Larch wood fence

[chrisri]

I'm doing some work on my terrace, mainly fence. I'm going with metal frame with horizontal larch wood panels. Would like to protect wood from weather so it last for some time.
Ambient conditions are:
No below zero temperatures
Lots of rain during winter
Lots of sun during rest of the year
Temperatures between 3*C in winter to 35-38 *C in summer.
Strong dry Bora wind during winter (when it's not raining).

Manufacturer specify no after treatment of wood, but I understand that you guys in NA use wood in construction way more than we are so also know how to protect it.
Thanks.

 

[expat]

Well it will turn Grey, and it will crack as the wood dries out.

You will also get some considerable expansion and contraction a the wood gets wet and dries out again.

In many respects Larch is similar to Pine of Spruce, it is not often used outside unless the wood is treated (pressure treated) or coated (paint or varnish)

Cedar or Redwood are considered more suitable for outside use.

 

[ironman_gq]

I think it's close or the same as Tamarack which is a fairly rot resistant wood, looks like pine but the needles drop in the winter.

I would seal it with a UV protecting sealer on all sides.

 

[QuietPortage]

It would be easier if you gave us an idea of what's available to you. Many wood treatment products are regional.

That being said, I like Cabot; their Australian Timber Oil may be a good option for you, although many finishes are available. I'm not sure if they market in the EU.

 

[chrisri]

Originally Posted By: Bandito440
It would be easier if you gave us an idea of what's available to you. Many wood treatment products are regional.

That being said, I like Cabot; their Australian Timber Oil may be a good option for you, although many finishes are available. I'm not sure if they market in the EU.


It's pressure treated, similar product (different design) is used for balcony / terrace flooring. Lots of pubs, coffee shops around here with floors like this, just don't know if they are painted or treated in any way.
General recommendation is good enough, like use timber oil or some lacquer or something. No idea what is available here to be honest, we have Hempel chemical factory locally, they usually are good quality.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: expat
Well it will turn Grey, and it will crack as the wood dries out.

You will also get some considerable expansion and contraction a the wood gets wet and dries out again.

In many respects Larch is similar to Pine of Spruce, it is not often used outside unless the wood is treated (pressure treated) or coated (paint or varnish)

Cedar or Redwood are considered more suitable for outside use.

Well spruce isn't great. But untreated, true 1" thick Pine board lasts 100+ years vertically on a barn even in relatively humid southern Ontario. They are always nailed in the center so the expansion/contraction doesn't split the board.
I find with natural grown rot resistant species(not plantation grown with 1-2 cm growth rings)the wood is pretty decent left unstained or unpainted outside.
Anyways, I hate painting and staining and once the finish starts to fail it lets moisture in while slowing drying so it actually promotes rot if you don't maintain it well.

If you use nice ~1" thick straight and tight grained Larch that is allowed to expand and contract, I'd seriously consider letting it weather naturally. If all you can get is 5/8" thick plantation grown knotty stuff then I might use something else, or try to keep it in good shape by staining.

Also you can burn/toast the wood as a finish, I haven't tried it yet but I think its a neat idea.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Obligatory in any discussion of this tree:

Monty Python: "The Larch"

 

[Schmoe]

The MOST important thing for a wood fence is to keep it off the ground. Fence panels are not full ground contact rated. When a fence panel is on the ground, it draws moisture like a wick in a candle and that is what will rot your fence faster than any sealant.

 

[QuietPortage]

Originally Posted By: chrisri
Originally Posted By: Bandito440
It would be easier if you gave us an idea of what's available to you. Many wood treatment products are regional.

That being said, I like Cabot; their Australian Timber Oil may be a good option for you, although many finishes are available. I'm not sure if they market in the EU.


It's pressure treated, similar product (different design) is used for balcony / terrace flooring. Lots of pubs, coffee shops around here with floors like this, just don't know if they are painted or treated in any way.
General recommendation is good enough, like use timber oil or some lacquer or something. No idea what is available here to be honest, we have Hempel chemical factory locally, they usually are good quality.

A penetrating oil-based timber oil or semi-transparent stain would be best.

 

[CT8]

Wood rots from the ends and nail holes. Wood is like a box of straws the moisture gets sucked up from the ends and through nail holes.

 

[chrisri]

Ili use timber oil to be on the safe side. Two layers of oil before mounting them should be fine I suppose. I was thinking of M6 stainless steel bolts for fixing the panels to the steel bars. Verticals are about 1.8 metre apart, and panels are 4 metres long. Two bolts for first bar and last, others one? Two bolts on both sides should minimize twisting effect possibly.

 

[QuietPortage]

Share a photo with us too!

 

[opus]

Larch WILL twist.

 

[andyd]

Originally Posted By: opus
Larch WILL twist.
"you'll shoot yer eye out, kid"

Yah so? I've had spruce studs twist like the stripe on a barber's pole. SYP is a junk wood it moves all over. That is why they PT it. Twisting aside, if the larch is pressure treated, it should weather a few months before covering it. I would use an oil based semi-transparent stain. That paint brand is into Marine paints. Check them out. The stain I used 35 yrs ago had copper sulfate in it for rot resistance. They are long gone here. Copper sulfate kills microbes in soil so it isn't used any more.

 

[Blaze]

Here we prefer larch over cedar for rot and decay etc. We had a barn on our old farm with a larch or tamarack shake roof over 100 yrs old! The entire barn was larch and I had to drill first anywhere I had to place a nail or it would break or bend. Larch is TOUGH! and VERY weather resistant at least the stuff that grows here in eastern Washington state.