The Advantages of Installing Cedar Fence Over Pine Fence
- Cedar's heartiness helps it grow in the worst conditions.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
When building a wooden fence, two choices of wood are cedar and pine. Of the two, cedar is slightly more expensive due to a number of advantages over pine. Pine can be pressure-treated, a process that infuses chemicals into the wood, replicating some of the advantages of cedar, but the pressure-treating process has its own drawbacks. - The main issues for replacing a wood fence are rot and decay. Untreated pine is susceptible to both and will be destroyed within a few years. Cedar has natural oils that help the wood resist rot and decay. The U.S. Forest Products Laboratory even recommends long-dead cedar wood over many other forms of wood, when it comes to decay resistance.
- Cedar is exceptionally strong, an important trait for fence posts and rails, as they support the weight of the entire fence. Cedar stays flat and straight and does not twist and crack, as does pine. Pine, especially pressure-treated pine, cracks and splits as it shrinks.
- Pine fencing tends to be or sometimes brown and often has a green tinge if pressure-treated. Cedar has a rich, red appearance with a pronounced grain. Cedar is also aromatic, even years after installation giving off a slight scent of freshly cut lumber. Cedar's aroma also helps the wood fend off insects, which could damage the wood over time. Pine has no such defenses.
- A properly pressure-treated piece of pine lumber can exceed and even surpass cedar when it comes to durability but at the expense of the ground and people around the fence. Pressure-treating in the late 1900s included arsenic, which can leech out during storms and contaminate soil or people who are exposed to it. While new chemicals are now used, the toxicity of these chemicals is undetermined. Chemicals are not used with cedar.
