If you thought that your next choice would be a picket wrought iron fence, you might want to think again.
Do you think that it’s time to update the style of your fencing? If you thought that your next choice would be a picket wrought iron fence, you might want to think again. Any picket wrought iron fence is constructed with hollow, square tube pickets, but you’re looking for the durability and integrity of solid pickets. Although there are many reasons why this style is so hard to find, we’ll only cover a few here. However, if you are determined to have this style, investing in a custom fence would be the way to go.
The Hollow Story
The only way to find a picket wrought iron fence is if you forego the solid aspect and go with hollow pickets. Sadly, this is also the case for other materials as well, including steel and aluminum. Although the rumor has been that companies were choosing to cut production costs by using lesser quality materials, the aspects of weight, cost, and manufacturing all play critical roles in the story of the vanishing solid picket wrought iron fence.
Weight
Solid wrought iron fence pickets are incredibly heavy. This extreme weight makes the fence much more expensive to maintain as the added pressure puts a lot of strain on the post anchors, brackets, and gate hardware. The weight also means that you’ll be paying more for shipping and the labor of installing such heavy materials. Here’s some perspective: hollow wrought iron fence panels weigh about 125 pounds while solid wrought iron pickets can weigh up to 350 pounds.
Costs
Given the incredible weight, it’s understandable that labor costs for installation are much higher than when working with hollow pickets. Besides, using solid materials requires more expensive pieces that ultimately don’t add any additional strength or performance. Overall, the costs of solid pickets are about 75% to 125% higher than when using hollow pickets.
Manufacturing
With the constant advancements in technology and fence manufacture, there’s no need to worry that hollow pickets won’t stand the test of time. In fact, the hollow tube square pickets are incredibly strong and resilient against the effects of weather, bending, and warping. Although you’re unlikely to find a solid picket wrought iron fence, don’t dismay, as the hollow options are just as good.
CHOOSE HERCULES CUSTOM IRON
Whether you would like residential gates installed, precast bollards fabricated, or your chain link fence to be repaired, replaced, or would like an iron fence (period!), the pros at Hercules Custom Iron are ready to help. For more information and to learn how we can meet your custom fencing needs, contact Hercules Custom Iron online or giving us a call at 1-800-331-2590. We will ensure your investment serves your family for years to come! For updates and to see projects we’re working on, visit us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+, and Pinterest.