PVC fence panels

flogen

Can anyone recommend a good supplier of PVC fence panels? (Ideally in or near Dublin)

I've got wooden panels slotted into concrete posts and want to replace them with something more durable - as one of the panels is shorter than standard (130cm instead of 180) I'll need something that can be cut to size too.

Can anyone also tell me how heavy the panels are? Just so I know how easy or hard they'll be to shift if I have to collect them myself

Thanks

Hocus Focus

fogartypvcfencing.com/

www.maintenancefree.ie/pvc-fencing.html
http://www.shanettefencing.ie/

flogen

Hocus Focus wrote: »

fogartypvcfencing.com/

www.maintenancefree.ie/pvc-fencing.html
http://www.shanettefencing.ie/

Have you used any of them? Any recommendations?

van_beano

I was thinking of going down the PVC fencing route last year, got a couple of quotes from different places around Dublin / Wicklow, the prices were quite high, worked out something like €240ish or so per panel, was looking for 10 panels size 6x6. Went with the wooden panels again instead.

Lumen

You could consider using concrete H posts with tanalised timber slats above ground and then only use the recycled plastic slats for ground contact, ie. gravel boards. Would cut the costs down and give a more attractive finish.

Alun

We have concrete H posts with a concrete piece along the bottom (gravel board?) about 6" high above the soil, and then hit and miss PT timber panels on top of that. They've been there since the house was built, about 20 years ago, and are still in perfect condition.

My main concern with plastic would be how they'd weather when exposed to UV light over a prolonged period. Wooden panels weather reasonably well, or can be painted, but I'm not sure what a plastic panel would look like after the same amount of exposure.

flogen

van_beano wrote: »

I was thinking of going down the PVC fencing route last year, got a couple of quotes from different places around Dublin / Wicklow, the prices were quite high, worked out something like €240ish or so per panel, was looking for 10 panels size 6x6. Went with the wooden panels again instead.

I've been fairly surprised by the pricing I've gotten so far. I only need three panels but it's looking to be costing €500-700 (with the lower end not including delivery).

I've gotten a lower price for concrete panels - though they'd obviously be harder to move & install.

Lumen wrote: »

You could consider using concrete H posts with tanalised timber slats above ground and then only use the recycled plastic slats for ground contact, ie. gravel boards. Would cut the costs down and give a more attractive finish.

Alun wrote: »

We have concrete H posts with a concrete piece along the bottom (gravel board?) about 6" high above the soil, and then hit and miss PT timber panels on top of that. They've been there since the house was built, about 20 years ago, and are still in perfect condition.

My main concern with plastic would be how they'd weather when exposed to UV light over a prolonged period. Wooden panels weather reasonably well, or can be painted, but I'm not sure what a plastic panel would look like after the same amount of exposure.

I would go for timber but the garden they back onto has a lot of dirt piled up against them - not to mention overgrowth & ivy. The ones that are there are fairly broken up & buckling as a result (though they look to have been cheap to start with) so I'd like to just have to replace them once and be done with it - Hence me looking at something a bit more robust like PVC or concrete.

Alun

flogen wrote: »

I would go for timber but the garden they back onto has a lot of dirt piled up against them - not to mention overgrowth & ivy.

In that case I think I'd go for concrete panels personally. You can paint them fairly easily with masonry paint if required, whereas PVC might be a bit trickier.

flogen

Alun wrote: »

In that case I think I'd go for concrete panels personally. You can paint them fairly easily with masonry paint if required, whereas PVC might be a bit trickier.

Thanks.

Any reason to believe the H posts I have would struggle with the weight of the concrete panels? I've no way of seeing how deep their foundation is due to there being a big concrete "patio" in front of them but there is a concrete base connecting them all (like here)

Lumen

I think you're asking for trouble using a fence as a retaining wall.

Fence panels of whatever construction are only supposed to hold their own weight and resist wind load, they're not designed to hold back earth. Also, unreinforced concrete is bad in tension.

Check out those Youtube videos of skangers kicking through concrete fences. :pac:

Lumen

Lumen wrote: »

I think you're asking for trouble using a fence as a retaining wall.

Actually I saw this panel retaining wall today so maybe the concrete panels are stronger than I thought.

flogen

Lumen wrote: »

I think you're asking for trouble using a fence as a retaining wall.

Fence panels of whatever construction are only supposed to hold their own weight and resist wind load, they're not designed to hold back earth. Also, unreinforced concrete is bad in tension.

Check out those Youtube videos of skangers kicking through concrete fences. :pac:

Lumen wrote: »

Actually I saw this panel retaining wall today so maybe the concrete panels are stronger than I thought.

Don't need to check YouTube - I remember one of my aunties having a panel kicked in on her years ago!

I wonder if they're unreliable against blunt force but okay with a bit of weight/pressure applied... or maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part!

flogen

Just to update for those interested -

I ended up going with concrete panels from Coolquay Concrete. Was €255 for 15, including having five cut down to fit one of the slots that was narrower than the standard and having them delivered (don't live too far from them so that may have helped keep the cost down).

The cheapest I saw the PVC ones for was around €500 without delivery so was an easy choice in the end.

Shifting and installing them was a lot of work, given that they were ~60kg a piece but hopefully they're there to stay now.

The only issue I had was that the ones I got cut were a little shorter than they could have been (was hard to measure the space accurately). They still fit and won't fall out, but have a little bit of give which I'd rather wasn't there.

Water John

Just to comment. Any plastics being used outdoors should have been UV treated.
This can be added in the colour added to the plastic in manufacture.
Always ask.
Outdoor plastics like hurling helmets, oil tanks etc need to be made from such plastic.

Know there is a crowd in Cork manufacturing 8 x 4 sheets. Variety of uses, incl trailer sides. If I find a link I will post it.

http://www.talitech.com/product-category/re-cycled-plastic-boards/

No idea on price.

Water John

Found that too;

http://www.talitech.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Talitech-A5-plastics-postcard-Sept-2015.pdf