Rotting Fence Palings
What to do about it
Palings almost always rot from the bottom up, and the fix depends entirely on what the posts are doing. Here is how to check, and what to do either way.
Why palings rot, and what it means
Timber rots where it stays wet. On a fence that means the bottom 100 to 200 millimetres, where the paling sits close to soil, mulch or lawn and never fully dries out. That is why a fence can be perfectly sound at eye level and crumbling at the base.
The important question is not the palings. It is whether the posts have gone the same way. Palings are cheap and quick to replace; posts are neither. Check the posts before you spend anything on the palings.
If the posts are sound, replacing palings is straightforward and good value. It is one of the few fencing jobs where a repair genuinely restores the fence rather than deferring the replacement.
If the posts are soft at the soil line too, replacing palings is money spent on a fence that is going to come down anyway. At that point you are better putting the same money towards a replacement with the base detail done properly.
Why it happened, and how to stop it
Rot is a moisture problem, not a timber problem. Every row here is something that keeps the base of the fence wet.
| Cause | What is happening | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Palings sitting in soil or mulch | Timber wicks moisture and never dries | Set the new palings clear of the ground |
| Garden bed built against the fence | Constant damp plus irrigation | Pull the bed back, or add a plinth |
| Sprinklers hitting the fence | Repeated wetting, several times a week | Redirect the sprinklers |
| H3 timber used in ground contact | H3 is rated for above ground only | Use H4 anywhere near the soil |
| No capping rail on top | Water sits on the end grain and travels down | Add a capping rail |
| Fence in permanent shade | Never dries between rains | Ground gap and a durable species |
| Lawn clippings piled at the base | Traps moisture against the timber | Keep the base clear |
Timber that stays wet rots regardless of treatment level. Treatment slows it; drainage and a ground gap prevent it.
Working out what you are dealing with
1Test the posts first
Push each post firmly side to side, and try a screwdriver at the soil line. This decides everything else. Soft or rocking posts mean the palings are not the real problem.
2Check the rails
Rails sit horizontally and hold water in their joints. Press along them. Soft rails mean the palings have nothing sound to fix back to, which changes a paling job into a bigger one.
3Count the bad palings
A handful of palings is a small repair. More than about a third of the run and you are approaching the cost of new palings throughout, which is close to a rebuild once labour is counted.
4Find the moisture source
Soil against the fence, a garden bed, sprinklers, piled clippings. Fixing the cause matters as much as replacing the timber, or you will be doing this again in five years.
5Decide and get it quoted
Sound posts and rails: replace palings and fix the drainage. Failing posts: put the money into a replacement built with a proper ground gap.
Four things that stop it happening again
Replacing rotted palings with the same detail that rotted them is the most common mistake on this job.
Timber that can dry does not rot
Every long-lasting timber fence has one thing in common: air under the palings. Everything else is secondary to that.
Lift the palings clear
A gap of 25 to 50mm between the palings and the ground stops the wicking that caused the rot. It is free at install and it roughly doubles how long the palings last.
Right treatment in the right place
H4 for anything in or near ground contact, H3 for above. Cheap jobs use H3 throughout, which is exactly why the base goes first.
Cap the top
A capping rail stops water sitting on the end grain of every paling. It adds a small amount per metre and it addresses the rot that comes from above rather than below.
Fix the cause, not the symptom
New palings against the same garden bed will rot on the same schedule. If the moisture source is not dealt with, the repair is a five-year loan rather than a fix.
Timber repairs across Melbourne
Bayside
Known for Bayside, Glen Eira and Port Phillip councils.
Rotting paling questions
What owners ask when the bottom of the fence starts going.
Get the fence looked atYes, if the posts and rails are sound. That is a straightforward repair and good value. Test the posts first, because replacing palings on failing posts is money spent twice.
Related guides
When to Replace a Fence
The post test that decides repair against replacement.
Read more GuideHow Long Does a Fence Last?
Realistic lifespans by material, and what shortens them.
Read more ComparisonColorbond vs Timber
If rot has you reconsidering timber entirely.
Read more ComplianceNeighbour Fence Disputes
Who pays for a replacement, and what notice is required.
Read more GuideStorm Damage and Insurance
Why rot gets storm claims declined.
Read more
Get the palings looked at properly
We check the posts and rails before quoting, so you find out whether this is a repair or a replacement before you spend anything.