Anyone have experience glueing back paling? Would Gorilla Glue hold it back in place?
Hi @mike88,
Welcome to Workshop. It's great to have you join the community.
I suspect that fence palings warping over time is a common problem so I'm sure there will be plenty of interest in this topic.
Let me tag a few helpful members in @Brad, @r23on, @ProjectPete, @Prof and @Noyade to see what they would do.
Feel free to post anytime you need a hand or have a project to share.
Jason
Why not just screw them back in place.?
Hi @Prof - thanks for the response; warping alongside the adjoining palings not the rail and overlap of palings isn't much hence trying to avoid screws.
Ah..I see what you mean..bit of a tricky one..I'm thinking that there's nothing really suitable for a permanent cure..
Once palings are warped there's not much you can do except replace them...
"overlap of palings isn't much hence trying to avoid screws."
Hi Mike
Overlaping as seen in No.1?
Are some of the boards bending sideways as in No.2?
All I can think of is screwing all the top ends of the boards into a piece of wood at the back - and painting the exposed unpainted edges.
But it still probably won't look that good. 😞
The power of pine warping.
Seen at the delivery end of the local Bunnings store...
Thanks @Noyade - good illustrations, exactly like No. 1. I am able to push them back, hence I was thinking of using strong wood glue (with a clamps until dry).
Hi in the past I have used polyurethane adhesives which works well, however like all treated pine no matter what you do warping will take place.
I take it the fence is treated pine? The other factor is that the fencing is cut so thin hence warping is common. I have noticed in some places in NSW the palings are around 10mm thick reducing some warping.
hope this helps
Thanks @r23on - yes the fence is treated pine, think you are spot on the palings are to thin.
@mike88 Replacing them is probably your only sensible solution. If they've dried enough to warp they'll probably split if you try to flatten them back out again. The main problem with treated pine palings is that they are sold as "wet" timber and not kiln dried. I've seen 100mm wide palings shrink down to 95mm when they dry out and if they're not secured from every possible angle they'll twist up like a piece of licorice. That's why they're only $2.00 each.
Thanks @Poppop - appreciate the feedback. If I replace them, how can I prevent the same issue not happening again?
@mike88 I'm not sure if you can completely prevent it happening with that style of fence. If you look at my gallery you'll see I make a lot of garden ornaments and yard furniture out of palings. But when I design something I try to plan it so there's 2 nails or screws every 400mm or to hold everything flat. (Not really possible with a fence) I also buy bundles of 25 or 30 at a time and stack them with spacers in between each one. Then strap the bundle up tightly and let them dry out while being held flat for a couple of weeks before I use them. But for a fence I could only suggest fully painting the new boards before you nail them up. That might slow down the warping process a bit. Or maybe use some palings as horizontal rails on the back side of the fence so you can nail through two over lapping vertical palings and into the horizontal rail at the back. Or if you're prepared for a long term investment, look at replacing them with hardwood palings.
Good luck
If you use the horizontal rail idea. Try putting the nail in well away from the edge to avoid splitting. Place it so the nail goes in beside the inner palings. The pressure from the outer paling will keep it flat. Pre drill the holes and use screws for an even grip. I hope my picture makes sense.
Glue won't work. Palings are cheap...replace the warped ones with new, and this time...pre drill them and screw them in. Don't use nails....they will split. You're welcome...
The answer is two part solution . Instal a top rail and use galvanis thin ribbon that the top picket nails go through. The top rail protect the top ends of the pickets and the thin metal ribbon hold the full width of the pick in place for the full length of the fence.
good point, done exactly this myself ie predrilled and then used square head torque screws and of course painted them too.
I have the same problem now (in 2024).
Some questions ---
1) Some have suggested using screws (instead of nails) and predrilling for putting new replacement palings:
- which screws are recommended to use for standard width paling (in VIC)?
- if I predrill, how far do I predrill? Do I predrill just the new paling or also into the railing or other paling I'm attaching to?
2) Do I avoid the hole where the old nail used to be or should I aim to reuse that hole?
3) Sometimes the railing has seen better days but I don't want to replace them, is there something cheap I can do to prep it before attaching a new paling (eg, will an easy to use filler like Parfix All Purpose be of any benefit?)
Thanks
Hi @PhoenixClose1,
Thank you for your questions about re-fixing warped palings on your fence.
Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Jacob
Thanks @JacobZ !
Great tip on marking the drill bit. I haven't tried that before.
I have an Ozito drill but no more drill bits.
What size drill bit is best for the screw you mentioned? 6mm, 9mm, etc?
Attached are a couple of photos. I guess the railing is in better condition than I thought. At least the face where the nails go (photo 1).
But I had a chance to see the top (photo 2). Terrible condition. It's on the neighbour's side of the fence, so I can't do much. Plus the neighbours are renting so I can't expect them to spend to fix up the fence.
But if it was on my side, what could I do to clean up the rail's top and delay further deterioration?
A small diameter drill bit such as this Sutton Tools 3mm Viper Jobber Drill Bit would be perfect for a pilot hole for these screws. You may even find that the existing nail holes are enough of a pilot hole for the screws to drive into. A pilot hole doesn't need to be big; you are just clearing a bit of space to allow for the screw.
Having a look at the damage to the fence rail, it has splintered quite a bit. Unfortunately, there is not a lot you can do about this. You could seal the timber with some fence paint such as this Walpamur Charcoal Fence Finish to offer some protection, but once the timber has started to deteriorate, the best option is usually to replace it.
Let me know if you have any further questions.
