The picket fence is the quintessential American fence. When people talk about attaining the American dream of their own home, they often picture a white picket fence encircling and protecting their property.
To build a picket fence, we attach evenly spaced vertical strips, or pickets, to the horizontal rails. The most traditional picket fences are made of wood and painted white, to match American colonial style houses.
Origin
Indeed, picket fences look perfect with colonial houses because they spring from colonial days in America. Settlers built their fences to define their own little pieces of heaven – and to keep chickens in and pesky rabbits out of their gardens.
Materials
From simple origins, pickets evolved into hundreds of different styles, depending on materials, shapes and finish the builders use. Nowadays, there’s a picket fence to complement almost any home type.
Wooden pickets will always be the classic, but they don’t have to be painted white. If you love the look of wood grain, you can stain your fence and let the grain shine through. If your tastes are rustic, opt for weathered wood pickets. People can get wild with color – around the country there are plenty of rainbow-colored picket fences, or alternating pastel shades for Miami Beach chic. Spruce, cedar, redwood cypress and treated pine can all be turned into pickets.
Vinyl pickets offer a durable, low-maintenance alternative to wood. White is the most common vinyl picket color, but you can also find green, brown, beige and red. Metal picket fences are also attractive, and look impressive around your personal castle. Wrought iron goes especially well with Victorian or Gothic houses.
Picket shapes
One of our favorite things about pickets are all the different options you have for shapes. Our customers love the chance to showcase their personal flair. Simple designs include triangular, round or square-topped pickets. More ornate options include adding decorative finials, such as acorn, star top, pyramid or French Gothic. You can also go castle-traditional with spikes – heads optional.
Your picket advisor
Will vinyl pickets stand up to high winds? Is a pointy finial safe for birds? We’ve heard it all, and are happy to answer your questions. If you need some picket advice, give your friends at Buzz a call. Our experienced designers can help you plan the best picket fence for your property.
