Caterham Fencing’s reputation is based on the care we take to understand our customers’ needs and priorities, and on the high standard of our workmanship. That is why a firm with the pedigree of Jacksons Fencing, who offer a 25 year guarantee on all their products, has chosen Caterham Fencing to be their recommended “Approved Installer” in East Surrey.

Underpinning our approach and values, is the fact that we only use materials that are ideally suited to the hard life that our fences and gates are left to endure day after day, month after month, and year after year. When you consider that a fence is exposed to all weathers 24/7 and 365 days a year, it needs to be able to withstand the conditions that it is required to, and to fulfil its role for many years to come.

OUR FENCE POSTS

In particular, fence posts, which are concreted into the ground to a depth of 2 feet (even more for gate posts), need to be adequately pressure treated in order to guarantee a long life. We therefore only source our timber fencing from suppliers who offer fully pressure treated products, and, in the case of fence and gate posts, that means they are treated to a minimum of UC4 standard. UC4 means that the timber has been KILN-DRIED to a maximum of 28% moisture content prior to being exposed to the pressure treatment process.

The photo below is one I took myself, and it shows the result of cutting through 3 separate fence posts obtained from different sources. Note the marked difference in penetration of the pressure treatment. Maximum penetration of the treatment is absolutely crucial in ensuring long life in a fence post:

Below left: A Jacksons 6×6 inch post with a 25 year guarantee, showing the deep penetration of treatment into the wood, all the more remarkable when you consider the dimensions of the post. We use Jacksons posts when installing gates, or with other Jacksons products.

Top right: A standard 4×4 inch UC4 post, we would use for closeboarded fencing or conventional panel fencing.

Bottom right: A typical 4×4 inch fence post that is NOT treated to UC4 standard, ie NOT kiln-dried prior to pressure treatment. The result is clear – minimal penetration of the treatment into the wood. Posts like these are readily available at many outlets, and might appear from the outside to be fine, but cut one in half and this is what you would find. Be assured, we would not use these.

MAINTENANCE-FREE FENCING

And a final thought, you are of course welcome to paint your new fence to suit your own tastes, as indeed this customer did. But unless you have a particular colour preference, then there is absolutely no need to paint or treat your fence… ever! The fact that we only use pressure-treated wood means that our fences are all completely MAINTENANCE-FREE.