So you have your fence structure in place, Posts, Arris rails and gravel boards and you may now be wondering just what overlap should I give the Feather Edge boards?
Well wherever you look and whoever you ask you will likely get a different answer. We we hope this post helps you with this common question. Our guide is here and our recommendation is not 18mm!
Well there is a British Standard for this believe it or not, which recommends a minimum of 18mm overlap between each board, however most fencing contractors and timber suppliers will recommend 25mm of overlap whether you are using 100mm, 125mm or 150mm feather edge boards, we agree with this and this is our recommendation for Feather edge fencing.
There are a few reasons why we and so many others recommend 25mm overlap….
Privacy
Feather edge boards will expand and shrink with the weather. If you decided to go for a bare minimum 18mm overlap to get maximum yield, if any of your boards have a ragged or uneven edge which some do, unless you discard these boards, it is more likely that your fence will start to show gaps. It may not be just looking straight on either, if you (or your neighbour) stand close to the feather edge fence and look down it, especially one that has seen a bit of weather, if it has been built by a super scrimper then it is likely that you will see gaps between the boards. The more the overlap, the smaller the gaps, and the closer you will have to get your head to the fence to see through it.
Strength
Secondly, you will get a much sturdier fence with a 25mm overlap as each board will see more protection and support from its neighbour. In fact since feather edge boards are tapered, due to the way they are manufactured from a single board which is then sawn through at an angle, where the boards overlap it will be at a slightly thicker part of the board, hence your fence will be significantly stronger.
Yield and cost
You may think that the smaller the overlap between your feather edge boards, the more cost effective, this may not necessarily be the case.
If you go for maximum yield you will need near perfect boards to ensure there are no gaps during construction, so will likely discard several as you work along your fence. When using a larger overlap you will likely use some boards that you may have otherwise discarded.
So when all is said and done, there is probably nothing much in the cost, it just means that by spacing your feather edge boards with a 25mm overlap you will get a much better job and a much more satisfied client (or spouse), who will likely spread the word.
It is based on our experience and research that we have developed our TidyFence Feather edge board spacers to give this 25mm overlap.
So as a guide to ordering, allow 13.5 boards per metre when ordering 100mm boards, allow 10 boards per metre when ordering 125mm boards and allow 8 boards per metre when ordering 150mm boards. There will always be some wastage when building a fence, so it is always wise to order a few extra.
We’ve built our very own simple to use Materials Calculator which will give you an instant material list for your project.
We’ve got a list of tools that you might need for your project, check out our Tools and Consumables page to check you have everything.
Thanks for reading.
For our Fence Board Spacers click here.