A complete guide to Gravel boards: Are they essential?

Amongst homeowners looking to change or upgrade their garden fence, we often receive questions like “what are gravel boards?”, “Are gravel boards essential for my fencing project”, and “what type of gravel board is best?”. If you’re in this situation and need answers to your gravel board related questions, read on.

Here, we explore everything you need to know about gravel boards for your upcoming fencing project.

What is a gravel board?

A gravel board is a wooden, concrete, or composite board usually around 140-150mm in height. They’re positioned underneath your fence panels and sit on top of the ground to protect your fence   against wet soil, debris, and insect damage. 

Essentially, gravel boards are used to improve the lifespan of your fence.

Are gravel boards essential?

Installing gravel boards will increase the durability of your fence. So, although they come at an extra cost, they’ll save you money in the long run.

By closing any unsightly gaps at the bottom of your fence, gravel boards also help create a neater and cleaner looking fence, while ensuring complete privacy too.

They’re also great at preventing damage to your panels caused by:

• Lawn mowers
• Strimmers
• Spade or fork work
• Ball games

Types of gravel boards

When it comes to selecting your gravel boards, there are 3 main types to choose from: wooden, concrete, and composite.

Let’s explore each option in further detail.

Wooden gravel boards

Wooden boards are often used by those looking to maintain a traditional looking fence, especially when decorative fence panels are in question. However, just like timber fence posts, wooden gravel boards are prone to rotting.

Concrete gravel boards

Concrete gravel boards are longer-lasting than timber, they don’t rot or decay. They’re also easy to maintain and provide a strong foundation for your fencing posts. The drawback though? Many don’t appreciate the aesthetics, or lack of shall we say. Concrete gravel boards are typically heavy and difficult to manoeuvre too, making installation quite a struggle.

Composite gravel boards

Composite gravel boards bring the best of both worlds. With both the aesthetic appeal and long-lasting qualities, they don’t rot, warp, or crack.

They’re also lightweight, easy to install, and come in a variety of colours and finishes.

But how is this achieved?

Composite gravel boards are made from a mixture of plastic and real wood, which is typically recycled. The wood creates a natural and authentic looking finish, while the plastic retains incredible strength to allow for a longer lasting, more durable solution.

Composite gravel boards with DuraPost

DuraPost is a stylish, secure and easy to maintain fencing system. With a range of styles, colours and matching accessories to create your perfect outside space, DuraPost offers a fencing solution that you’ll not only love, but lasts for years to come.

With composite gravel boards, post caps, and capping rails, as well as galvanised steel fence posts, gate posts and U-channels, DuraPost offers everything you need for a complete and easy to install fencing system.

Take a look at our DuraPost customer stories, or contact our team to find out more today.