Constructing a robust wooden fence that can provide adequate privacy, withstand the elements, and fit the aesthetics of your property is easier than many homeowners imagine. You need the proper materials and the right approach, and within a weekend, you can have an excellent fence. 

This guide will teach you all about timber gravel boards: What are they, why are they a key element of building a proper fence, and how can you integrate them with your fence panels and posts? This article will answer these questions and more! 

What Are Gravel Boards? 

Gravel boards, usually made from timber, concrete, or steel, are robust boards that fit under the fence. They are designed to insulate the fence from the ground and provide structural support. A gravel board makes the fence more resilient against weather and against physical impact from common objects like soccer balls. 

Why Are Wooden Gravel Boards Necessary to Build a Robust Fence? 

  • Prevent premature rot: Wooden gravel boards prevent direct contact between the ground and the fence panels. This protects the latter from ground moisture, fungi, and rot, making the fence last longer. 
  • Strengthen the foundation of the fence: Secured using wooden blocks, metal clips, or galvanised screws, gravel boards act as a foundation for the entire structure, bringing it together, strengthening it, and making it less susceptible to wind, rain, and physical impact. 
  • Reduce maintenance costs: A pressure-treated timber gravel board isn’t only durable and low-maintenance itself, but it also helps protect the fence installation as a whole, reducing maintenance costs and preventing the need to replace the panels and posts. 
  • Make the fence look better: Though aesthetics is a matter of preference, gravel boards are generally considered to make fences look better. They fill out any gaps in the ground, they give the structure a unique texture, and they accentuate and complement fence panels well! If you want a garden fence that looks unique, gravel boards are the way to go! 

3 Ways to Fit Timber Gravel Boards

The gravel board installation process is simple, which is part of the reason why it is so popular. Homeowners looking to fit gravel boards into their fence have multiple options in how they go about it: 

  1. Fence Post Metal Clips 

Metal clips or cleats are an excellent way to fasten gravel boards directly to the fence posts. You need cleats, nails, a measure tape and spirit level, and that’s it. 

You start by measuring and marking the exact place on the posts where you need to install the cleats, then you fix the cleats to the posts using nails, and finally, you slot in the gravel board into the cleats on each side. Make sure the installation is straight with a spirit level and voila! 

  1. Slot-in Fence Posts 

Gravel boards directly slot into slotted fence posts with minimal effort. You just need to make sure the dimensions of the posts and the gravel boards match. Here, a reliable building supply store that can arrange both the timber gravel boards and the fence posts for you helps tremendously.

  1. Fixed Directly to the Fence Posts 

Fixing the gravel boards directly to the fence posts is also an option. It is affordable, it is easy to do, and it can be your go-to method for a variety of fence types and designs. Here, you need durable fence posts made from high-quality timber with the proper width and height for your gravel boards.

At Timberstore, we offer pressure-treated timber fence posts that are perfect for fitting gravel boards. Check them out!