Larch Fence Slats

Larch Fence Slats in Ireland

If you want a slatted fence with the warmth of real timber and the toughness to handle wind and rain, larch fence slats are one of the best softwoods you can build with. Larch grows slowly in a cold climate, which gives it a tight grain, a density of around 590 kg per cubic metre and a high natural resin content. That puts it closer to a light hardwood than to the pine or spruce used in budget fencing, and it is rated Durability Class 3, a step up from most European softwoods.

Fresh boards arrive a warm reddish brown with characterful knots, which suits contemporary horizontal screens, garden room surrounds and bin or oil tank enclosures.

Larch slat sizes

Both slats are planed to 18 mm thick with eased edges, so they are comfortable to handle and look finished straight off the pallet. The wide 94×18 mm slat is the main board for horizontal privacy screens and fence infill, covering ground quickly with fewer fixings per metre. The narrow 44×18 mm slat suits fine-lined contemporary screens, works as a spacer or capping strip, or can be mixed with the wide slat for a rhythm of wide and narrow boards.

Choose the length on the product page; longer boards mean fewer joints on long runs. Enter your area in the calculator on the product page and it works out how many you need; the cart adds the fixings and extras.

Larch slats vs other timber slats

Larch sits in the middle of our timber slats range. It is harder wearing than standard softwood and has a livelier grain than any treated board, while staying well below the price of hardwood.

• Cedar fence battens: a warm honey-coloured timber for the most refined finish.
• Ecowood battens: kiln-dried Red Class softwood, for a consistent look along the whole screen.
• MicroShades slats: a treated softwood slat that arrives factory-finished, ready to put up.

Larch battens and larch slats are the same boards, so these larch battens also suit framing and batten cladding work. For full walls see our larch cladding.

Building larch slatted fence panels

Larch is straightforward to work with ordinary woodworking tools. A few habits give a cleaner, longer-lasting fence:

• Use stainless steel screws or ring shank nails. Plain steel reacts with the resin and leaves dark stains around each fixing.
• Pre-drill near the ends of each slat to stop splitting, as the dense grain is less forgiving than pine.
• Leave an even gap of a few millimetres between slats so rain drains and air moves, which keeps the boards dry and straight.
• For the posts, concrete post bases hold the timber clear of wet ground, and the rest of our outdoor timber hardware covers connectors and pole holders.

Looking after larch slats

Larch doesn’t need a preservative to last outdoors, but left bare it weathers to a soft silver grey within a year or so. Most people oil their slats in the first few months to hold the reddish brown colour and even out the weathering, then refresh the coat every two to three years. A penetrating oil also helps the surface shed water. Choose one from our exterior oils and stains, and avoid film-forming paint or varnish, which can peel as the timber moves.

A little resin may bleed from freshly cut ends in warm weather. It wipes off with white spirit and settles down as the timber ages.

Prefer a ready-made screen? Compare our timber fence panels, or browse all our garden fence panels, with the gates and accessories to finish the job.