Pressure-treated vs. Galvanized Steel Posts: Which is a Better Option for Your Home?
When it comes to designing our homes, we put all our thought and effort into ensuring we have the perfect interiors. What we don’t realize is that the exteriors of our house, i.e., our yard, too, need just as much attention! Even if you plant the most beautiful plants in your yard or bring in perfect outdoor furniture, the yard will still be incomplete if you don’t add a fence to it.
Apart from adding an aesthetic appeal to your home, a fence protects your home from dangers such as wild or stray animals and even thefts. So when choosing the material for your fence, you must be careful.
The most commonly used materials for fencing are pressure-treated fence posts and galvanized steel posts. To know which would best suit your home and yard, you first need to understand both their advantages and disadvantages. In this article, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about these materials. Now, let’s have a look at Pressure-treated vs. Galvanized Steel Posts in detail:
Pressure Treated Fence Posts
Pressure-treated fence posts are nothing but wooden fence posts that undergo special treatment to improve their durability and strength. Via this treatment, chemicals are forced deep into the wood to ensure protection against decay, rot, insects, or fungal attack. The extensive treatment that pressure fence posts undergo makes the wood tough, durable, and strong enough to sustain extreme weather conditions. If installed directly in the soil, pressure-treated wood fence posts last around seven years. But if you install them in a concrete base, these fence posts will last over 20 years.
Compared to different types of wood used for fencing, pressure-treated fences are a better, cost-effective alternative. It is also a cheaper alternative as compared to metal (aluminum or steel) fence posts. The pressure-treated fence posts last longer than other wooden materials commonly used for fencing. Thanks to the chemicals, these fence posts can sustain not just regular wear and tear but also extreme rain or snow.
Pressure-treated wood can add a rustic charm to the yard of your home, and can perfectly complement the overall look of your home too. These fence posts are easy to work with and can be customized as per your preference. They can be cut into different sizes and shapes, making pressure-treated wood posts a great choice for fencing your home.
Additionally, the chemical used to pressure-treat the wood is toxic to insects too. The chemical can repel insects, ensuring they do not bite into the wood or even stay on it for long. The benefits offered by pressure-treated fence posts make them a much-preferred alternative compared to untreated wooden fence posts.
Galvanized Steel Fence Posts
Galvanization is a process via which clean steel is dipped into molten zinc. This process results in the formation of galvanized steel, which features a coat of zinc. The combination of steel and zinc makes the steel a lot more durable than it is. It not just adds to the life of the metal but also improves its appearance. Galvanized steel is used widely in the construction sector thanks to its toughness and durability.
Apart from the construction sector, galvanized steel is also used for fencing. It comes with various benefits, making it a preferred choice over wooden fence posts too. Galvanized steel has a long life expectancy and will save you the costs of frequent replacement of fence posts. Resistant to rust, corrosion, and fire, the galvanized steel fences can sustain harsh weather and will not be impacted by heavy rain, snowfall, or flooding. The steel fence posts will not split, rot, or warp even in harsh weather, cutting down the requirement of frequent maintenance.
As galvanized steel is a tough material, it is not easy to customize the material into fence posts. However, you do have four options of steel posts to choose from – round, square, postmasters, and c-post. Depending on which shape complements the overall design of your home and your yard, you can pick a shape that fits best.
From the overall, long-term cost perspective, galvanized steel fence posts are a cost-effective alternative to other commonly used materials for fencing. This material will ensure you have a long-lasting fence, cutting down costs required for repairs, maintenance, or replacement. If you compare the characteristics of wooden and galvanized steel fence posts, the latter is a sturdier and more challenging alternative.
The best part? Galvanized steel posts are entirely recyclable – so whenever you decide to replace your fence posts, you wouldn’t have to worry about disposing of them at all! If you’re looking for an eco-friendly, cost-effective, and durable material for your fence posts, galvanized steel is the best pick!
Summing Up
We’ve explained in detail the pros and cons of both pressure-treated wooden fence posts and galvanized steel posts. To choose the perfect material for fencing your home, you need to consider different aspects, such as your budget, the weather of the place, and most importantly, the overall costs involved in future maintenance and repair of the fence. And if you’ve been pondering over Pressure-treated vs. Galvanized Steel Posts, we hope your doubts are now clear via this post.
If you require additional assistance with the fencing of your home, feel free to reach out to us. We assist our clients with the complete process, right from choosing the material to ultimately fixing the fencing! With us, you can rest assured, as we use exceptional quality materials to build fences around homes. Reach out to us and we’d be glad to assist you as well!