I recently bought an old Federation place in Sydney with a small courtyard. The previous owner was a landscaper and on one side of the courtyard had built a frame and lined it with plywood , stained it (or painted it) a brown colour and capped the top with some hardwood also satined or painted the same colour. It looks great - im surprised plywood would last but the guys at Bunnings say outdoor grade plywood will last as long as its painted etc.

Im now thinking of doing the same setup on the other side of the courtyard where there is an ancient corrugated iron fence.Question- could i simply screw the plywood onto this old fence and then put some capping on top- sounds too easy!! Any thoughts appreciated

Cheers

Marty

I was told the same thing at Bunnings Marty. What damages/ages plywood is if water enters from the top edge. Sealing this area doesn't stop the problem, it must be capped in a way to ensure no water can penetrate from the top edge. I'm using plastic strips to cap mine. I'm in the middle of extending the height of my fence and gate with plywood (screwed onto an extended frame). Just to make sure it is durable, I painted it with an oil based primer/sealer/undercoat and painted it with weathershield. Looks great so far.

Would depend on stability of existing fence, is it solid?
Other problem if its a boundary fence would be if neighbor wants to replace at some stage and your screen is attached to the fence.

thanks for the thoughts guys- yes a plastic strip sounds like sensible idea- im amazed at what a low cost but good looking result you can get with good old plywood!!
Re the neighbour , i dont think this will be an issue as he has a relaxed attitude to such things!

cheers

Marty

The same look could be achieved using fibre sheet without the concern for weatherproofing. But external grade ply or even internal ply with primer and properly painted and maintained - along with mechanical protection using gal/ colourbond, aluminium or plastic capping will work fine too and last many years. I'd be surprised if the ply were cheaper than the fibre board, but with ply coming in from Brazil and China who knows.

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Advice from me on this forum is general and for guidance based on information given by the member posing the question. Not to be used in place of professional advice from people appropriately qualified in the relevant field. All structural work must be approved and constructed to the BCA or other relevant standards by suitably licensed persons. The person doing the work and reading my advice accepts responsibility for ensuring the work done accords with the applicable law.

Marty,
Do you have any pics of said screen you can post? Interested to see what it looks like.

Project1080

I'd also be interested in seeing some photos.
I found that the ply needs a good sealer coat to stop the constant movement of the wood fibre that will cause surface "checks" (cracks and splits)
Once the fibre splits the ply really starts to look sad, so make sure you coat well.

I've added a few snaps of past plywood fences we have constructed.

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