LarchLap fencing

What are

Larchlap fence panels

Lap fence panels are a cheap or budget alternative to stronger panels such as Featherboard or Tongue & Groove effect and are often known as overlap fencing, lap panels or waney edge fence panels. Traditionally, these panels have been bought as a cost effective solution to a distress purchase to replace wind damaged or existing rotten boundary fencing, often installed between concrete posts.

Typically larch lap fence panels are manufactured in standardised sizes ranging from 3ft to 6ft in height and are 6ft wide. They are manufactured using thinly sawn slats that run horizontally across the lap panels. These slats run the full width of the panel and sometimes have vertical battens which hold them in place. To finish, the panel is held inside a frame that runs around the edge of the panel holding all the slats together.

which is better

featherboard or lap panels?

Though this style is attractive, the timber pales that are used are usually only dip treated and approximately between only 5-6mm thick which makes the timber highly susceptible to wet and dry rot as well as insect attack.

While larch lap fencing panels are considered a good option for enhancing privacy in the garden they are often manufactured in high quantities using cheaply sourced timber which rarely undergo any considerable pressure preservation treatment. Dip or brush treatment will only treat the surface which does not penetrate through the outer sapwood to the heartwood.

Over time the individual pales will begin to fade and distort leaving unsightly gaps in the panels, compromising the privacy and structural integrity. These cheaply made lap panels are often constructed using plated steel nails or staples that will rust in a short time, causing rust to run down the fencing.

Another disadvantage of lap panels, if climbing plants are placed near these panels then the plants will sometimes grow through the panels which can cause the slats to move and for the gaps to appear.

Other fencing options

Tongue & Groove Effect

Although we do not manufacture lap panels, we do manufacture a range of panels which have a similar lap fencing design, such as our Tongue and Groove effect. Tongue and Grove effect panels are a mainstay of our premium panels range and available with a level or Convex top. They feature a mortice and tenon jointed frame for extra strength while the infill is constructed using Tongue and Groove effect style boards. The boards used for these panels are 17mm thick compared to just 5-6mm thickness of lap fencing and comprise of 21 pales.

These panels are available in both vertical and horizontal styles. The panel design has been constructed using no rails, meaning that both sides of the panel look exactly the same, this type of fencing is often referred to as ‘double sided’ fence panels.
Alternatives to