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4 things to look for when purchasing
Fencing should be a major improvement to your property, making it more secure and livable while adding privacy and architectural interest. Like any investment, you should protect your fencing with solid warranty coverage. Quality fencing, made of premium materials and installed by professionals, should last decades. However, they are exterior products, exposed the elements. Today’s precision-engineered fences, made of newer materials like aluminum and vinyl, may be able to stand up to more abuse than wood and iron. But one thing is for certain: that wear will come.
Never neglect to review the warranty when shopping for a new fence. Here are a few factors beyond your control when it comes to installing a new fence, and reasons why you should insist on the most extensive warranty coverage possible.
Fence Corrosion
Aluminum is virtually rust-proof. In fact, most aluminum naturally produces an oxidized barrier that protects it against further corrosion. However, aluminum fences are often installed in environments that compromise this natural property. The right mix of moisture and other elements, especially sidewalk salt, corrodes aluminum, causing unsightly pitting. Premium brands carefully cover their precision-engineered fencing with durable architectural coatings and produce seamless fencing with no joints or fasteners, both of which permit water intrusion. These techniques combine to create an aluminum fence that shrugs off rust and corrosive elements and withstands decades of weather.
If you’re shopping for aluminum fencing, and rust or corrosion is not specifically covered in a given brand, look elsewhere.
Peeling and Flaking Fences
The coatings on aluminum fencing paint can chip and flake. This is a particular problem with inexpensive fencing, which does not always have a durable, baked-on powder coat. These designs also often are made with a riveted construction. If you’ve ever felt a metal fence picket rattle against the rails, it’s a bad sign — not only is it poorly constructed, it probably contains gaps that allow moisture to infiltrate, which can get under the edges of finishes and cause peeling and flaking. Sub-par finishes are also prone to chipping over the course of normal wear.
Not only is peeling, flaking aluminum fence paint unsightly, but it also reduces the life of the fence. As outlined above, aluminum is a very durable and corrosion-resistant material. However, pitting is possible, and the paint or coating is the fence’s first line of defense against these elements. If a fence’s warranty does not cover the paint or coating, it means the manufacturer isn’t confident that it will hold up.
Warping and splitting fencing
Deteriorating fencing — warped pickets, rotting posts, splitting ends — is everywhere. It’s so common that we just accept it and move on. We’ve all seen it: wood fencing with crazily-bowed boards disrupting the look of the entire run or splitting pickets shedding paint. Vinyl fencing largely addresses this. Vinyl certainly won’t rot like wood, and well-made products should resist warping, splitting, and bowing. Note that we said “well-made” and “premium” above because it can happen. Vinyl planks can split, twist, and bow. But any manufacturer worth buying engineers their products to withstand these forces — and they stand by their work. If you’re shopping for fencing products, and the warranty does not explicitly cover the integrity of their vinyl — by name — look elsewhere. It means that they don’t stand by their process, and can’t guarantee that these issues won’t happen.
The importance of a transferrable lifetime warranty
A transferrable warranty is important. It allows a property owner to extend their warranty coverage to a buyer. If you’re preparing for a sale, and install an attractive new fence to entice buyers, a transferrable warranty helps that buyer rest easy, knowing that the product is covered. A fence offering a lifetime warranty means the manufacturer truly stands by their workmanship and materials. The fence will resist wear for many years — they’re confident of this. Don’t buy a fence that does not offer this level of protection, because the quality and construction is likely not worth the investment.
At Nobility Fence, we stand by our products. Our precision-engineered aluminum and vinyl fencing is backed by a limited lifetime transferrable warranty, protecting you against damage defects in materials and workmanship. We’re confident that our fences will stand up to decades of wear, and look stunning just as long. Learn more about our warranty, or download the full product catalog today.