Fences are a standard feature on most Perth homes and when buying or building a new home, there is quite a range available to choose from. Typical older homes where built using outdated and sometimes dangerous materials such as asbestos or treated pine palings, which can be expensive to replace or hazardous to your health. With innovations in the building industry came the Colorbond steel product made by Australian manufacturer BlueScope Steel which has a reputation for being built to withstand our harsh climate and have a 25 year guarantee.
Iron is almost one hundred percent recyclable and is one of the most widely available naturally occurring minerals on the planet, so why not choose a sustainable product when deciding on which fence you would like. Colorbond fencing is an attractive, simple to build and cheaper alternative to older styles of fencing, but when it comes to maintenance, what should you be aware of?
Colorbond Fence Maintenance Tips
Colorbond steel fencing is designed to last a very long time in even the harshest Australian climates and is used everywhere including cyclone prone areas. With just a few basic maintenance steps and proper installation, your fence can last a very long time. So what are a few things that you can make sure of to get the best lifespan?
How Deep Should My Posts Be?
Firstly, if you are having a new Colorbond fence built ensure that the posts are at least one third of the height deep as they are high, so for the average 1800mm fence height, you would want a 600mm footing in the ground. Make sure to plan out things like fence toppers and aluminium plinths to ensure that you have enough post height to allow for solid concrete footings and the higher the post, the larger the footing should be. We would generally use two bags of rapid cement per post section for 1800mm high and three bags for up to 2400mm high.
Footings should be floated up and smoothed on an angle running away from the post, allowing water to drain away from the post. This step is very important and can save your fence from rusting out early because of some simple preventative maintenance at the installation stage.
Can I use Colorbond Fencing as a Retaining Wall
All Colorbond fence rails are designed to be at least 50mm higher than the soil level of the garden, because the rails need to remain unblocked to allow for drainage of water and some soils can actually cause erosion of the product and void any warranty. If you have a garden bed that requires some light (Less than 200mm) of retaining, then the use of an aluminium plinth is a good choice and should be installed using a larger footing and larger posts to give the fence better stability.
These plinths are not typically heavy duty and should only be used in basic circumstances. Where you have larger discrepancies in block heights with your neighbours, you should consider professional advice and installation of a retaining wall. Lastly, the sheeting and posts should be given a good clean with some soapy water every few months to remove any calcium or dirt, doing this regularly will keep your Colorbond steel fence not only looking good, but also lasting much longer.
Colorbond Fence Repair, Can I Do It Myself?
The great thing about Colorbond fencing is the ease of repair. Timber, Hardifence, super six and asbestos fences are all far more expensive and labour intensive to repair, not to mention extremely hazardous (asbestos) and should only be handled by qualified professionals. Colorbond products are available at almost all hardware stores, fencing suppliers and steel manufacturers and come in a wide range of colours and styles.
Simply removing a couple of screws and the top rail, it is easy to replace the sheets. Posts can be a bit trickier, but not impossible. Alternatively you can give Working Class Hands a call on 0414 985 605. We also do fully welded, custom made Colorbond gates. Check out our Google page here.
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Related tag: Gate Repair Perth