Which type of fence requires less maintence and is longer lasting, aluminum or steel?
by
Bonnie C
+1
Looking to put a fence up along a 5' tall retaining wall that is 100' long. We have a nice view of woods and don't want a wooden fence to block the view.
4 answers
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Galvanized steel chain link is a good balance between cost and long term durability. There are sections of plain old steel barb wire fence at my ranch that are 40-50 years old and still going strong, these were never painted or treated....It all depends on what your trying to keep in or out and what type of "look" your after.
KMS Woodworks
on Jun 10, 2012
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aluminum does not rust. You can get aluminum coated steel fence which is the preferred material, Strength of steel protection of aluminum against rust. Steel that has been galvanized lasts a long time, but eventual you will need to paint the fence as it begins to rust up.
Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com
on Jun 11, 2012
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From a cost perspective galvanized and aluminum coated are close....solid aluminum runs about 2 1/2 time the cost of the steel based fence....but then it is a lot lighter to work with. You can get an idea of these prices from this site. http://www.hooverfence.com/catalog/cpage94.htm
KMS Woodworks
on Jun 11, 2012
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Are we talking about architectural type of fence that appears to be like the old wrought iron material or a chain link fence? If it is chain link type the KMS has already nailed it. If it is wrought iron type of fence then there are many options. The cheapest is Ameristar type of fence, aluminum or steel they both wear about the same because of the way they are treated. If you want something custom fabricated then aluminum or steel they wear about the same as long as you maintain them properly. A baked on powder coated finish is superior to paint but will eventually break down and have to be addressed no matter what substrate it is on, but that usually performs best on aluminum. If you have a very ornate steel fence no matter what you coat it with you will find it difficult to control the rust leaching out of small crevices. You know there are just so many ins and outs here it is hard to give you a one size fits all answer. But if you want to pursue this check out this site and then call these guys is you want to get a more detailed idea of what is going on with metal fencing. www.arwelding.net Good luck!!!
Paul M
on Jun 11, 2012
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