Are you looking for the best wood for a new horizontal fence?
Certain woods will require more maintenance than others and can be susceptible to rot, decay and insect attack.
The woods that are commonly prone to those issues are softwoods such as pressure treated pine, cedar and even redwood.
There are certain hardwood species however that are more durable than teak and cheaper.
The top species of wood that we recommend for a horizontal fence are:
- Ipe
- Cumaru
- Tigerwood
- Garapa
- Massaranduba
These woods excel in harsh climates such as the hot Florida sun, the dry Arizona desert as well as cold and snowy Buffalo, NY. Woods such as Ipe have been proven to last 75+ years on commercial applications such as the Coney Island boardwalk.
These woods are also naturally resistant to rot, decay, fungi and wood boring insects can not chew through them. In addition they are low maintenance and incredibly beautiful.
Building a horizontal fence from one of these beautiful species of wood will have your friends and neighbors admiring your new fence for years.
Take a look at many of these beautiful horizontal fences our customers have built with some of our wood:
Thanks for recommending cumaru and garapa as two of the choice for durable horizontal fences. It’s a good thing that you describe the ways on how they function when they reused as a fence. My mother plans to change our fence to horizontal wooden fencing. I will recommend her those type of wood that I’ve mentioned above. I will also help her find a credible fencing contractor in town.
• Ipe, Cumaru,Tigerwood,GarapSri a,Massaranduba
Are there any timber selling agents in Sri lanka.
We can ship to Sri Lanka
Hi, would you please share the price for 1×6 by 8ft long?
Ipe would cost $25.52, Cumaru would cost $17.76 and Tigerwood would cost $16.40
Greetings,
Is there a wood that is less susceptible to color change under age and sunlight? I’ve read that Ipe turns a grey color over time. I’m looking to keep brown color.
Regards,
K
All wood eventually turns gray in sunlight. Applying an oil finish every year will preserve the brown color.
Teak?
Not as good as the woods listed in this article!
Are there any suppliers in northeastern US? I am in northeastern Pennsylvania. I am looking at building a 6′ high fence 115 feet long.
We don’t sell through suppliers or distributors because that would increase the price to much for the customer. We sell direct and ship direct to your home. We do have a warehouse in Buffalo NY which might be close enough for you to visit.
Do you have a warehouse in Northern Virginia?
Not currently but we ship there weekly.
Curious for price of material for 4 ft high and about 80 ft long fence to go along front of property in Outer Banks of NC.
One of our reps will contact you with pricing options for your fence shortly.
In the process of completing construction of Ipe fence with ipe plugs over screw heads, which will require sanding. Have ordered cleaner, brightener and Ipe oil and just waiting for delivery. I have read that I should sand entire fence. Do you recommend sanding entire fence and if so would I use the cleaner and brightener after I sand.?
If you are sanding the entire fence then you shouldn’t need to use the cleaner and brightener. You should generally only sand with 80 – 100 grit sand paper if you go to fine it will close the grain and it won’t soak up as much oil.
The average home owner (200,000 to 400,000) with 1 acre of land cannot afford IPE wood fencing with posts and attachments. These woods are for wealthy home owners who own homes with incomes that would allow them two more homes at the price of their current home… meaning if they owned a 200,000 home but can afford a 600,000 home having 400,000 of deposable income, they can afford your hardwoods. I live in a middle-class suburbs neignborhood and very rarely do you see the types of decks or fences you sell. Excellent choice of woods, but impractical cost factors for the average home owners.
The average yard size in America is approximately a quarter acre, so if you are trying to fence an acre of land yes that is a lot more to fence than your typical homeowner and would be a significant investment that most homeowners could not afford even if you did it in pressure treated pine. Ipe is one of the most durable and beautiful woods for exterior use though and there’s a lot that goes into sourcing it sustainably so it is one of the more expensive exterior hardwoods. We have several other species that are more affordable and we are adding a few more this year. Most of our customers build smaller projects and we are happy to accommodate any size order!
Planning a small 6′ h x 5′ w privacy fence using 5/4 ipe horizontal boards. Going to face mount boards using hidden clip system. I have some leftover 2 x 2″, 1/16″ steel posts from another project. Do you think these would be sufficient or would it be worth getting bigger posts like 3 x 3″, 1/8″ aluminum posts?
It’s probably strong enough as long as it meets code. The one issue we will point out though is that standard steel in contact with hardwoods like Ipe will leave black oxidation marks on the wood where it has come in contact with the wood and it gets rather unsightly. We only recommend using stainless steel for any metal that comes in contact with the wood as it will not leave the black marks and since Ipe has shown to last up to 75+ years it would be good to have posts that can last that long as well.
How about black aluminum fence channels for a horizontal Ipe privacy fence? In that scenario, is there any worry over oxidation marks?
If the wood came in contact with raw aluminum its possible you could see the black oxidation marks, if it’s powder coated that would reduce the chances but still not guaranteed you won’t get oxidation marks. We have had customers use things like DeckWise joist tape to wrap the part of wood that will come in contact, this helps significantly but we can’t guarantee you’ll never have any oxidation issues.
Woods are looking so nice. Would consider this in our new home. Thanks for sharing!
Hello whats the price on a 1 x 6 x 11 piece of ipe and do you have different grades ? I am looking at running the wood horizontal inside of a 1 1/4 rod iron fence that is 10′ 11″ long x 34 ” height. Since that is a long board can you recommend a clip I can install to keep the boards together and help from warping . Do you ship to California
You can see pricing for a 1x6x11 ipe board here: https://buy.advantagelumber.com/products/1-x-6-ipe-wood-decking?variant=31457291632682
We don’t currently have different grades in stock.
I’m afraid I don’t understand your project well enough to recommend a particular clip for your particular application.
We do ship to California. In fact, we have a location in Santa Fe Springs if you’re nearby: 11517 Los Nietos Rd, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
I live In California and I am considering Ipe as an option for a front fence and gate. I will have it attached to painted steel. I am worried about maintenance. Does it have to be sanded or bleached every time you add a coat of oil or can you just wipe it clean? I can’t power wash or put abrasives on since it will strip the paint on the steel. What do you recommend? Thanks
Hello,
Do someone know what the Width of the Wood of the Top left Photo.
It is probably our 1 x 2″ which would give you a finished width of 1 1/2″ https://www.advantagelumber.com/cumaru_decking.htm
If you keep up on the oiling you can typically just apply the oil if the wood is clean. If it needs to be cleaned you can use DeckWise cleaner and apply with a scrub brush and give it a rinse with a regular garden hose. Once it’s dry you can apply the oil. Vertical surfaces like fences are usually easier to maintain so you should be fine.
Hi. I am looking to build a Cumaru horizontal fence. Its about 50″ long, probably 7 or 8 feet tall. What do people use as fence posts for projects like these? Also, is it better to keep sections at 6′ wide vs. 8′?
You can use Cumaru 4×4 for the posts if you want it to match, the Cumaru will last much longer in the ground than pressure treated would or we’ve seen people use metal. Be careful if using metal as anything other than stainless steel can leave black oxidation marks where it touches the wood which is why we only recommend stainless steel screws for fastening the Cumaru. Also 6 foot sections would be better as shorter runs would be less likely to bow inward or outward.
Do you have any locations in Texas?
Not currently but it is one state we have our eyes on. We do ship there every week.
Hello! I’m replacing my old, traditional driveway entry gate into a 12 ft x 7ft framed, horizontal fence with a 5 foot pivot entry door. I’m ok with 4 to 6 inch slats. What would this project cost in IPE or Cumaru?
A sales representative will reach out to you shortly to help you price your project.