On May 12, 1:44*pm, BobR wrote:
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.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

It's a 6' privacy fence, but no wood posts. The new arsenic-free PT
posts seem to have brown rot issues. I'll keep the fence boards 2 or
3 inches off the ground to keep the dirt off them.