Timber Paling Fences in Sydney: A Practical Guide

The timber paling fence is the default back boundary across most of Sydney, and for good reason: it is straightforward to build, easy to repair one board at a time, and it gives full privacy without looking industrial. Built properly it is a twenty-year fence. Built badly it goes wavy in three summers. The difference is almost always in the posts, the timber grade and the fixings rather than in the palings you can see.

What a paling fence actually is

The structure is simple. Posts go in the ground at regular spacings and carry everything. Horizontal rails span between them. Vertical palings fix to the rails, and on better fences a capping rail runs along the top to protect the end grain and stiffen the whole run. Get any one of those four elements wrong and the fence tells you within a couple of seasons.

Timber choices, and what goes in the ground

Most Sydney paling fences are built from treated pine, hardwood, or a mix of the two — hardwood posts and rails with pine palings is a common compromise.

• Treated pine is lighter, cheaper and takes paint well. Anything going into the ground needs an in-ground treatment rating; ask what is being supplied and look for the stamp rather than taking it on trust.

• Hardwood posts and rails are heavier, stiffer and generally last longer in the ground, which matters because posts are almost always the first thing to fail.

• Hardwood palings hold their shape better and weather to a silver-grey if left unfinished. They cost more and are harder to nail.

• Galvanised or stainless fixings are worth specifying. Bright nails will stain timber and let go long before the boards give up.

Lapped, lapped-and-capped, or butted

Butted palings sit edge to edge. They look neat on day one, but timber moves, and gaps open up as the boards dry and shrink. Lapped palings overlap each other, so movement never turns into a sight line — this is the usual choice where privacy is the point. Lapped and capped adds the top rail, which keeps water off the paling ends and gives the fence a finished edge. If you want a fence that still looks deliberate in ten years, capping is the cheapest upgrade on the list.

Post spacing, rails, and why fences go wavy

Common practice is posts at around 2.4 metres, with two rails on a standard-height fence and three once you go taller. Stretch the spacing to save on posts and the rails start to sag under the weight of the palings; that is the wave you see along tired fences. Taller fences catch more wind, so they need bigger posts, deeper footings and the extra rail — height is not just a matter of longer palings.

Footings matter as much as spacing. Sydney soils vary enormously from sandstone shelf to reactive clay to coastal sand, and the same footing detail will not do in all three. Our guide to fence installation in Sydney goes through how the job should be set out.

Height, and the part that involves your neighbour

A rear or side paling fence is usually a dividing fence, which makes it a shared matter rather than purely your decision. Who contributes, and how the conversation should be handled, is covered in our guide to who pays for a dividing fence in NSW. Height and front-boundary rules vary between councils, and some streets sit in heritage conservation areas with their own controls — see whether you need council approval for a fence and check with your own council before committing to anything unusual.

Sloping blocks

Very few Sydney backyards are flat. A paling fence on a slope is normally stepped, with each panel level and a small step down between posts, or raked so the palings follow the ground. Stepping is more common and generally looks tidier, but it leaves triangular gaps under each panel that need filling with a plinth board or soil work — worth agreeing before the job starts if you have a dog. Where the slope is steep enough that the fence is holding back ground, that is a retaining question first and a fencing one second; our guide to retaining walls in Sydney explains where the line sits.

What drives the cost

Timber species and grade, fence height, the number of posts, whether the old fence has to be removed and disposed of, site access, and how much the ground fights you all move the price. A long, flat, accessible run with no demolition is the cheapest paling fence there is; a steep rear boundary reached through the house with an old fence to pull out is at the other end. We keep the drivers, rather than invented figures, in our Sydney fencing cost guide.

How long a paling fence lasts, and how to get more out of it

Posts usually decide the lifespan, because that is where timber meets permanently damp ground. Keep soil, mulch and garden beds off the timber so it can dry, make sure water is not being directed at the fence line by a downpipe or a sprinkler, and deal with a loose rail or a rotting post before it drags the run out of line. Our fence maintenance tips cover the seasonal jobs, and if several posts are already going, when to replace rather than repair is the more useful read.

Near the coast, salt shortens the odds on the hardware rather than the timber, which is why we recommend marine-grade fixings on beachside boundaries. There is more in our guide to the best fence for coastal Sydney homes.

Timber paling or Colorbond?

Both are sensible choices for a Sydney back boundary. Timber suits character homes, takes paint or stain, can be repaired board by board and is easy to match to an existing fence. Colorbond does not need painting and will not rot at ground level, but a damaged panel is harder to blend in. We compare them properly in Colorbond vs timber fencing.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a timber paling fence last in Sydney?

It depends far more on the posts, the drainage and the fixings than on the palings. A hardwood-posted fence on well-drained ground, kept clear of soil and mulch, will comfortably outlast one with softwood posts sitting in a damp garden bed. Posts are almost always what fails first.

Should I use hardwood or treated pine palings?

Hardwood holds its shape better, lasts longer and weathers to grey if left unfinished. Treated pine is cheaper, lighter and takes paint readily. A very common middle path is hardwood posts and rails with pine palings, which puts the durable timber where the load and the ground contact are.

Should there be a gap between palings?

Timber moves with moisture, so butted palings tend to open up gaps as they dry. If privacy matters, lapped palings that overlap each other are the better detail, because seasonal movement never becomes a sight line.

Which side do the palings go on?

On a shared fence that is something to agree with your neighbour rather than decide unilaterally. One side sees the palings and the other sees the rails, so it is worth raising early — along with the cost-sharing question covered in our dividing fence guide.

Can I paint or stain a new paling fence?

Yes, though new timber usually needs time to dry and weather before it will hold a finish properly, and treated pine and hardwood behave differently. Follow the coating manufacturer's guidance on moisture content and preparation rather than painting the week it goes up.

If your back fence is on its last legs, we build timber paling fences across the Sutherland Shire, St George, the Inner West, the Eastern Suburbs and Canterbury-Bankstown. Have a look at our fencing services, the areas we service, or get in touch for a quote.

Read next: how to fix a sagging timber gate. Where the run includes side access, our guide to timber side gates covers width, framing and hardware. Also worth reading: how long a timber fence lasts in Sydney.

Read next: Hardwood vs treated pine fencing in Sydney

Also worth reading: Painting a Picket Fence: A Sydney Guide