[kingpin]

Originally Posted by lspencer534

Chef, although you said "no pine", please hear me out: My fence was built for horses and, like you, for enclosure. I had to run over a mile of fence, so cost was important. I used 4 x 4 PTP posts for the fence and 4" x 6" posts at the gates. The rails are 5/4" x 16' prime PTP pine ("prime" because thaere are no knots to fall out,and they don't warp as much). 3-rail fence is about 60" high.

Now here's what makes if different from an ordinary pine fence: The fence is black. "Painting" it is simple, althogh messy. Buy 5-gal. drums of Gardner petroleum (not water based) asphalt driveway sealer, thin it 25% with gasoline, and spray the fence with a good-quality garden sprayer. Ace Hardware sells a good petroleum-based sealer, too. You will throw away the sprayer after you're finished, but you need a good one.

How to paint: After the fence has dried for a few weeks, pick a calm day (no wind). Mix the sealer and gasoline, pour it into the sprayer, and start spraying. Spray one side of the posts and one side of each fence rail; spray only an 8' section. Then give it a second coat. Do not paint the underside edge of the rails; the wood needs to breathe. The sealer does just that to the wood: It beads water. Repeat on the other side after you've done a long section.

The sealer will stay black for 8-10 years. Asphalt sealer is cheap, so it's not a huge expense. I forget how many feet of fence you can paint with 5 gals., but it's considerable.

This fence, and the sealer, is exactly what is used in Virginia horse country, and it's very sophisticated looking. I don't like white vinyl fencing because it looks like what it is: Plastic. You can get it in baby-shit brown, but not black because it fades quickly. My fence does not.

It's dark here, so I can't take pics. If you're interested I'll post some.

Do you recommend smoking while doing this?