What Are the Different Styles Available for Wood Fences?

Adding a wood fence to your property can enhance your home’s curb appeal while offering privacy and safety for your family. It is daunting to decide on what style of wood fence you want. Do you need something that will simply make your home look nicer, or do you want something that adds a barrier between you and the busy neighborhood? Do you need some way to keep the kids and pets in the yard or want something to add a layer of security?

When it comes to the style of your new wooden fence, you have options. Some of these options include:

• Posts and Rails
• Classic Split Rails
• Louvers
• Pickets
• Lattices
• Solid Boards
• Shadowboxes
• Mixed Materials

Ready to learn more about which fence style would best compliment your yard? Then read on!

A post and rail fence is an updated take on the classic split-rail fence. The design usually has three horizontal rails connected to solid posts. The number of rails and ultimately rail spacing, is up to you. More rails will have a smaller space in-between.

Post and rail fences are reasonably affordable, with the cost determined by the materials and size. The style is a good choice for a paddock or to border your field or lawn. Different types of wood can be used to build your new fence, including:

• Half Rounded
• Split Oak
• Morticed Timber

You can paint your fence to match your home’s style or stain and seal it. The choice is yours.

A classic split rail fence has a more rustic feel as compared to the updated post and rail. These fences are made from long beams threaded through rounded posts. The heavier posts have holes bored through them to allows the beams to connect.

Split rail fences are a traditional option for farms with livestock that need to be corralled. In the past, they were most often constructed using chestnut wood. However, according to BobVila.com, they are now primarily made from black locust wood.

Split rail fences generally have four rails but can have more if you desire. Unlike the more contemporary post and rail fences, this design is known for its zigzag appearance due to the construction.

Louver fences offer homeowners a mix of privacy and visibility. The installation of slats allows you to see through it clearly from an angle but blocks the view if looking at it head-on. There is no wrong side to this type of privacy fence, unlike traditional where one side the posts are visible. The spacing between the slats allows for air to flow through the panels.

You can choose to have your slats be vertical or horizontal. If you can’t decide, you can select a vertical and horizontal basketweave. Either can be used to block off your yard from the neighbors, or you can block a small portion for privacy purposes. Louver fences are ideal for areas around pools, decks, and patios.

Picket fences are generally between three to four feet tall. They get their name from the pointed topped pickets that make up the panels. While a proper picket fence has a pointy top board, you could use rounded planks instead.

Smithsonian Magazine notes that picket fences were a staple in the early colonial era when colonists used the pickets to defend their homes. They are still popular today thanks to the decorative look they give a yard. The widely spaced slats allow you to see through the fence.

Because of the fence’s low height, they are not ideal for keeping large dogs inside your yard. However, they can keep passersby out and small children and dogs in.

Lattice fencing is a classic style found in gardens and around patios. The open weave of the lattice panel makes it ideal for climbing plants to grow. By planting honeysuckle or climbing roses next to the fence, you get a beautiful yard without additional support.

It is an appealing style for those who grow flowers and bushes in their yards. It is also popular because it is one of the more inexpensive options available on the market. However, what you save in money you have to pay for in other areas. Lattice doesn’t lend itself to privacy due to the open pattern.

Despite this drawback, it is still an appealing option. Few styles don’t go well with lattice fencing, so you can add just about anything to it.

A solid board fence is a traditional type of privacy fence. The pickets butt against each other and attach to the rails that run between posts. They provide total privacy from neighbors and people who pass on the sidewalk while enjoying a neighborhood stroll.

You can choose the style of your slats. While they are six to eight inches wide, the top can be more decorative or plain, depending on your preference. The flat-top style has the boards butted against one another but with a square top. The dog ear fence is a little more familiar and decorative. Like the flat-top, the panels butt together with no space between them. The top, however, is not left straight. The corners of each plank are cut at a 45° angle.

You can also add a top cap to a solid fence or lattice panels for a decorative finish. Another option is a board-on-board design where the planks overlap each other slightly. It gives an architectural effect that adds elegance to your yard.

Shadowbox fencing is another way to create a privacy fence around your home. Unlike solid board fencing, both sides of the fence look the same. The symmetry is one of the most appealing aspects of a shadowbox fence. 

Like with a louvered fence, you have privacy while still having the ability to see through when up close. From a distance, straight on, you can’t see through into your yard. However, kids and pets can still peer between the slats, discouraging them from climbing or jumping the fence.



Along with the visual appeal, by having the pickets alternating, you have a bit more durability. The alternating sides help distribute the weight evenly across the rails.

Another stylish fencing option is a wood and metal fence. These fences are made up of both wood, for frame or panels, and metal, such as corrugated metal panels, metal posts, or chain links. An example of this would be a corrugated metal and wood fence. The posts and rails are wood. Then you can alternate the panels between corrugated metal and wood planks. It gives you a nice contrast in materials and livens up your outdoor space.

A wood fence can enhance your property along with helping to protect it. The style of the fence is dependent on your needs and preferences. Semi-private fences such as split-rail, louver, and shadowbox styles give you a feeling of openness while having some privacy. Lattice, picket, and rail and post fences give you a decorative feel without being too confined. Finally, solid wood or corrugated metal and wood fences offer you total privacy.