Where to buy wooden posts/S Al

[backyardtrack]

I just put up some fencing for my wifes horses and we wanted to use wood posts. Tsc wanted almost $6 for a 3.5"round x 8' treated wood post. I went to home depot and bought 3"x5"x8' treated landscape timbers for $1.97 each. I needed 80 post so I ended up saving a ton on money. If you need alot of posts it might be worth a road trip to the nearest home depot.

 

[tallyho8]

Treated landscape timbers have the light treatment and are not treated for below ground usage. They will rot out in about 3 to 5 years in normal conditions. 4X4s with the underground treatment may cost twice as much but they last 4 times as long.

 

[backyardtrack]

Treated landscape timbers have the light treatment and are not treated for below ground usage. They will rot out in about 3 to 5 years in normal conditions. 4X4s with the underground treatment may cost twice as much but they last 4 times as long.

I got the idea to use lanscape timbers from my neighbor. He used them for his fence and after close to 10 years in the ground they appear/feel to be almost as solid as the day he put them in. For the price I felt it was worth the risk. I'm sure there are many factors like ground water and soil type that play a huge role in the life span of a wood post. If my neighor has had such good luck with them I'm sure I'll be fine since our land is very similar. After all, people were using all types of wood posts long before pressure treated lumber was invented!

 

[tallyho8]

I got the idea to use lanscape timbers from my neighbor. He used them for his fence and after close to 10 years in the ground they appear/feel to be almost as solid as the day he put them in. For the price I felt it was worth the risk. I'm sure there are many factors like ground water and soil type that play a huge role in the life span of a wood post. If my neighor has had such good luck with them I'm sure I'll be fine since our land is very similar. After all, people were using all types of wood posts long before pressure treated lumber was invented!

You haven't filled in your profile to let us know what part of the country you are in. There are lots of arid regions where fence posts will last a long time without rotting, some woods longer than others. Down here in south Louisiana those landscape timbers rarely stay solid for 5 years. And remember, they are using a different treatment now than they used to and it may not last as long as the old formula.

 

[backyardtrack]

I'm from michigan. My fenced in ares sits very high compared to the surrounding land. It's rock hard clay that doesn't hold any water. It can rain a few inches and only the top gets wet a greasy. If you dig down a few inches it's bone dry. I was just at tsc again and I took another look at their posts. The 4"x8' treated were $7.98 and they didn't look that nice. I don't know what kind of grade of treatment they have but half the tree bark is still on them and most of the posts were crooked. I wanted 8' in length to getbelow the frost line we have up here. Right now I've got more time than money so if I get 5 to 10 years out of them it'll be worth the savings ( $6 x 80 post = $480 in savings) If I have to I'll just pull the old posts out and drive new ones into the old holes, as the clay should hold it's shape.

 

[kenmac]

I used landscape timbers for landscaping. Termites ate them up

 

[backyardtrack]

I used landscape timbers for landscaping. Termites ate them up

That why I love michigan. We don't really have any crazy bug, rodent, or snake issues like other parts of the country seem to have. Yes we have snow but snowboards and snowmobiles are a blast to ride!