Wooden Garden Fence & Gate: Which Wood Survives Sun and Rain

A garden fence and gate, unlike a building's wooden facade mounted on a wall, sits directly under rain and sun every day and sometimes touches soil and ground moisture. That difference means the wood and installation details that work well for a facade aren't enough for a fence.

Why ground contact is the most important factor

Most early fence rot doesn't start at the top — it starts at the bottom, where a wooden post goes straight into soil or damp concrete. Ground moisture is constant, even in a dry climate, and wood in continuous contact with it, without special protection, starts rotting from the base within two or three years. The right fix is lifting the post off the ground on a galvanized metal base, not burying the wood directly.

• Posts and columns — always on a metal base raised off the soil, never buried in soil or concrete.
• Boards and panels — thermowood or a naturally resistant wood (like acacia) with a few millimeters of gap between boards to drain rainwater.
• The garden entrance gate — stainless steel hinges and lock, since it gets the most daily use.
• Protective coating — an oil or UV-resistant outdoor finish, reapplied every one to two years.

Thermowood or natural wood?

For fence boards and panels, thermowood is usually a more stable choice than plain natural wood, since the heat treatment lowers the wood's moisture content and increases its resistance to warping under direct sun. A resistant natural wood like acacia is also a good option, provided it's coated regularly; the key point is weighing long-term maintenance cost into the comparison, not just the upfront price.

A wooden fence sits under the sky every day; choose it for every day, not just installation day.

Height and board spacing

Fence height should match its purpose: full privacy usually needs roughly 180 centimeters with boards set tight together, while a decorative fence or a garden-bed border looks better lower, with gaps between boards that let air and light through. Board spacing also has a practical role beyond looks: the more open it is, the less rainwater and moisture linger on the wood.

A fence built with this level of care usually lasts 10 to 15 years without a major rebuild; annual upkeep (a fresh coat and checking the posts) costs far less than rebuilding from scratch.