Varieties of fences, blinds, their advantages and disadvantages, the choice of material for the construction of the fence, the technology of manufacturing sections and assembling the fence. A blinds fence is a specific fence made of slats located at an angle, which looks like a window structure. The absence of mechanisms for turning the planks greatly facilitates the construction of the fence. The types of such a fence and the technology for its installation will be discussed in this article.
Features of fences blinds
The structure of the fence consists of support pillars to which lamellas are fixed. The planks can be directed up or down. The latter option is preferable, it provides more privacy. The structure differs from other fences in the way of fastening the planks. There are several fixing options: to flanges pre-fixed on the supports; boards are stuffed to the ends of the racks; the lamellas are assembled into sections, and then the individual parts are fixed to the posts.
The distance between the slats ranges from 16 to 20 mm. If the fence is installed in a busy place, it is recommended to remove the gaps altogether.
Blinds fences are divided into two types - metal and wood. The first option has a longer service life, but it is more expensive. Often, metal products are sold in sections, with dimensions of 2x2 m or 1.5x2 m. Individual parts are made at the factory, all that remains is to fix them to the posts. Metal blinds do not require any special maintenance. It is enough to periodically clean them from corrosion and restore the paintwork. It is recommended to install such fences in hot areas where there is a high risk of fires, which they are not afraid of.
Wooden fences blinds are supplied unassembled. They can be made to order of any configuration, according to previously prepared sketches with dimensions. As a result, a hedge appears that will meet the requirements of the owner. To increase the service life, it is necessary to carefully look after it: clean it from debris in time, paint it. Wooden structures fit into any setting. They go well with many materials.
Fences of this design are recommended to be installed in the following situations:
- If the site is located in a wetland or in an area where groundwater is close to the surface. In such places, the soil needs constant ventilation. A blank fence can create a greenhouse effect, especially if the area is densely planted with trees or bushes. A fence of blinds will provide constant ventilation of the area.
- If the fenced area is located in the northwest of the site, as well as in the shade of the house. Shading from a solid fence can kill many crops. The fence of the blinds allows you to grow plants directly next to it, while in other cases it is necessary to retreat 2-3 m from the hedge.
- If there is a need to constantly monitor the street without showing your territory. For example, when a child is playing on the street without adults.
Advantages and disadvantages of fences blinds
Users are attracted by the following positive qualities of the fence:
- The design reliably protects the area from prying eyes. Outside, the site is not visible due to the lamellas fixed at an angle. But from the inside you can see everything behind the fence.
- The ability to let in enough sunlight to support the growth and development of plants.
- High aesthetics of the fence. It will not spoil the surrounding landscape. The fence has an attractive appearance on both sides.
- Low cost allows you to install a fence for consumers of any income.
- The fence keeps dust out. Tilted planks keep it on their surface.
- It is very easy to care for the product - just wash the lamellas with water from a hose.
- The ability to install the blinds fence yourself, without outside help.
- The fence provides fresh air to the site.
The fence has very few disadvantages. It does not completely cover the area from prying eyes and does not protect well from small rodents.
Blinds fence installation technology
Consider the technology of making a fence blinds. It can be represented as separate operations that are performed in stages.
The choice of materials for the fence blinds
The first thing you have to decide when making your own fence is what kind of blanks will be used, wood or metal. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with each option.
When making your own slats for a metal fence of blinds, you will need machines for working with thin sheet steel and other equipment for bending the installation parts. If the necessary equipment is not available, drawings of all parts should be developed and ordered from the workshops.
It is easier to make wooden blanks with your own hands. Before making a fence for blinds, buy the following from materials:
- Planks … Length - 2 m, width - 10-20 cm, thickness - 2 cm. Lumber must be dry. If you did buy freshly sawn products, place them under the drying shed with slats. Without such a procedure, the parts will dry out and deform, spoiling the appearance of the structure. Boards can be anything - planed or not. In the latter case, it is allowed to use a croaker or shalyovka. Irregularities in the material, numerous knots can turn the fence into an original structure.
- Thin bars … You will need 20x20 mm or 20x10 mm strips. With their help, the lamellas are fixed in an inclined position.
- Support pillars … You can use concrete, asbestos-cement, metal pipes or wooden blocks. The length of the pipes consists of an aboveground and an underground part. The underground should be 1/3 of the entire height of the rack. With a post height of 2, 7 m, it will be 2 m above the ground. In case of using sawn timber, purchase beams 40x40 mm for a low fence and 80x80 mm for a high one. The ideal option would be to put a piece of pipe on the underground part of the post. Before concreting, the metal parts of the support must be coated with an anticorrosive compound, the lower wooden parts of the beams must be impregnated from moisture.
Installation of supports for the fence
The fence posts can be attached in two ways: with a strip foundation and in separate holes. The first option is recommended for use on heaving soils and in areas where the water is close to the surface. The second is more common and requires less financial costs. Let us consider in more detail the fastening of supports in the ground.
If it is necessary to build a strip foundation, perform the following operations:
- Pull the cord along the perimeter of the fenced area and secure with pegs.
