The Fence Post

Fair Treatment

We live in a world where everyone wants equality and to be treated the same as everyone else. Sounds fair and reasonable. Too bad the same standard doesn’t apply to vinyl-coated wire. It’s sad but true!

A Revealing Test

Take for example much of the vinyl coated wire being imported from China. It is not bonded to the wire-like the higher quality coated wire made in the USA or Italy. On the surface, it looks similar but functionally, it’s miles apart. On much of this wire, you can actually remove the vinyl coating by simply scratching it with your fingernail. Just imagine what’s going to happen to it in the “real world!" It would be like applying paint to a greasy surface. It just won’t adhere properly and will peel off easily. You can see the results in the pictures below of this 14 gauge, 2" x 4" coated wire requested from another company selling vinyl-coated wire fencing materials.

Exposed

When you consider that when people buy the higher-priced vinyl-coated wire over non-coated wire it is because they desire durability, long life, and improved aesthetics. What a disappointment it is when you see the vinyl coating peeling off. When this occurs, the wire underneath the coating is exposed and subject to rust and corrosion. There go the durability, long life, and aesthetics--not to mention the cost of the wire and the cost and work to install it!

The Unfortunate Result

How can you avoid this problem? Choose a high-quality bonded vinyl coated wire product. Why is bonded better? The vinyl coating is “bonded” to the heated, thoroughly cleaned wire mesh through a special, exacting process. This special process provides a strong, smooth, durable coating without pinholes or thin spots. This is where the wire becomes one with the vinyl coating. For PVC coated wire, this is bliss!

The moral of the story, choose vinyl-coated wire carefully. You will pay a little more for a quality, bonded vinyl-coated product, but the benefits and peace of mind are worth it. The quality is remembered long after the price! We can have pity on the inferior vinyl-coated wire, but we don’t have to buy it!

An Oasis Right in the City

Railroad Park is a 19-acre green space with nine acres of open lawn located right downtown in the city of Birmingham, Alabama. The rest of the park is landscaped with over 600 trees and a varied mix of flowers and plants. Recycled and re-used objects from the site are used in many of the walls and seating areas made from welded wire gabion baskets. Water is a main feature in the park. A lake, pond, wetland area, and streams are scattered throughout covering 30% of the area. Many paths wind throughout Railroad Park and the Rail Trail extends the length of the park. At its highest point, there are views of the city. Railroad Park is among five finalists selected to compete for the Urban Land Institute's Urban Open Space Award.

Dramatic and Functional

Gabions are versatile and Railroad Park in Birmingham makes creative use of them. Scattered throughout this recently constructed urban park are many different gabion structures. They are not only design elements adding definition to areas of the park but they are also dramatic features that perform a specific function. Here are some helpful visuals:

Welded wire baskets filled with stone form a gabion wall that holds back the earth. The path through the canyon leads off towards the tracks and the park's perimeter.

A retaining wall alongside one of the waterways flowing through the park forms a straight line in contrast to the curved shore in the foreground. Loose stones fill the space between the water and the wall.

This playground perimeter is defined and protected by a curved wall of stones enclosed in gabion baskets. Contours and varying heights are easily achieved using gabions.

Bordering areas extending into the water are built up with gabions, creating a tranquil space for seats on either side of a shade tree planted in the middle. There are several of these areas spaced along the shoreline. The structure harmonizes with the benches and wall in the distance.

Fiberglass grating secured to the top of the welded wire baskets provides comfortable seating areas throughout the park. The long gabion wall in the background runs along the edge of another pond.

Recycled hand-cast bricks from the area are also used to fill the galvanized gabion baskets. Stacked in an orderly pattern, notice the contrast in color and shape with the rough stones used elsewhere.

Large or Small Projects - Residential and Commercial

Gabion baskets allow for flexibility in landscape design. They can be used in any project, large or small, residential or commercial. They can be used purely as a design element or as a functioning structural piece. In addition to this flexibility, gabions also save time and labor during the construction phase. So easy to handle and assemble, many do-it-yourself projects can be built by the homeowner. It is far easier to position and fill an empty basket with rocks than it is to move boulders and large rocks into place. Consider using welded wire gabions in your next project.

