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Hi,
I am planning to build something like the photo attached below adjacent to my colourbond fence in the backyard.
I dont want to attach the screen directly to the colourbond fence.
What are my options here? One option I can think of is to Add a few posts into the ground then run a timber across between the posts then put the batten wood on the front of it.
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @AJ-DIYer. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about creating a battened screen.
Your first option sounds like a solid plan to me and would be my recommendation. I've constructed a rendering for you below, which should help illustrate my suggested method. You'd concrete in some H4-treated Pine posts and screw H3-treated 90 x 45mm timber to them. You'll then be able to screw your batons to the horizontal timbers. Consider screening panels instead of individual batons, as they could be more economical and would be easier to install.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
Using batons will always be costly @AJ-DIYer. They need to be milled from clear timber that is free from knots. Here are some Merbau screening options.
Doing some quick calculations, the 1800 x 902mm Pre-Oiled Merbau Alternating Slat Fence Panel will cost $79 per 900mm of the fence. If we take a 42 x 18mm 2.7m FJ Pre Oiled Merbau Screening and convert its price into an 1800mm equivalent (not that there is that option), it would be $6 per length at 42mm wide. You'd need around 21 lengths to cover the same 900mm width as the panel. Let's minus three lengths to compensate for the gaps between the batons. That's still $108 to do the same width in batons. If you were to use the available 2.7m length of baton, that would be $169 per 900mm width.
Given that the screening panels come pre-assembled, they are not a bad option. Although the screens are rigid, they'll still need to be mounted to something. You could mount them to your fence, but that would be up to you to decide whether you're willing to hang that weight off the fence. I'd advise sitting them on top of some timber or brick to bear their weight and screwing them into the fence to pin them to it. That way, the fence isn't taking the weight.
Mitchell
Not with ease, @AJ-DIYer.
Merbau requires some protection from the elements, and typically, that's in the form of an oil. Oil applied to Merbau brings out the natural darker tones. You could try stripping the oil and colouring out of the screening until you reach a lighter shade and then sealing it with an exterior varnish. All a bit experimental, though.
You'd likely need to use Tasmanian oak for a lighter shade like that.
Mitchell
