in touch.