Measure the moisture levels in every piece of lumber before you begin the installation of a new fence in Edmond, OK, as the observations at edmond fence installation solerarestaurant ensure that the wood is ready for the field. Checking the cellular water content prevents the material from moving after the fasteners are driven. If the wood is too wet, it will shrink, pull away from the hardware, and cause the boards to twist or cup. This is a mechanical reality of organic material reacting to the local climate.
Determining Equilibrium Moisture Content
The goal is to reach an equilibrium moisture content that matches the ambient humidity of Oklahoma. For a privacy fence, the wood should sit between twelve and fifteen percent moisture content. If you install cedar or pressure treated pine while the internal moisture is above twenty percent, the wood will undergo significant dimensional changes as it dries. This movement creates gaps in a shadowbox or board on board design. You can use a pin-type moisture meter to get a reading on the core of the wood, not just the surface. Surface readings are often deceptive due to external humidity or recent rainfall.
Seasoning and Drying Requirements
Natural seasoning requires airflow and time. Stack the lumber with spacers to allow air to move between every single board. If you stack wet wood directly on top of each other, you trap moisture and invite fungal growth. For a project involving a heavy gate, the wood must be stable. A gate that is built with green wood will sag as it loses weight through evaporation. This puts undue stress on the hinge and the latch. Always let the wood sit in a covered, ventilated area until the meter shows a consistent reading across the entire batch.
Mechanical Stability and Fasteners
Wood shrinkage affects how the rail sits against the post. When the wood dries, the diameter of the wood fibers decreases. This can cause screws to back out or heads to sink below the surface. When working with a picket style fence, ensure the boards are seasoned so the spacing remains uniform. If the boards shrink significantly, you will see daylight through the gaps. Using a high quality sealer helps slow the rate of moisture exchange, but it does not replace the need for properly dried lumber during the initial build phase.
Foundation and Environmental Factors
The moisture content of the wood is only one part of a stable structure. The post must be set deep enough to account for the local frost line to prevent seasonal heaving. A concrete footing provides the necessary mass to resist the lateral loads of the fence. If the wood is stable but the ground shifts, the entire alignment fails. Check the moisture of the wood and the stability of the soil to ensure the fence remains plumb and level for years.