Whether you’re building a fence on your property for the first time, or replacing one that’s worn down from time and weather, you want to choose carefully when making your fencing selections. After all, your fence has to stand up to heat, humidity, insects, and mildew for years — all while providing your family with privacy and functioning as an aesthetically-pleasing addition to your property.

You probably already have a general vision for your fence. Will it surround your swimming pool to keep your family safe? Encircle your entire property to keep pets inside? Maintain privacy between you and the neighbours? Whatever your vision and goal for your fence, it’s crucial that you choose the right material right from the start of the project. Though timber fencing is the traditional choice, capped composite fencing is a sustainable and durable alternative that might just be the right choice for you.

Composite Fencing: The Best Choice for Your Home

For generations, wooden fences have been the go-to option for homeowners to protect and enhance their properties. However, technological advances in capped composite materials make it a better choice for many. If you’re researching the best materials for the job, here are some factors to keep in mind:

Maintenance

Aside from the initial installation, you probably don’t want to spend hours every year caring for and maintaining your fence. Traditional wooden fencing is prone to mildew, rot, and splintering. In addition, wood is susceptible to fading from the UV rays that will bear down on your fence year-round. If you choose a timber fence, expect your maintenance to include costly and time-intensive maintenance tasks like:

• Treating rot, mold, and mildew
• Checking regularly for hazards like splinters and loose nails
• Assessing for insect damage
• Sanding, painting, staining, and sealing

By contrast, a quality composite fencing product won’t require hours of your time in maintenance. That’s because insects, mildew, and rot won’t be a problem — and there’s never any need to sand, seal, or stain your composite fencing. At the most, maintenance includes occasionally hosing the fence down with water.

Privacy & Aesthetics

At the end of the day, your fence has one important function: providing boundaries and privacy for you and your family. Whether you choose timber or a composite material, you should be able to customise your fencing to provide your family with the level of privacy you’re looking for.

As far as aesthetics go, a quality fence can improve the overall look of your property, complement your landscaping, and even add to the curb appeal of your home. While some people have the perception that wood fencing is superior in looks, quality composite fencing is just as beautiful. Cutting edge technology means that composite fencing has the look of “real” wood — down to the unique intricacies of the grain. In fact, quality capped composite fencing can be customised to emulate classic and popular wood styles like jarrah or spotted gum.

Choose a quality product that provides a four-sided cap layer so that your fence looks good from any angle. And rest assured that your composite fencing won’t fade, lean, or become dotted with unsightly imperfections thanks to bug infestations.

Green Building

For many of us, sustainability matters when it comes to our homes. With logging functioning as one of the major contributors to deforestation worldwide, conscientious homeowners look for green solutions for their home improvement projects. Composite fencing from a good company is often created from recycled materials, which helps protect forests from deforestation. In addition, companies like NexGEN take conservation to the next level by assuring:

• Energy-efficient & waste-free production process
• Products free of harmful and toxic chemicals
• Composite fencing made of recovered hardwood fibre
• An end-product that requires no additional chemicals for maintenance (sealant, paint, etc)

Durability

Not only do wooden fences often start to lean over after only a few years, they’re also quite vulnerable to the elements. Wood provides a welcome home for insects to burrow into, and simply can’t stand up to the intense UV radiation of mid-summer sunshine. Bouts of rain create a breeding ground for mold, mildew, and rot, while the simple wear-and-tear of time contributes to overall structural dilapidation.

By contrast, composite fencing is designed for sturdy outdoor use. A quality product will deflect water instead of absorbing it, remain impervious to fading from UV rays, and resist general breakdown for many years. In addition, you won’t have to worry about damage caused by seasonal freezing and thawing patterns.

Long Term Savings

When it comes to upfront costs, wooden and composite fencing products have comparable prices. However, a wooden fence requires not only an up-front investment — but also costs time and money in maintenance down the road. The need to sand, seal, stain, and paint your timber fence means that you’ll have to make large purchases to keep your fence healthy.

For many busy homeowners, maintenance around the home seriously cuts in on valuable leisure time that could be better spent with family or on hobbies. And if you hire someone to maintain your fence, you can expect a hefty bill every year or two.

Ultimately, going with a composite product for your fencing means that you’ll be saving money (and valuable time) in the long-term. However, to enjoy the greatest savings in time, money, and energy, make sure that you choose a product that comes with a solid warranty.

Choose the Right Fencing Product for Your Needs

As with all major outdoor home improvement projects, it’s crucial to ensure the quality of the product you’re going to be working with. If you’re going with a capped composite product as opposed to wooden fencing, you still need to make sure that you’re getting a high-end product.

• Request samples. A fence is a substantial investment, and it’s prudent to request samples of the product before committing. Once you receive your samples, test them for durability, stain-resistance, aesthetics, and overall quality.
• Be choosy with the look. When choosing fencing, take some time to consider how different styles would complement your property. Carefully review samples to ensure you’re getting a product with natural-looking, unique, and varied grain patterns.
• Check reviews & testimonials Though even the best companies will have a negative review here and there, what you’re looking for when checking reviews is consistency. Do customers frequently mention that the product lives up to their expectations, or do they seem disappointed with the value? Testimonials can give you an in-depth glimpse at how the product has functioned for other buyers.
• Ensure you’re getting a warranty. A solid company will offer a warranty to stand behind. For example, NexGEN’s 50-year warranty covers stains and fading so you can be sure your fence will look good and perform incredibly for years to come.