Help with BLACK vinyl "wrought iron" fence

[MossRoad]

Re: Help with BLACK vinyl \"wrought iron\" fence

<font color="blue">Also, this style uses very thin cross members so I have some structural concerns </font>

Yes. Black plastic would seem to absord more heat, too, so thin might warp or bow sooner than white. Do they have and studies on lifetime, etc...?

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Re: Help with BLACK vinyl \"wrought iron\" fence

A local big box chain in the midwest (MENARD'S) now has a vinyl "wrought iron" fence available. They ran an advertisement for it over the weekend but I didn't get to the store to see it in person.

I have serious concerns about this product because I have been sorely disappointed with the quality of goods from Menard's in the past. They always have the lowest prices, but they also seem to have lower quality in many cases. While that is not an issue with some items, I look for quality when I am doing a project that is exposed to the weather, such as this fence project.

What is really scary about the Menard's "wrought iron" vinyl fence is that it is about 2/3rds less expensive than the other fence. I will go look at it in the next couple of days to check it out. With a price as low as they advertised, I am curious what they give up in terms of strength and structure.

 

[dummy]

Re: Help with BLACK vinyl \"wrought iron\" fence

I recently purchased some fencing from wholesale fence They have a pretty good selection in the price range you have mentioned.

 

[RobS]

Re: Help with BLACK vinyl \"wrought iron\" fence

<font color="blue">What is really scary about the Menard's "wrought iron" vinyl fence is that it is about 2/3rds less expensive than the other fence </font>

Don't let the price alone scare you away Bob. When I bought landscape block I checked with our local masonry supply house. They openly admitted they couldn't compete with Menards on the identical product due to the volume.

I think I saw that same fencing the other day. It does look nice /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[DAP]

Re: Help with BLACK vinyl \"wrought iron\" fence

Bob .. I had a 3 acre paddock fencing project a couple of years ago.

Here's what I learned.

In my region, vinyl was going in at 14 bucks a foot. That was 2 years ago.

Your climate may very well impact the soundness of your decision. For horse fencing or stock in general, a horse would have no problem shattering vinyl fencing in heavy cold spells. Contiguous freezing temps could be a shattered fence problem.

I went with Oak.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Re: Help with BLACK vinyl \"wrought iron\" fence

Doug, in my case the fece would be only for decoration. About 100' long in a straight run behind some plantings along a small part of the property line. The fence would simply be the back of the border, and as the property line is almost 1200' long, running 100' of fence is not going to do anything to keep anyone/anything in or out.

Does anyone know if black vinyl will degrade in the sun?

 

[GerardC]

Re: Help with BLACK vinyl \"wrought iron\" fence

Hey Bob, are you stuck on getting a fence?

How about doing something in masonry? Or a nice rock wall? Don't know what your really after as far as appearance. Done right, they are maintenance free for life. G

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Re: Help with BLACK vinyl \"wrought iron\" fence

We don't have suitable rocks for walls in this part of the state, so bringing in rocks for a rock wall would be pretty prohibitive from the cost standpoint. I know they are very common in other parts of the country, but you never see them around here.

I am thinking of putting in some rock pillars as highlights about every 25' of run in the fence, but again just for the decoration standpoint. Again, the purpose of the fence is really just a visual backdrop to highlight a border garden that is about 95' from end to end and about 6' to 20' deep with an irregular front edge. The back edge is the property line and that is where the fence would be.

 

[GerardC]

Re: Help with BLACK vinyl \"wrought iron\" fence

Gotcha. Was just a thought. G

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Re: Help with BLACK vinyl \"wrought iron\" fence

I looked at the black vinyl "wrought iron" fencing at Menards. It seemed very flimsy and I could not see any metal supports, but there might have been something to add to rigidity? The rails and the pickets are very small and I worry that they will sag over time.

I opted to pony up the extra money and go with an aluminum fence of the same design. Looks like wrough iron, won't rust, and the powder coat finish seems to be pretty durable. And I seriously doubt it will sag at any point in the future the way I think the vinyl might sag.

The actual cost is going to be just a shade under $27 per running foot for the design we chose, and that is an installed price so I won't even have to break a sweat. The installer is a TBN member and he uses a pair of Power Trac 422's with modified post hole diggers on the front end. Part of the deal is that he will let me play with one of his Power Tracs!

As a price comparison, the style vinyl wrought iron fence I chose was about $23.50 delivered to my door, but not installed. So I am paying about $4 per foot more for the aluminum and it will be installed. I consider that a very fair trade off.