Southern Pine Fence Installation in Galveston County, TX

What you are buying when you buy "treated pine"

Southern pine is sold as one lumber group, often stamped SYP (southern yellow pine). The USDA Wood Handbook puts pines like these in its slightly or nonresistant decay group, so for outdoor use the wood is pressure-treated: preservative is forced deep into the wood in a sealed cylinder. The treatment is what lets pine last in a fence. Pine itself is strong and economical.

That makes three things worth checking on any pine fence quote:

• The use category on each part. Posts, rot boards, rails and pickets face different conditions and are treated to different levels.
• Whether the lumber is wet or dried after treatment. This decides how much the boards shrink after the fence goes up.
• The fasteners. Copper-based preservatives corrode ordinary steel.

Pine vs cedar? Read cedar vs pressure-treated pine. Worried about warping? See pressure-treated pine pros and cons. All species: the wood fence guide.

Wet or dried after treatment?

Treating standards require lumber to be dry before treatment: 19% moisture or less for dimension lumber. Then water carries the preservative in, and SFPA notes the wood can leave the cylinder at over 50% moisture. Most treated southern pine is delivered without being redried. Drying after treatment, in a kiln (KDAT) or in air (ADAT), can be specified, and SFPA recommends it where dimensional stability and tight fit matter.

What that means for your fence: wet boards shrink as they dry toward the outdoor equilibrium moisture. The USDA's Gulf Coast figures (Mobile and New Orleans) run about 13–15% through the year. Across a 5½-inch flat-grain loblolly board, that is roughly 7/32 inch. On a butted privacy fence, those small gaps are why many owners choose board-on-board.

Fasteners, cut ends and finishing

Fasteners. SFPA summarizes the model codes: fasteners in treated wood should be hot-dip galvanized, type 304 or 316 stainless steel, silicon bronze or copper. Electroplated galvanized fasteners are typically not accepted outdoors. Salt water exposure is one of the particularly severe environments where stainless is required. Hinges, screws and brackets should be the same metal, to avoid galvanic corrosion. See how much weight gate hinges hold.

Cut ends. Treatment protects a zone of the wood, not always the whole board. SFPA says any cut or hole that goes through the treated zone should be field-treated under AWPA Standard M4, usually with copper naphthenate. That matters most on post tops and anything cut near the ground.

Finishing. A finish isn't needed for the treatment to work, but it slows weathering. Wet treated pine has to dry first: SFPA suggests waiting 30 days for a semi-transparent oil stain and 6 months for paint or solid stain. See when to stain a new pressure-treated fence and our staining and sealing service.

From estimate to finished pine fence

1. Free on-site estimate. We walk and measure the line with you, and note gates, slopes, trees, drainage and any old fence that has to come out.
2. Spec and a written price. The price covers height, style, posts, rot board, gates, fasteners and any finish. Use the tag checker above to read it.
3. Property line and permits. Know where your line is before posts go in. A survey is the reliable way. Check the city permit and any HOA rules.
4. Installation. Posts first, then rails, rot board, pickets and gates.
5. Walkthrough. Check that the gates swing and latch, and agree when the pine will be dry enough to finish.

Finished pine work: a pine privacy fence in Galveston and a 77 ft pine fence on Tiki Island.

What affects the cost of a pine fence

You get a written price after the free on-site visit. The main things that move it:

• Length and height. An 8 ft fence uses longer boards and posts than a 6 ft one.
• Style. Board-on-board and shadowbox use more boards than butted privacy or picket. A top cap and trim add more.
• Lumber spec. Heavier treatment categories and lumber dried after treatment can cost more than standard stock.
• Posts and hardware. Treated wood or galvanized steel posts, and hot-dip or stainless fasteners.
• Gates, finish and site work. Each gate adds framing and hardware. Staining adds labor once the wood is dry. Removing an old fence, slopes and clearing add time.

See wood fence cost per foot. Financing is available through the providers on our financing page, subject to credit approval.

Questions we get about this