- Mark the positions of posts, gates, wickets, etc. Supports are recommended to be placed every 2-2, 5 m. If ready spans are to be attached to the posts, the distance should be such that the section with a small gap is located between them.
- Dig a trench along the cord with a depth that exceeds the level of freezing of the soil in a given area by 30 cm. If the soil is normal, you do not need to dig a trench deeper than 50-60 cm.
- In the locations of the pillars, dig holes 1.5 m deep.
- Collect lumber waste formwork in the pit. Usually, the foundation of the blinds fence does not protrude above the ground, so it is allowed not to level the upper part.
- Pour gravel and sand on the bottom of the trench and tamp them, periodically pouring water over the "cake".
- In the formwork, mount the reinforcement belt in two rows from a rod with a diameter of 10 mm. Place one of them at the top of the formwork, the other at the bottom. If the pillars are planned to be made of bricks, weld the reinforcement vertically in the marked places.
- Install the metal supports in the wells, set in an upright position and temporarily secure. Weld the posts to the fittings.
- Fill the formwork and the pit with the uprights with concrete. To prepare it, use cement, sand and crushed stone in a 1: 2: 6 ratio. Perform further work after the concrete has set.
It is cheaper to fix poles in individual holes, but this method is only suitable on normal soils. Dig holes about 70 cm deep. Install supports in them, set them upright and fill them with concrete. When the solution hardens, you can install the slats.
Production of sections for the fence
This method allows you to make individual sections in the workshop in a comfortable environment, and then bring the finished parts to the place of installation. It is recommended to first install the supports into the ground, provide for the attachment points for the fragments and make sections in size between the embedded supports on the supports.
To create a louver fence section, follow these steps:
- Make the seats in which the lamellas will be installed. To do this, stuff 20x20 or 20x10 mm bars on two wide boards on one side at an angle. The angle depends on the width of the side pieces. It should be such that a maximum gap of 1 mm is obtained between the bottom of the upper lamella and the top of the lower lamella, and a distance of 1 cm remains between the slats.
- The boards to which the thin planks are nailed should be a mirror image of each other.
- Paint the pieces of wood.
- Nail a wide strip to the ends of the boards (on one side), which will not allow the boards to fall out on the other side. Paint it before the operation, because subsequently, there will be no access to it from the inside.
- Treat the workpieces with special compounds that protect lumber from rotting, mold, various bugs and fire.
- Place two boards on a flat surface with padded sides facing inward.
- Insert the lamellae into the grooves of the sidewalls.
- Connect them together with slats so that the structure does not crumble.
- Install limiting strips to prevent the planks from falling out of the structure. It is allowed to fix the lamellas with self-tapping screws, screw them into the ends of the boards through the sidewalls.
- Place the sections between the supports and secure in a pre-planned manner.
Fastening lamellas to posts
The methods of attaching individual planks to the supports depend, first of all, on the material of the post. In any case, they are inserted into the grooves prepared in advance. The planks are installed from top to bottom, the latter is placed horizontally. Consider the most common installation methods that you can do yourself.
Planks are fixed to a wooden bar of rectangular cross-section in this way:
- To fasten the lamellas, it is necessary to nail boards with planks fixed at an angle to the support. The order of their manufacture is the same as when assembling the sections for the fence of the blinds. In this case, the width of the sidewalls should be equal to the width of the beam.
- Make slots in the support, the height of which is equal to the thickness of the lamellas. Insert the prepared planks into the grooves.
- Nail the bars to the wooden beams at an angle, across the entire width. The distance between them should be equal to the thickness of the lamellas. They will hold the elements of the fence.
When using a metal round post, you will need a round wooden bar with a diameter greater than the diameter of the pipe.
Prepare the seats in this way:
- Cut the log along the middle to make two symmetrical pieces.
- Hollow out recesses in them half the diameter of the post.
- Cut them slots at an angle for the boards.
- Place both parts on the pipe and connect with each other with anchors. This will transform the pipe into a wooden structure. It remains only to insert the slats into the prepared grooves.
- If the lamellas are also metal, it is better to weld them to the supports.
To the concrete post, fix the beams with slots or slats under the lamellas using anchors. You can also purchase special fasteners that allow you to fix ready-made spans to concrete structures.
After creating the base surfaces, install the lamellas in the cut or otherwise created grooves and nail them in or secure with self-tapping screws.
Caring for your fence blinds
To make the fence last a long time, perform the following operations:
- Inspect metal lamellas every few years for rust and paint peeling. If found, clean the problem areas, degrease, prime and paint.
- Cover small scratches with a special compound to avoid corrosion.
- If necessary, flush the intake with a water hose.
Any wood product can be used to paint the fence. When choosing, pay attention to the condition of its application. In some cases, you first need to cover the surface with protective agents, in others, no pretreatment is required, the mixture contains all the necessary components. If the lamellas are made of high-quality processed wood, it makes sense to use products that provide both protection and a beautiful appearance. The simplest and cheapest coating method is to use used machine oil.
How to make a fence blinds - watch the video:
The construction of the fence is a simple work, it is quite possible to make all the elements and assemble the fence with your own hands. Subject to the installation technology, type-setting hedges will not yield to other types of fences in terms of aesthetic characteristics and will decorate the site for many years.
