FORT Fencing
Agricultural & Equine Fencing
The materials you'll need to build the perfect fence.
17 October 2022
FORT is a large, independent merchant, based at Membury in West Berkshire. We supply Timber, Building & Fencing materials to a vast area of the south. With our staff’s extensive knowledge and experience, FORT goes the extra mile on quality & sourcing products that are fit for purpose, so that they perform to a high standard. Timber fencing is expensive; it’s also quite ‘invasive’ when being fitted therefore it’s essential to ensure that the final fence will last as long as possible. That requires each component to be of the right quality, treatment level and size.
Timber Treatment
Ensuring that the fence components have been treated to the correct User Class is very important. For more information on the importance of timber treatment & care, check out one of our most recent blogs here. With our expert team, you can rely on FORT to have checked that each piece meets or exceeds the requirements.
So, what do you need to make a Close Board Fence?
The key components are the posts, arris or square edge rails, gravel board, capping & counter rail, centre stump and of course the featheredge boards. Lets’ go through each of those items:
Timber Posts
The most popular option is 100x100mm posts, but FORT also offers a range of Treated & Incised 75x75mm Posts & 100x125mm V-Notched Posts, so that you have a wide range of choices to select from. When setting these out, they need to be at 3.1m centres. All our 100x100mm posts are incised and preservative treated to UC4. 2.4m length is the normal length for posts. Where UC3 is the only sourcing option, Post Savers are either recommended or pre-fitted. V-notched posts can also be back-weathered and slotted for counter rail. Back weathered posts are cut with a slant to offer an escape for rainwater, instead of it gathering on the top of the post and causing decay. When setting out with V-notched posts, they need to be at 3.0m centres, 50mm each end of the rails sits inside the posts.
Rails – Square or Arris
The cross rails (usually 2 per bay, but sometimes 3) form the frame that the featheredge is fitted onto. 75mm Arris rails are the most traditional and because they are a triangular section, they shed water more easily, to improve their lifespan. FORT also stocks 38x88mm fence rails, which are available at our Merchants or Online.
Gravel Boards
Gravel boards offer protection to the lower part of the fence panel, this ensures no ground contact is made by the timber. This prevents damage from water, dirt and insect attack to the fence panel itself. As well as the added protection from a gravel board, it also eliminates gaps arising from the ground to the panel. FORT hold great stocks of both our Concrete & Timber gravel boards, we can also supply them in composite material. Another benefit of using a gravel board is that if it were to become damaged they are easily replaceable, increasing the durability of the fence itself.
Centre Stump
Centre stumps are used to support the lower arris rails in a bay of close board or palisade fencing. These ‘pegs’ which are back weathered help keep the gravel board in position.
Capping & Counter Rail
The Capping Rail acts as protection for the boards, by shedding water along the top of the fence. These lengths of timber are a must when constructing a fence, at FORT we stock 3m lengths of Capping Rail, treated to User Class 3. You’ll also need a Counter Rail (32x50mm, 3.0m UC3 Treated), these lengths sit below the capping rail as a brace.
Featheredge Boards
The main component of a closed board fence are the featheredge boards. The most popular width is 125mm which is available in 2 lengths of either 1.65 & 1.8 metres. If you were to use the 1.65metre featheredge board plus the gravel board you would have a total fence height of 1.8metres. These boards are either formed vertically or horizontally & are treated to a UC3 standard. You can see our stocked selection of fence panels & trellis here.