Composite Fencing: Wood-Look Privacy Fence Without the Upkeep

Composite fence boards are made from wood fiber and plastic, the same family of material as composite decking. The result has the color and grain of wood with none of its habits: no rot, no splinters, no cupping, and no finish to maintain.

QC Fence Contractors installs composite privacy fence across the Charlotte metro, mostly as a replacement for a wood fence the owner is tired of maintaining.

Most systems use posts with channels and interlocking boards that stack between them, usually running horizontally, with a cap rail on top. Because the boards interlock there are no gaps, so privacy is complete from the first day.

Composite is heavy. The posts are larger and the footings deeper than for a wood fence of the same height, and gates are framed in metal to carry the weight. It also moves with temperature, so the system has to be installed with the expansion gaps the manufacturer calls for.

• It costs more than wood or vinyl to install. The return is in years of not maintaining it.
• Colors are fixed at the factory. Darker tones get warm in direct sun.
• Systems come in set heights and panel widths, so steep slopes are stepped.
• It suits modern houses well, since most composite fence has a horizontal layout.
• If you want the look for less, a horizontal wood fence in cedar is the closest alternative.