Comparisons
Closeboard vs Panel Fencing: Which Should You Choose?
Closeboard is stronger, longer-lived and follows uneven ground; panels are cheaper, faster and easier to replace one at a time.
This is the single most common decision our customers face. Both are good fences when built properly — they simply solve different problems, and the right answer usually depends on your ground, your exposure and how long you intend to stay.
How they are built
Closeboard (feather-edge) is assembled on site: posts, arris rails, then overlapping tapered boards nailed on individually. Panel fencing arrives as a made unit that slots between posts. That difference explains almost every practical distinction between them.
Strength and wind
Closeboard is heavier and stiffer, and because it is built in place it has no weak panel frame to rack. On exposed plateau and open-aspect gardens — the kind of long boundaries we replace repeatedly after storms — closeboard with 100mm posts at tighter centres is what we recommend. Where wind is severe, hit-and-miss lets air through and reduces load further.
Sloping and uneven ground
Panels must be stepped, which leaves triangular gaps under each panel unless you add stepped gravel boards. Closeboard can be raked to follow the contour, which looks far better on a gradient and keeps pets in.
Cost, repair and lifespan
Panels win on up-front cost and on single-panel repairs — a storm takes out one panel and you replace one panel. Closeboard costs more initially and repairs are a board-and-rail job rather than a swap, but a properly built closeboard fence on concrete posts routinely outlasts two panel fences.
- Choose panels for: budget, speed, rental turnarounds, level ground, easy future swaps
- Choose closeboard for: exposure, slopes, security, longevity, boundaries you don't want to think about again
Frequently asked
Which lasts longer?
Closeboard, comfortably — mostly because of heavier timber sections and no thin panel frame. Post choice matters more than either, though.
Can I mix the two?
Yes, and it is often sensible: closeboard on the exposed or shared boundary, panels down the sheltered side to control cost.
Is closeboard more private?
Yes. Overlapping boards leave no through-gaps, and closeboard is easily built to 1.8m plus trellis where permitted.
Do both work with concrete posts?
Panels drop straight into slotted concrete posts. Closeboard is normally fixed to timber or concrete posts with brackets — we spec whichever suits the run.
Want this priced properly for your garden?
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