How to cover a Colorbond fence with timber palings?

[shahab]

I have moved into a new house with colorbond fencing around it. I hate the looks of colorbond fences and I want to cover it up without having to pull them all out. My idea is to simply screw treated timber palings from Bunnings to them, sitting side by side. I want to attach palings to both sides of the fence.

I’m not sure what the best way to accomplish this is. Any idea is greatly appreciated, cheers.

[Neo19]

Hi @shahab, welcome to the Workshop community!

Do you have a standard 1.8 meter Colorbond fence around your house?

How long is the fencing that you need to cover up?

When you mention attaching palings to both sides of the fence, do you mean that one side faces your house and the other side faces your neighbor's property?

Posting a few pictures would be very helpful as well!

I suggest attaching attaching two horizontal timber pieces to your fence posts - one towards the top and the other towards the bottom - and then attaching the timber palings to them. This way, you won't have too many visible screws on the Colorbond side, which your neighbor may not appreciate.

Alternatively, have you considered using privacy screens like the 'Lattice Makers 1800 x 900 mm hardwood slat screen' or similar? These screens can be installed on posts without touching your actual fence, providing a stylish and effective way to cover up the Colorbond fencing.

I am sure the knowledgeable community of Workshop will be happy to provide you with more helpful suggestions!

[Neo19]

Also have a look at Eric's response in this thread. 

[EricL]

Hello @shahab 

Welcome to the Bunnings workshop community. It's marvellous to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about covering your Colorbond fence.

It's great that you've received excellent advice from @Neo19. It is possible to cover your Colorbond fence with timber paling, however, the drawback of attaching that many timber pieces to the fence is the added weight. When too much weight is added to the fence it will buckle and bend. Unfortunately, the Colorbond fence is not built to carry a large amount of weight. 

However, there are ways to cover the metal fence without adding too much weight. I suggest having a look at this discussion - Attaching screens to Colorbond fence by @eemrun. The general steps are to attach horizontal timber framing to the Colorbond posts, and the cover panels are attached to the timber.

Panels such as the Matrix Screen Panels and the Lattice Maker Screens are lightweight and easy to install. 

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[shahab]

Thank you so much Neo19. That makes sense, @EricL has also suggested what product to use for the horizontal pieces.

my backyard has 3 sides, one of which is shared with the neighbour. I plan to cover inside and outside of the two sides that face the street and the inside of the one that I share.

l looked up the screens; they look good, of course, but I have to see them at close range which I will do soon.

I will post photos for sure.

once again, thank you so much.

[shahab]

Thank you @EricL , I loved @Neo19 solution and I will check the screens next time I visit Bunnings, which is soon. 
also, thanks for letting me know the exact product to buy for the horizontal panels; saves me a lot of time.

[shahab]

Hi @Neo19  and @EricL , I promised photos of my fences. Here they are. 

 

 

 

 

 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @shahab,

I like @Neo19's idea of installing horizontal rails into the vertical post of the fence to hang your pailings or screening off. Please consider @EricL's advice regarding the Colorbond fencing not being designed to hold the additional weight of the timber pailings. Adding screening would be a lighter-weight solution.   

Mitchell

[shahab]

Hi @MitchellMc ,

thanks, yes I will follow his advice of attaching horizontal pieces first. 
regarding the screens, they’re still see through and don’t cover the fence completely while pailings can be put side by side. 
A solid screen might be what I want.

[Neo19]

Hi @shahab you are welcome!

Good luck with your project! Please share pictures once done

(I noticed from the photos you shared that there's a small gap between the Colorbond fence and the concrete, and it appears to be in a sunny location. Apart from attaching timber palings to the fence, you could also consider other options for covering up the fence, such as growing a creeper like star jasmine on a trellis or planting a narrow hedge like bamboo in troughs. Although this is not what you specifically asked for, I thought it might be worth mentioning).