Watch this video about Railroad Park--

See you at the park!

Panels Will Streamline a Project  

• Are you bidding on a commercial or municipal project that requires wire mesh safety panels for a boardwalk railing, deck railing, bridge railing, or other areas where public safety is of concern?
• Is there an industrial application that needs wire mesh to protect workers from injuries, such as machine guards and storage areas?
• Do the specs call for a heavy gauge welded wire mesh with an opening size that is hard to find, for example, 12.5 gauge black vinyl coated 2" x 2" mesh? Or do you want a galvanized after weld (GAW) or even a stainless steel product?

Managing Straightening and Space

You can go ahead and buy welded wire mesh in rolls. But as the gauge of the wire increases, so does the difficulty of straightening out the mesh so it will lie flat - especially towards the center of the roll where it is wound most tightly. This can be an especially difficult task when your workspace is limited. There may not be enough unobstructed space to open and roll out the material. Then there's the potential problem of cutting pieces to the right dimensions. And what do you do with the scrap pieces left after the panel is cut?

The List of Benefits

Wire mesh panels are effective in solving these problems and challenges. Custom cut panels have the following positive features:

1. Convenient
2. Pre-flattened
3. Faster to install
4. Easy to work with
5. Lower in labor cost
6. Less scrap and waste
7. Save on material costs
8. Wide choice of wire gauges
9. Smaller pieces are lighter in weight
10. Many different mesh sizes are available
11. GBW, GAW, Vinyl Coated, and Stainless Steel
12. Custom cut panels are sized to specific project requirements

What will you use on your next project?
Would pre-cut, pre-flattened panels save you time and money?

And please note that there may be minimum quantities requirements.

Structure and Style

Watch this video to see some of the creative ways gabion baskets have been used to construct some unique landscape features.

Using Your Imagination...

What kind of interesting structure could you incorporate in your project? Unleash your creativity! Welded wire gabion baskets offer so many possibilities: seating, planters, tables, retaining walls, free-standing walls, garden borders, stair surrounds...the potential of gabions expands with your imagination.

Is the creative use of gabion baskets something that interests you?

Be Wary of Weld Points

You want to put up a wire mesh fence. Which one should you choose? There are so many different types of fencing materials available. The fence's function, the task you want it to perform, will be a large determining factor in the selection process. Factors that will impact the functioning of your fence:

• Wire gauge
• Mesh opening size
• Height

With few exceptions, wire fences have either a galvanized or a vinyl-coated finish. Usually, the vinyl is applied to the previously galvanized wire. The important question is whether the wire mesh under the vinyl coating is galvanized before it's welded, or if the mesh is galvanized after it is welded. Why is this important?

When galvanized wire is welded into a mesh, the protective zinc is burned off at the weld points where the wires intersect. This leaves the wires unprotected, exposed to both the air and any corrosive elements that may come in contact with them. Moisture tends to concentrate in these areas. One way to protect the wires from this threat is to vinyl coat them.

Hot-dipped

To get the highest quality protection from rust and corrosion a thick coating of PVC is applied to a wire mesh that has been galvanized after it has been welded. The wire fence material is hot-dipped--passed through a bath of molten zinc. The zinc flows over the entire surface of the mesh, thoroughly sealing the wires and the areas where the wires intersect. The PVC is applied last, giving the fence an extended life due to its double protection.

Double Protection

What factors make PVC coated galvanized after welded wire mesh the best vinyl coated wire mesh and fence?

• This attractive finish is pleasing to the eye
• Longest life--extended protection against rust and corrosion
• Reduced expense and labor of replacement
• Double protection--tightly bonded PVC coating on top of galvanized after weld

The next time you want to be sure that the wire you buy will last the longest, get vinyl coated wire mesh and fence that is galvanized after weld. Make sure the coating of PVC is both thick and tightly bonded to the underlying wire. This is so tough it's the same type of mesh used for lobster traps.

Don't settle for less expensive inferior wire mesh products--this is false economizing. Get the products that will stand the test of time!

You do have a choice!