# Is this redwood fencing with water damage?



## lgal (Aug 18, 2015)

Hi All,
I'm hoping someone can tell me something about this redwood fence.
I recently had a redwood fence installed and it kinda sorta fell apart the next day... and for the next couple months until the company finally came out to fix it. 
What I mean by "fell apart", is that the knot holes fell out, some of the planks split straight up the middle and by the time the sales rep came out, even he said I had a swiss cheese fence (his words). When I say "fixed it" I mean that they replaced some of the boards with holes in them... but not every board. Also, I started seeing what looked like water damage on every plank coming from the top down and bottom up. There are no sprinklers by the fence and the fence doesn't even touch the ground. And like I said, it's also happening from the top down on every plank. Plus, I live in CA and it hasn't rained here since they installed the fence (yes, it's been months).
What I know:
I had a good neighbor fence installed with kick boards (I'm going to try to attach a pic).
The owner of the company said the batch of wood was a bad batch.
I paid for con heart wood (even I don't believe that that is what was actually installed).
What I want to know:
What is this damage? Is it a result of the bad batch? Is it dry rot? What do you think, should the company replace the whole fence? The water damage is only on the originally installed boards (the bad batch), not the boards that were replaced. Which is why I'm asking what it is.
Thanks to anyone who can help. Getting this fence installed has taken far too much of my time.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

I'm no expert on water damage, but that sure looks like it to me. I know you haven't had any rain out there for quite some time, but, the bottom picture looks like water has "wicked" up through the bottom boards. I'm mystified as to how the water stains came to be at the top, very strange.

It could very well be water staining from sitting out in some lumberyard somewhere. I know I have purchased fence panels before that were just sitting out in a giant puddle in the middle of a Carter lumber yard, no telling where yours may have been before they were installed at your house.

One remedy would be to stain with a solid stain to blend in that mess. I would be leery of using anything water-based because it may wick those stains through the finish coats.


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

Are the horizontal upper and lower boards treated lumber? Treated lumber is notoriously super wet when new. Possible the kiln dry redwood is pulling the moisture out of the treated boards.


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## lgal (Aug 18, 2015)

Nope. Regular redwood. The only treated wood on the fence are the 4x6 posts. Those are treated redwood.


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Looks like the vertical slats are resting on the wood at the bottom and water is wicking up the end grain.


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

Ron6519 said:


> Looks like the vertical slats are resting on the wood at the bottom and water is wicking up the end grain.



I agree Ron it is wicking from somewhere, but what explains the top?
Cat?


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Fog --condensation---where are you?


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Yodaman said:


> I agree Ron it is wicking from somewhere, but what explains the top?
> Cat?


The boards have two ends. I can't see how the wood on top is related to the vertical boards.


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

Ron6519 said:


> The boards have two ends. I can't see how the wood on top is related to the vertical boards.




Ron I was referring to the stain on the top. The bottom row of stains sure looks like wicking from something wet. But the stains on top are from something else. Maybe condensation like Mike suggested.

Originally I was curious if the upper and lower boards were wet treated lumber, and the moisture was transferring into the vertical fence boards, but the OP clarified that they were not.


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## hahasarah69 (Dec 29, 2021)

lgal said:


> Hi All,
> I'm hoping someone can tell me something about this redwood fence.
> I recently had a redwood fence installed and it kinda sorta fell apart the next day... and for the next couple months until the company finally came out to fix it.
> What I mean by "fell apart", is that the knot holes fell out, some of the planks split straight up the middle and by the time the sales rep came out, even he said I had a swiss cheese fence (his words). When I say "fixed it" I mean that they replaced some of the boards with holes in them... but not every board. Also, I started seeing what looked like water damage on every plank coming from the top down and bottom up. There are no sprinklers by the fence and the fence doesn't even touch the ground. And like I said, it's also happening from the top down on every plank. Plus, I live in CA and it hasn't rained here since they installed the fence (yes, it's been months).
> ...


Red oak doesn't hold up well outdoors unlike white oak. Hemlock I'm not all that familiar with.


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