Our One-Stop Guide to the Most Popular Designs of Traditional Fencing

Sometimes known as ‘lap’ panels, overlap fencing consists of horizontally-positioned wooden slats, where the bottom edge of each slat overlaps the top edge of the one below.

These horizontal slats are supported by vertical battens and enclosed within a wooden framework.

The first benefit of overlap fence panels is their cost. Because it is a simple way to construct garden fencing, manufacturers have lower overheads, so they tend to price lap panels towards the bottom end of the market.

Secondly, good-quality overlap fencing is strong, durable and does not have any gaps between the slats, so it provides excellent levels of privacy and security. 5ft and 6ft panels do this on their own or with the addition of gravel boards, while 3ft and 4ft sizes work best when positioned atop a small brick wall.

This simple form of fence panel construction is easier to repair than most other types of fencing, should one of the slats or battens ever become damaged.

Due to their rough-sawn, rustic design, overlap panels are also very attractive. In fact, they perfectly complement almost any style of garden.

As you might expect with such a popular form of fencing, overlap panels are available in all the popular sizes, from low-level 6x3s through to full-size 6x6 panels.

You can purchase them dip treated or pressure treated too, the latter being our preferred option as it means the fencing comes with a longer guarantee and further treatment against rot is not required.

Other choices include a natural wood or deeper-brown finish, along with the option of waney-edged or straight slats. The former is the more common and rustic style of overlap fencing, while the latter is a modern twist on this traditional design.

View our full range of overlap fence panels here.

Closeboard fencing is made up of overlapping vertical slats, supported by horizontal battens which are positioned on the reverse side of the fence panel.

The slats and battens are then enclosed within a full perimeter frame.

The slats on closeboard fence panels are often thicker than on overlap models, while the panels themselves usually include more and/ or thicker supporting battens. When you combine these two factors with the robust perimeter frame, the result is exceptionally strong garden fencing.

Closeboard panels aren’t just strong, they’re stylish too. As the battens are positioned on the reverse of the panel, the front face of the fencing boasts a clean, modern appearance, which provides an attractive backdrop to most types of garden.

This style of fencing also provides high levels of privacy and security. In fact, as the slats are positioned vertically, the eye is drawn upwards and the panels appear taller than they actually are.

What’s more, just like overlap panels, closeboard fencing’s simple design makes it easy to repair if one of the slats should ever get damaged.

Being a popular choice of fencing, closeboard panels are available in all the sought-after sizes. 6x3 and 6x4 models make effective front garden boundaries, while 5 – 6ft models are ideal to the property’s rear.

Dip treated and pressure treated models are both available too, as are natural-wood finishes and various shades of brown.

View our complete range of closeboard fencing here.

From a distance, featheredge fence panels and gates appear identical to closeboard models – in fact, some fencing suppliers use the two terms interchangeably. However, when examined in more detail, there is a slight difference.

This is because featheredge slats are tapered, which means they’re slightly thicker on one side than the other. Compare this with closeboard panels, where the slats have a uniform level of thickness.

Understandably, these are pretty much the same as closeboard panels, although you could argue that the tapered nature of the slats gives featheredge gates and fence panels a little bit more character than true closeboard styles.

As our customers overwhelmingly prefer closeboard fencing to featheredge, we concentrate on stocking the former.

However, we do sell garden gates made using featheredge boards - the ideal purchase for those of you who currently have a featheredge fence run.

Sometimes referred to as palisade fencing, picket fence panels are built by attaching evenly-spaced, vertical wooden pales to two horizontal rails, so although they clearly mark a garden’s boundary, you can still see through the gaps between the pales. This creates what some people call a ‘semi-solid’ fence run.

Being smaller in height than other types of fencing, picket fence panels are viewed as more informal garden boundaries. They are most commonly used at the front of properties, and particularly suit cottage-style gardens.

Picket fencing is very easy to install and, while traditional in design, arguably has a more decorative nature than other forms of traditional fence panel.

For this reason, when used in a front garden, picket fence panels increase a home’s kerb appeal, particularly if you have an impressive display of plants in your garden. The plants themselves benefit from this in a practical way too, because the gaps between the wooden pales allow more natural light to filter into the garden.

These gaps also allow you to keep a close eye on children and pets, as well as giving you an uninterrupted view of the area around your property – particularly welcome if you live in an attractive village or in the countryside.

Picket fence panels are useful for marking out sections within your garden too, be it a vegetable patch, animal pen, or other feature. And, should you be willing to build your own picket fencing, you can customise the height of the pales to make an attractive wooden boundary on slopes or uneven ground.

Once again, the very simple design of picket fencing makes it incredibly easy to repair, should any damage occur.

In line with what they’re designed to do, domestic picket fence panels are invariably low-lying. In fact, they usually measure 6ft wide by 3ft tall. However, you should still have a choice between dip treated and pressure treated models.

Other differences tend to revolve around the thickness and style of the pales, as well as the size of the gaps between them.

View our full range of picket fence panels now.

Here at Buy Sheds Direct, we stock a superb range of traditional fencing, encompassing all the popular sizes and designs.

Every single one of our fence panels has been treated against rot and is backed by a lengthy guarantee, so, when you buy through us, you can rest assured that you’re making a cost-effective, long-term investment in your property.

What’s more, in keeping with the premium nature of our products, the wood used to make our garden fencing is FSC® certified, which is the world’s most trusted mark for sustainable forestry.

Don’t waste your time with other fencing suppliers, view our full range of fence panels, fence posts, gravel boards, garden gates, and other fencing accessories now.