Am I the only one who remembers when a cedar fence would look good for a decade?

I put up a cedar fence for a customer in my town about seven years ago. It was a standard six foot privacy job, stained with a good quality semi-transparent oil. I drove past it the other day and it looked gray and splintered, like it was twenty years old. Back when I started, that same fence with the same care would have held its color and tight grain for way longer. Now it feels like the wood quality from the big box suppliers has gone way down. You get more knots, the boards cup faster, and they just don't take a stain the same. It's frustrating because you charge for a premium product but the materials don't back it up anymore. What are you guys using for cedar that actually lasts?

2 comments

2 Comments

perry.nancy1mo ago

Yeah, it's not just you. The cedar from the big yards these days is basically junk wood they're calling premium. I mean, you're totally right about the knots and the cupping. It feels like they're cutting younger trees or something, so the grain is all loose and it just drinks stain unevenly. Makes the whole job look bad way too fast, and then the customer thinks you did something wrong.

allen.cole1mo ago

Ever try sourcing from a small mill instead?