(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

Preserving New Wooden Fence

D

Dean

Well-known Member
A friend of mine has built a wooden fence using treated posts and saw mill sawn boards from dead/dying Ash trees.

Anyone have suggestions about how best to preserve the Ash planks? He's not interested in esthetics, just preservation.

SDT
 
I'll let others cover the predicable references to Thompson's Water Seal and such (which I've never had much luck with myself long-term) but here's another possibility. It's pine tar and turpentine (another pine-based product, put in to thin the tar) put on and then heated to drive it into the wood. I've used it on tool handles and other "working" wood with excellent results, though I can't speak for its long-term durability in something like a fence. The owner of the Youtube channel the video is from has several videos on application you can look for but this one's on penetration--around an inch into oak--and that may give better long-term preservation than some other methods.
Pine Tar for wood preservation
 
Any good house paint or opaque stain should protect it from UV rays and look good for five to ten years. I'm not a fan of clear treatments or semi-transparent stains.
 
The ash will make a taste snack for termites and won't weather very well even if you saturate the ground around the fence with bug spray. Ash tends to separate between the hard and soft grain.
 
Does he like a black fence??? A local fencing fellow uses asphalt sealer cut 50/50 with diesel fuel. You have to use the petroleum based product. He puts it on with a small push broom. After a few days it dries to a fairly hard surface. Seals good and seems to last for years.
 
A hardware store product - Flood preservative, comes in gallon can, good results. Made for decks and wood fences. They have 3 or 4 shades of color including natural (clear) to choose from. Might be a little pricey but worth checking out.
 
He does not care about color.

I recommended used oil like was once used on unpainted corn cribs but the asphalt/diesel might be better.

I would think it would protect against termites as well.

Dean
 
I questioned the Ash but it was free.

Lots of dead/dying Ash trees and his brother bought a sawmill to cut lumber for a barn.

Dean
 
I use used motor oil cut with diesel, and apply it with a siphon sprayer. It won't soak in to the treated posts, but will work well on the ash. As far as bugs go, I don't think many of them like the taste of motor oil
Pete
 
Coal-tar creosote. Utilities used it for decades, and many of the power poles from the 50s and 60s are still standing, and carrying the bulk of power for rural places. Not nice smell, and pretty ugly, but it does the job.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
OT: City boy takes up farming (1937 American Mercury article
Replies
1
Views
1K
Vito
Vito
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top