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Found a way to stop my new fence from warping in the first season
I built a cedar fence around my backyard in early spring, and by July the boards were already starting to cup and pull away from the rails. I was ready to replace the whole thing. Then a guy at the lumber yard told me to try predrilling the screw holes with a bit one size bigger than the screw shank, but only through the top board, not the rail. I did that on about 20 of the worst boards, and after a full rain cycle, those ones stayed flat while the others kept moving. Has anyone else tried this trick with pressure-treated wood instead of cedar?
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graymiller4mo ago
That trick with the oversized pilot hole is a lifesaver. I used a 5/32" bit for my #10 deck screws on some pine boards last year and it made all the difference. The wood needs room to swell without the screw head holding it tight against the rail.
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the_diana4mo ago
That's a solid point from @graymiller. It's wild how much that little extra space matters for outdoor stuff, especially with how much wood moves (I've seen it split even treated lumber).
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