Shera Fence Pickets

[Mike Lister]

I'm going to replace the wooden picket boards on my garden walls with Shera/SCG Cement Board. I know from having worked with cement board previously that it can become weak when it gets wet so I'm trying to find out the best coating for it. My guess is that a good quality acrylic outdoor house paint such as Dulux Weathershield should work? 

 

In the past I've used an angle grinder to cut cement board but this time I need about 500 70 cm lengths which is a lot of work. Suggestions?

 

BTW the pickets are 1.2 cm thick.

[Yellowtail]

Can you not buy the pickets pre-cut? That's what I'd look for. 

 

If not, I think you can generally score and break it, but 1.2 is a bit thick. That is a butt-load of cutting with a saw. 

 

I'd go with TOA contact primer in a dip-pan first. It's like water and dries fast. Then re-coat with whatever you like. I'd drill the holes before painting. 

[Yellowtail]

ห้าห่วง ไม้ฝา ลายชัยพฤกษ์ 0.8x15x300 ซม. สีซีเมนต์ (globalhouse.co.th)

[Mike Lister]

3 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

ห้าห่วง ไม้ฝา ลายชัยพฤกษ์ 0.8x15x300 ซม. สีซีเมนต์ (globalhouse.co.th)

Fortunately, the cement board I'm going to use comes in 10 cm wide lengths that are 4 meters long so it's only a single cross cut, albeit 525 of them!

[Yellowtail]

I have this and have used it for cement board, tile and glass and it's been great. The water elimiates the dust and keeps the blade cool so it lasts forever. 

 

Makita เครื่องตัดกระจกไร้สาย 12V CC301DWYE พร้อม แบต2+แท่นชาร์จ ถูกที่สุด | Lazada.co.th

 

 

[JBChiangRai]

I would switch to a woodgrain PVC board instead.

 

I've used Shera a lot, and it just doesn't last, especially if laid horizontally.  It expands and contracts at a different rate from the underlying steel and cracks around the screws.

 

If you are going to use it, then think about expansion in the sun.

 

The top facade of my house is Shera and we've lost 2 pieces, on inspection, many of them are going to drop and we will replace all with PVC wood effect boards.

 

Our water treatment plane is screened with Shera, it needs replacing too, the estate's gate likewise.

 

My neighbours have it stood vertically as a fence on steel, about 3/4" thick and that seems to be lasting ok.

[Mike Lister]

25 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

I would switch to a woodgrain PVC board instead.

 

I've used Shera a lot, and it just doesn't last, especially if laid horizontally.  It expands and contracts at a different rate from the underlying steel and cracks around the screws.

 

If you are going to use it, then think about expansion in the sun.

 

The top facade of my house is Shera and we've lost 2 pieces, on inspection, many of them are going to drop and we will replace all with PVC wood effect boards.

 

Our water treatment plane is screened with Shera, it needs replacing too, the estate's gate likewise.

 

My neighbours have it stood vertically as a fence on steel, about 3/4" thick and that seems to be lasting ok.

Thanks, noted, this is going to be fitted vertically as in a fence which appears durable for the purpose, unless a branch falls off a tree and hits it. I like the wood slats I have now but they just don't last, I replace around every each year. Even hard wood dipped in preservative and coated, they just don't survive the elements and the wildlife.

[Rimmer]

Make sure you wear a mask and goggles, the dust when you are cutting it is horrendous, better still pay someone to cut it to length for you.

 

When used vertically it is fine and lasts for many years per photo of my gate,

 

Suggest don't use it on pool decks like I did, even the thick heavy plank quality board when it gets old and wet breaks up. See the picture of my deck which we pulled up and put granite down instead.

 

We used it over the pool deck, (picture) that and the gates are still good after fifteen years   

 

I used Jotun water based paint on all the boards

 

[Yellowtail]

The wet-saw is great to keep the dust down. 

 

Were it me, I would go with extruded, or even die-formed aluminum. So much lighter and never needs paint. That 1.2cm is going to weigh almost 30 kg/m^2

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, Mike Lister said:

Thanks, noted, this is going to be fitted vertically as in a fence which appears durable for the purpose, unless a branch falls off a tree and hits it. I like the wood slats I have now but they just don't last, I replace around every each year. Even hard wood dipped in preservative and coated, they just don't survive the elements and the wildlife.

Our shera wood fence is about 6 years old none of the slats have broken. We used pre-cut slats specifically designed for fences, painted both before and after fitting, screw holes not pre drilled using self drilling screws into the steel subframe 

[chickenslegs]

I have used SCG SmartWood Fence Plank for fence pickets. It comes in 2 thicknesses and IIRC 3 widths. It's made specifically for fencing and is much less prone to breaking, as it is a little more flexible than cement board.

 

10+ years and not a single break.

 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.581906425209084.1073741830.578526032213790&type=3&_rdr

[sometimewoodworker]

5 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Our shera wood fence is about 6 years old none of the slats have broken. We used pre-cut slats specifically designed for fences, painted both before and after fitting, screw holes not pre drilled using self drilling screws into the steel subframe 

2016 in the painting process 

 

painted

 

2022 as you can see perfectly sound

 

 I’m in the U.K. now so can’t post a current picture, but it is the same.

