Is vinyl fence cheaper than wood fence?
- by William Roberson
- June 14, 2022
- Tags: Wood Fence
So you’re installing a new fence in South Florida or Central Florida, but you’re not sure if a wooden fence or a vinyl fence is the more appropriate choice.
Your final choice will depend on several factors like your budget, your specific location, and whether or not you are installing it yourself; but typically PVC fences are a far better choice for any Florida property.
Read why a vinyl fence is better than a wood fence below, and then contact us to get a free quote on your next fencing project!
Pros and Cons of a wood fence
Wooden fences aren’t all bad, a higher-end wood horizontal fence, stained fence, or other more modern wood fences can be really nice, but they require upkeep which compounds over time. Ten years from now, any wooden fence, no matter how high-end, will almost certainly be far worse looking than on the first day it was installed.
Wood fence pros:
- Cheapest fencing option
- Multiple privacy options
- Can paint & stain for unique finishes
- Modern and customizable horizontal styles available ($$$)
Wood fence cons:
- Require constant upkeep, cleaning, re-finishing
- Florida weather is rough on organic building materials
- Insects, namely termites, are a big problem in Florida
- Hurricanes or high-velocity wind storms will destroy even the best build wood fence panels
- There is a nice side, and an ugly side of each wood fence style due to how they are constructed – and the building code requires the ugly side to face your property!
- Cannot install yourself without renting and knowing how to use pneumatic nail-guns
- Gates are made by screwing wooden pickets onto metal frames, this construction is very inferior to PVC gates
Pros and Cons of a vinyl fence or PVC fence
You can say that we are a little biased being a vinyl fence company ourselves, but we believe all fences in South Florida and Central Florida should be made of PVC.
Everyone who has lived in Florida for an extended period of time and owns property here knows the difficulty of securing and maintaining your outdoor property in the face of hurricanes, insects, mold, humidity, salt air, and more.
Why add to your stress by installing an outdoor building material on your property that requires serious maintenance and incurs future upkeep costs when you can install an inorganic material that lasts a lifetime with virtually no additional costs or time investment after the initial installation.
Vinyl fence pros:
- Comes with a limited lifetime warranty
- Easy to install yourself
- Rated for hurricane-force winds
- Holes are routed into the pieces themselves, so that they fit into each other, instead of just being nailed together by fasteners
- Do not stain when interacting with harsh Florida air, are not susceptible to insects, and are mold resistant
- Simply spray your panel with a hose in order to clean, for PVC fences that are a little older, use lacquer thinner to wipe ANY material clean off your fence
- Clean white or tan color that stays true for decades
Vinyl fence cons:
- Slightly more upfront cost when in comparison to the cheaper wood fencing options
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Direct comparison of wooden fence material VS. plastic (PVC) fence material
There are many reasons why vinyl fences are superior to wood fences, here are a few of the most important considerations to remember when buying your next fence in South Florida or Central Florida.
PVC fence or wood fence for pools
Pool fencing must be installed as a pool enclosure for any Florida property that has a body of water upon it in accordance with local building codes. It is very rare for homeowners to enclose their pool areas, and typically opt for a vinyl picket fence or even an aluminum fence instead.
You want your pool to feel clean and modern – a standard low-end wood fence is neither of those things.
Vinyl fence styles vs. wood fence styles
Wooden fences have come a long way in recent years, with many stained and modernized styles being installed on high-end Florida properties, but that is not typical of most wood fences.
There are two main wood fence styles used in South & Central Florida:
- Board on board
- Shadowbox
That’s it! two simple styles – one is completely private and the other is mostly private, and both are typically used at 4-6 feet in height.
Vinyl fences come in:
- Vinyl privacy fence
- Vinyl picket fence
- Vinyl semi-privacy fence
- Vinyl ranch rail fence
- Custom welded PVC gates
- & many custom options
There are just significantly more options with PVC fencing; you are not just limited to two standardized options as you are with wooden fencing.
Colors for wood fences and vinyl fences
Wooden fences can be painted and stained – which you cannot do with PVC as it does not have a porous surface in order to prevent decay and damage.
Most wood fencing panels and posts are not painted and stained, however, so they are just a light yellow color initially, then ultimately fade to the grey-brown that we are all used to seeing.
In comparison, vinyl fence styles come in clean white or tan as a standard but have many other options – contact us to discuss your color options.
Save yourself money in the future by investing more into a high-quality PVC fence
Ultimately, a fence is a huge investment; it protects your property, your life & the lives of your family, and provides you with safety & security for decades.
Installed a wood fence might seem like a good idea in the short term, but in the long-run, you will almost certainly end up spending more money and investing your precious time & energy into keeping it looking good and working well.
You simply just don’t have to do that with a vinyl fence – once installed, that’s it. It just looks good, works, and stays erect even in the face of severe adversity.
Get a quote on your new vinyl fence today!