On May 11, 4:37*pm, mike wrote:
On May 11, 2:25*pm, RicodJour wrote:





On May 11, 5:18*pm, mike wrote:

I notice the old fences around all have 2 horizontal rails for the
boards to attach to. *I've also noticed that new specs often show 3
rails, without comment. *I'm thinking that this might be due to the
fence boards being much thinner than they used to be.

I like to place my rails long side vertical, so I don't get excessive
sagging over time. *But I'm thinking that unless I expect the fence to
see hard wind loads or other severe attacks (kicks, etc.), 2 rails
might be enough.

Any thoughts?

Depends on the size of the rails, the size and weight of the fence
boards/pickets, the distance between the posts, the material of the
rails (vinyl over steel or aluminum, wood species), the aesethetic
sense of the the owner/installer, etc.

R

2x4's. *PT Wood. *8 ft post spacing.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

You didn't indicate rather it is a 6' or 8' fence. If you are going
with an 8' then use three rails without question. On the 6' fence,
you can get away with two but if it were me doing the fence, I would
use three rails and a 1x8 or 1x12 kick board at the bottom. The three
rails will give better support and keep the pickets from bowing. The
kick board (or rot board if you prefer) will keep the pickets out if
the mud and water giving them added life. The kick board can easily
be replaced as needed.

Also, mound the concrete around the posts to force the water to run
off instead of seeping in around the posts. I did that and after a
couple of years I added silicone caulking around the posts. Wait a
couple of years to allow the wood to dry and shrink. I replaced the
pickets on a 20 year old fence a couple of years ago and only had to
replace the pickets and a few of the rails. I didn't use the kick
board the first time but added it when replacing. The posts were
still in good shape and didn't need to be replaced. Oh yes, that was
in Houston too.