Garden Fencing
HERMEQ garden fencing covers steel railings and timber fencing for permanent boundaries around homes, schools, parks and new build housing. The range secures the perimeter of a garden, or divides one outdoor space into several separate, usable areas. Bow top, ball top and estate railings are made in our own works, galvanised and powder coated black. The timber range covers feather edge boards and fence posts in treated brown or green, with arris rails, timber rails, gravel boards and trellis to complete a run. Every style and size can be bought online for nationwide delivery.
Types of garden fencing
The range divides into steel railings, which arrive as finished panels ready to fix between posts, and timber fencing, which is built on site from posts, rails and boards.
Bow top railings
Bow top railings, also known as hoop top railings, form the infill bars into a continuous rounded hoop, so the top of the run has no exposed bar ends. Choose them wherever people walk or play close to the fence, from school grounds, play areas and public parks to residential gardens and driveways, where a softer profile suits the setting.
Ball top railings
Ball top railings finish each upright with a ball, which gives the look of traditional ironwork with a rounded top in place of spikes. They are a regular specification on housing developments and also suit car parks, pathways and public access areas, where a boundary has to look formal and stay secure.
Estate railings
Estate railings are the open, tubular rail fencing seen around country houses and parkland, and they are increasingly specified on new build housing as well. Choose them for long boundaries, pasture separation and frontages where the view across the land should stay open, as the pre-made bays go up at a steady rate over a long run.
Feather edge fencing
Feather edge fencing, also called close board fencing, is built from feather edge fencing boards that taper across their width and overlap as they are fixed, giving a solid timber face with a rural look. Choose it where a boundary has to screen a garden from the road or from neighbours, and where the run follows a slope or an odd length, since it is built board by board.
Post and rail fencing
Post and rail fencing pairs square posts with timber rails for post and rail fencing to make an open, agricultural style boundary. Choose it to mark paddocks, field edges and the outer line of larger plots, where the boundary only needs to be seen.
Garden trellis panels
Heavy duty square trellis panels carry ivy and other climbing plants and give a partly open screen around seating areas and planted beds. Choose them to divide a garden into separate spaces or to add height and greenery along a fence line, with several panel widths to fit the gap between posts.
Metal railings or timber fencing
The decision rests on what the boundary has to do: stay open to view, screen the garden, or simply mark a line. Metal garden railings are right for front gardens, driveways, school grounds, parks, council land and the frontages of new build estates, where a boundary has to control access while keeping sight lines clear and the building in view. Feather edge fencing is right where privacy comes first, in rear gardens, beside seating areas and between neighbouring plots, because the overlapping boards close every gap. Post and rail fencing is right on larger plots, paddocks and estate land where the boundary only needs to be visible, since an open timber line covers a long distance with far less material than a boarded fence.
Many properties use more than one type, and a housing scheme will often carry railings along the frontage and feather edge between the rear gardens. A garden boundary that has to come down again after building work or an event needs a different product: temporary mesh fencing stands on weighted feet and moves with the job. For a secure commercial perimeter, palisade fencing is built for that work, and long mesh boundaries are covered by wire and chain link fencing, both within the wider permanent fencing range.
Fence posts, rails and gravel boards for timber fencing
Every timber run is built around its posts, and the post type decides which rails and boards the fence can take.
Notched posts or square posts
Notched timber posts have slots cut into them to house arris rails, which makes them the post for feather edge fencing. UC4 timber fence posts are plain square posts used for post and rail fencing, where the rails are fixed to the face of the post. Both come in a choice of sections and lengths, so heavier posts can be used for taller fences, gate positions and exposed sites.
Arris rails or timber rails
Arris rails are triangular in section: their ends sit in the notches of the posts and their flat face carries the feather edge boards, with an extra rail added as the fence gets taller. Timber rails are flat rails nailed or screwed across the face of square posts, with each joint made on a post so that every rail is supported at both ends.
Gravel boards and backing rails
Timber gravel boards run along the foot of a fence between the posts and hold the boards above clear of the soil, where timber stays wettest and decays first. When a gravel board wears, it is replaced on its own and the fence above it stays in place. Fence panel backing rails are fixed across the back of boarding or panels to brace them and give a firm fixing line between posts.
Galvanised railings and pressure treated timber
The steel railings are galvanised and then powder coated black, with the powder coat applied in HERMEQ's own plant. The zinc layer protects the steel from corrosion and the powder coat seals it, so the railings arrive with their final finish and need no painting on site. Estate railings can be coated in custom colours on request.
Timber posts are pressure treated to UC4, the use class for timber set into the ground or kept in constant contact with soil and water, which is the treatment a fence post needs below ground level. Posts and feather edge boards come in brown or green treatment, so a whole run can be matched in one colour, and posts can be incised on request: shallow cuts in the surface let the preservative reach deeper into the wood. The square trellis is UC4 treated against rot, decay and insects.
Popular Categories
V Mesh Perimeter Fencing
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Frequently Asked Questions
How are metal garden railings installed?
The posts are set into the ground, usually in concrete or a rapid setting post mix such as Postcrete, and the railing panels are fixed between them. The end and corner posts go in first, a string line is run between them, and the intermediate posts are set to the bay width along that line. Estate railings arrive as pre-made bays with their fixings, so no welding is needed on site.
How do I work out how many railing bays I need?
Each railing product page carries a calculator that works out the bays and posts for the length of run you enter. Measure each straight section separately and count the corners and ends, because each one takes its own post.
Can trellis be fixed to the top of an existing fence?
Yes. The heavy duty square trellis can be screwed to the top of a timber fence with suitable brackets, or fixed to its own posts set into the soil. Extra height adds wind load, so the existing posts need to be sound and firmly set before trellis goes on top.
Are matching gates available for garden railings?
Gates are listed as an option with the ball top railings, along with posts and Postcrete, so an entrance can carry the same ball top design and black finish as the run. Larger entrances for cars are covered by the vehicle access gates range within permanent fencing.
Are the railings made in the UK?
Yes. HERMEQ manufactures the bow top, ball top and estate railings in the UK, with the steel processed in-house. The timber posts, gravel boards and square trellis are also made in the UK, and the trellis is cut from UK grown timber.