Picket Fencing

A traditional type of fence – posts, horizontal rails and neat rows of round, or pointed, top pales. Picket fences are normally 0.9metre or 1.2 metres high – enough to form a garden boundary without interfering with the view.

Picket fences are normally spaced in one of two ways – one picket followed by a space which is either the width of a pale or the thickness of a pale. Most prefer to use the width of a pale, possibly because it uses fewer pales and is therefore cheaper, but it also keeps the garden more open and allows light through to the plants. One of the first choices has to be whether to use round top pales or pointed!

Round top pales have a planed finish and are therefore more expensive than the sawn, pointed pales. If the round top pales are left to dry out thoroughly they can be painted or stained, the sawn pickets are only really suitable for staining. Round top pales come in three height options – 0.9m, 1.2m and also 1.8 metres; they are produced for us in England and other lengths can be ordered in pack quantities – i.e. 700 pieces upwards. These round top pales can be combined with planed finish (PSE) posts and rails, or sawn materials. Many tradesmen like to use CLS 47mm x 100mm as the finished dimensions are ideal for fence rails (40mm x 90mm) and they have a nice eased edge, planed finish. While the pointed pales are sawn they are a good quality pale and their pointed top does not really represent a health and safety risk. However, because they are machined in the Baltics the supply can sometimes be intermittent.