In the greater Orlando Florida area it is the installation techniques of the fence company that makes the difference. The materials used in our area are either from Lowe’s or Home Depot. Obtaining materials from a local lumber yard or lumber from a fence distributor is cost prohibitive as it will price you out of the competitive market.
With that in mind, it is the installation techniques that make the biggest difference in fence longevity and appearance. One of the most important, non-lumber, items is the fasteners (nails). Any quality fence installation company will use hot dipped galvanized ring shank nails, but most companies in the area use lower quality smooth shank nails because they are cheaper. The ring shank nails are superior because of the blades in the nail that helps hold it inside the wood as the wood swells and shrinks through our humid nights and sunny, hot days.
Next on the list is securing the posts
Here in Florida one of the longest running myths is that concrete on a post causes it to rot. That is not true as long as the entire in ground portion of the post is not encased in the concrete. The post hole should be dug out, the post put in ground and back filled with soil or loose gravel, then about 40lbs of concrete and lastly topped with soil. You can use a packing bar or shovel handle to pack the ground around the post to hold it in place. The after the fence is complete come back and re level the posts and then wet in the posts to set the concrete. If you are adamant that concrete not be used on the posts you would need to switch to a longer post, at least 10′ long. This will allow you to put the post at least 48 inches in the ground. This will give the fence enough in ground resistance to hold it up in a hurricane.
Lastly are the fence pickets themselves
There are two options for wood fence pickets in the greater Orlando area. You either use the thin 1/2″x3-1/2″ fence pickets or the thicker, wider 5/8″x5-1/2″ pickets. The thinner pickets are lighter which is why they are used on the cheap prefab panels that use 2″x3″ support rails instead of the superior 2″x4″ support rail. But using the thicker pickets in conjunction with 2″x4″ rails is a superior product that will give you a strong secure fence that will last years longer than using the thinner pickets. Using these fasteners, installation techniques and lumber will provide you with a fence that will last for years.
