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Picket fences are ideally suited to a host of practical measures. Picket fences give you and your property and extra measure of security, as even the site of a fence around a property has been shown to put off many a potential thief or violent criminal, in spite of the fact that many picket fences are low in height (but who wants to catch themselves on one of those pointed tops?). Picket fences are also useful for defining your property's boundaries. Perhaps we can say that good picket fences make for good neighbors! Picket fences are also very useful for defining entryways to various different parts of your property. These are the easiest of fences to construct, too. Many people are attracted to picket fences for the simple reason that they are by tradition the most archetypally American fence.
Beyond the practical applications, picket fences also have qualities that readily lend them to being items of décor. Having a wood picket fence allows you the freedom to be able to match your fencing with a wide array of architectural styles on your property, styles that are inspired by the surroundings in which you live. Picket fencing itself is very versatile, and it can come in traditional or “rustic” designs, as well as being fashioned with custom tops, curves, arches, and patterns.
Due to the fact that a picket fence is made of wood, it can readily be painted or stained to blend in more with the property, home, or surroundings. This allows the picket fence to act as a point of eye-catching interest, becoming more of an integral part of a landscape or meshing perfectly with a garden or even wild vines, flowers, and bushes. Moreover, a picket fence can actually lend to “climate control” on your property, as the fence will be a buffer against winds, blown debris, and drifting snow.
The area in which you live will be the determining factor in what choice of woods you have for your picket fence to be fashioned from. There are four mainly used species of wood for the making of picket fences: pressure-treated woods, whitewoods, Northern White cedar, and Western Red cedar. Pressure-treated wood has had a liquid preservative added to it by way of “pressuring” the liquid into the wood, to prevent its being destroyed easily by rot or termites. Whitewoods comprise Firs, Spruces, and Pines.
If fences made from whitewoods are not stained with a protective coating, they will last anywhere from three to seven years depending on the climate where you live. Northern White and Western Red cedar woods are the two most popular woods chosen for fences. |