 

 

[sandyf]

8 hours ago, Mike Lister said:

Thanks, noted, this is going to be fitted vertically as in a fence which appears durable for the purpose, unless a branch falls off a tree and hits it. I like the wood slats I have now but they just don't last, I replace around every each year. Even hard wood dipped in preservative and coated, they just don't survive the elements and the wildlife.

It is down to the quality of the wood these days. My sister in law has just had her kitchen re-furbished and the walls on that were wood slats. The builder put blocks to waist height and Shera type fence slats on the upper part.

The wood that was removed was the worse for wear, much of it warped and cracked and a bit of insect damage. Not that surprising having been exposed to the elements for around 60 years.

[Mike Lister]

Question: how to fasten to steel cross bars, self tapping self threading screws or drill the cement board? @sometimewoodworker

[Rimmer]

1 hour ago, Mike Lister said:

Question: how to fasten to steel cross bars, self tapping self threading screws or drill the cement board? @sometimewoodworker

 

Self tapping drill screws will go through the board easily they then drill and tap into the steel, useful to clamp the board to the steel to make sure it is in the right place and does not move whilst drilling.

 

[Mike Lister]

8 minutes ago, Rimmer said:

 

Self tapping drill screws will go through the board easily they then drill and tap into the steel, useful to clamp the board to the steel to make sure it is in the right place and does not move whilst drilling.

 

525 boards, this is going to be a long job.....maybe I'll just grow a hedgerow instead. 🙂

[Rimmer]

6 minutes ago, Mike Lister said:

525 boards, this is going to be a long job.....maybe I'll just grow a hedgerow instead. 🙂

 

Get a couple of guys to help you, that's what I do, My misses takes a drive in the car and comes back with a couple of workers from a building site, Sundays they don't work and are happy for a bit extra.

[Rimmer]

If you are fixing from the front be sure to get the chrome headed drill screws with a captive washer on them. They usually have a hexagonal bolt head.

[seajae]

I used 120cm lengths on the fence at our other house around 10 years ago, they are still looking great, I first painted them with an exterior acrylic sealer(this is needed if you want them to last, this is my trade) then 2 coats of dulux weather shield low sheen. This was done before putting them up to ensure that all surface areas were coated, I applied the last cout on the faces of them after they had been attached, make sure all edges are coated sides, top & bottom and they will last for many years. Once a year you can wash down the faces with a broom and soapy water then hose it off to remove oxydized paint, this makes the painted suface last years longer

[fondue zoo]

29 minutes ago, Mike Lister said:

525 boards, this is going to be a long job.....maybe I'll just grow a hedgerow instead. 🙂

 

Use Math, that's your superpower?

[Mike Lister]

8 minutes ago, fondue zoo said:

 

Use Math, that's your superpower?

It can be done in sections, there's an average 12 pickets per section and 46 sections. I estimate one day per section which means it should take the wife about six weeks to finish, as long as she doesn't take a day off. If she pulls a double shift she could be done in three weeks, I'll mention that to her.

[fondue zoo]

1 minute ago, Mike Lister said:

It can be done in sections, there's an average 12 pickets per section and 46 sections. I estimate one day per section which means it should take the wife about six weeks to finish, as long as she doesn't take a day off. If she pulls a double shift she could be done in three weeks, I'll mention that to her.

 

ahh, there we go.

Mathematics, the keys to the universe... or a picket fence built by the wife.

 

[fondue zoo]

Everyone, expect an invite to Lister Abbey upon completion to attend the official ribbon cutting ceremony.

 

Also Mike has a pool, so maybe a bbq and or wood fired pizza oven, so, refreshments served poolside.

[sometimewoodworker]

On 5/29/2024 at 2:48 AM, Rimmer said:

If you are fixing from the front be sure to get the chrome headed drill screws with a captive washer on them. They usually have a hexagonal bolt head.

That it certainly one option if you like the wavy wiggly line of fixing points or have the time to pre drill and then setup the boards so they are exactly in line. Your eye can see a 0.5mm difference in placement.

 

Alternatively you can ignore the having to fix every screw in exactly the same place use, self drilling, self tapping, self countersinking screws, available from every shop by the hundreds of thousands for very little cost, and paint the boards after fixing. If you try very hard in the correct lighting you may see that the dimples made are not in line but a short time on every fixing will make them disappear.

 

if you look carefully at the pictures I posted you can see that after just the first coat of paint the fixtures are virtually invisible.

[Rimmer]

24 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

That it certainly one option if you like the wavy wiggly line of fixing points or have the time to pre drill and then setup the boards so they are exactly in line. Your eye can see a 0.5mm difference in placement.

 

 

 

I dont have any wavy wiggly lines but It always helps if you draw a pencil line first 😄 

 

[PFMills]

I put my fence up, can’t remember exactly when , but before 2019. I paid a contractor to put the steelwork up.
 

I used Shera, think it was 0.8cm but not sure. I cut the length in half and then cut a flat topped triangle on each piece. I used those self drilling screws. It was initially primed and painted with weathershied, but later used a gloss paint. When cutting I just used a mask,7 inch grinder and fan to blow the dust away from me ….

 

it seems to have stood the test of time, even though MrsJ did her best to pull it down supporting her trees or whatever.

 

 

J