Trim and cap for a unique board on board fence


Jarod Turner

Recommended Posts

I've never built a fence in my life  but my moms friend wanted one sonim trying my hand at it . The design is what he picked , i dont care for it but my question is how to I put trim and or if it should be capped on a board on board fence when the design is 6 2x6's 8ft tall 1 2x6 7 ft tall 6 and 1,  6 and 1, etc, keep in mind these are recycled 2x6-s also I did not put the posts in whoever did did not use a a string line because some of them are crooked  but I did my best to make it straight as possible.,,, again not my choice in style jhst need to figure out some trim ideas , if you can please comment with pic or just give me detailed information

Thanks

 

Resized_20190131_110637.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Will the fence be painted?

Aside from aesthetics, the most important reason to add a cap rail on a vertical board fence is to keep water from standing on the end grain of the vertical boards. Standing water promotes rot.

My solution would be to groove the center of a 2x4 so that it fits over the edge of the vertical boards. The higher part could overhang each end a bit, perhaps with an angle on the ends to give it a far-eastern flair. The cap for the lower sections could just butt up against the adjacent verticals.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks I appreciate the advice! Hes going to power wash and stain them the shorter boards light colored and the taller ones a darker color, or the other way around.. 

I was hoping he'd let me cut them straight and all one size or slope it .. maybe something like this last picture  the he bought tons of these 2x6's from a oil rig company for 50 cents a board so 2x6's and very few 2x4s and 1x6s is all I have to work with and I'm .. this is my first fence,it is fun and a little difficult because it slopes even where the gate is going .. I'm 31 so I still have alot to learn.  I'm just stumped on what to do with the short ones if I cap the tall ons or if I cap it at all .. I thought about doubling up on the short 2x6 so the stick out a little more and make it not so flat

75-Fence-1x6x6-Cedar-fence-with-2x4-cap-and-1x4-trim-top-and-bottom..jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome Jarod. I'm with you on the aesthetics of that design, and I understand your wanting to dress up the top of the fence. I liked @wtnhighlander suggestion, but I'm afraid it might just busy up the top & bring more attention to what is a dubious design element. Kinda like putting lipstick on a pig. For something a little cleaner looking you could make a continuous top rail that spans all the shorter boards.

Do some mock-ups & see what is going to look the best.

You might want to add some bracing to the fence. The weight of all those 2x6s just supported by 2x4s on the flat will start to sag in short order.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, RichardA said:

Or, you could cut all the tops at an angle and seal them with anchor seal and the water will run off.

Great minds must think alike.  I don't think a cap rail would work with this design so I was thinking, if the idea is to keep water from gathering on the end grain, why not just bevel it?  Richard beat me to it.

Or you could just leave it and the owner will learn his lesson when he needs to replace the fence in a few years.  All the money he spent on cheap lumber will be offset by the expense of a sooner than expected replacement.  

Sometimes, as craftspersons, we have to realize that when the customer takes the design responsibility out of our hands it's best to give them just what they want and absolve ourselves of any responsibility.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/11/2019 at 5:03 AM, Jarod Turner said:

I've never built a fence in my life  but my moms friend wanted one sonim trying my hand at it . The design is what he picked , i dont care for it but my question is how to I put trim and or if it should be capped on a board on board fence when the design is 6 2x6's 8ft tall 1 2x6 7 ft tall 6 and 1,  6 and 1, etc, keep in mind these are recycled 2x6-s also I did not put the posts in whoever did did not use a a string line because some of them are crooked  but I did my best to make it straight as possible.,,, again not my choice in style jhst need to figure out some trim ideas , if you can please comment with pic or just give me detailed information

Thanks

 

Resized_20190131_110637.jpeg

The posts are to short, so all the longer boards are most likely going to bend and twist in different directions without some sort of horizontal support going across the top. I suggest, in this situation, the fence needs to be shorter. When they start to all point different directions snap a line horizontally across the top (just above the posts) and cut along the line with the saw blade set at an angle, that will help shed the water from the end grains.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Who's Online   0 Members, 0 Anonymous, 44 Guests (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online
  • Forum Statistics

    31.2k
    Total Topics
    421.8k
    Total Posts
  • Member Statistics

    23,759
    Total Members
    3,644
    Most Online
    R Parekh
    Newest Member
    R Parekh
    Joined