Cedar Narrow Slat

Our Western Red Cedar comes from Canada and it is graded no2 clear allowing 15/20% of no4, so you can be assured this is a high-quality cedar.

Ive seen these cheaper somewhere else.

This may be the case, we are not the only suppliers of Cedar slats/battens, but lets look at maybe a few reasons as to why its cheaper.

Is it Canadian? Some suppliers advertise British Cedar, which we would love to buy British, but unfortunately, the best Cedar comes from Canada and thats where we source ours from.

Is it the same size? Our most popular slats are 44mm wide, some advertised from other suppliers might be, for example, 38mm wide. It may not seem much being 6mm difference, but put that over a typical 1800mm high panel with a standard gap of 12mm and this could mean you would be having to order 4 more slats and this could add over ?20 to section and if youre doing 5 sections, thats ?100 more, so dont let that slightly lower cost fool you.

Do they offer great customer service? Our feedback says we do, were not saying we get it right all the time but we try very hard to do so and if it does go wrong, we work even harder to put it right.

Basically when buying cedar just check that your comparing is apples for apples and if it’s still cheaper, they have it in stock and their feedback is good, then buy from them&I would.

The short answer is yes, our cedar comes from a PEFC certified importer, which is certified that stock comes from a sustainable source.

Whether you are using nails or screws they must be stainless steel, galvanised fixings will react with the natural oils in the cedar and leave black marks around the fixings, please make your installer aware if they have not used cedar before.

Canadian Western Red Cedar has a mix of warm amber tones that range from reddish browns, dark chocolatey browns to lighter beige, this is what gives cedar its unique look.

This is quite common when buying cedar, our cedar is sold in lengths of 6ft to 9ft not the metric sizes of 1.8m, 2.1m, 2.4m etc, Canada use imperial measuring as oppose to the metric system, so your cedar will arrive approximately 6ft or 7ft etc, it may even be slightly longer, dont panic, it may mean having to trim but this also means you get a nice clean and square-cut, just allow for this when using this material.

Setting the distance between posts is entirely your choice, 6ft, 7ft or wider maybe with additional support, although we would advise rounding down to the metric size, for example, if using 6ft slats, it may be best to set the posts at 1.8m centres, this allows you to clean and square-cut the slats, making sure each one is the same length as they will all be slightly different when you get them.

Dont forget adding a couple of slats vertically will also help keep the gaps nice and even and consistent.

If storing your cedar then unwrap and store flat, this will help prevent the slats from bowing, remember cedar is full of natural oils so dont store on light coloured surfaces that may be porous such as rendered walls or tile paving.

We recommend applying Treatex UV Oil to help maintain the beautiful colours.

Using a clear oil that has UV protection will prevent the weathering/greying effect, it will also deepen the colour of the cedar and bring out the grain, Slatted Screen Fencing recommend using Treatex UV Oil, this can be found on our accessories page.

Like most cedar suppliers, our cedar is supplied what is called green or wet dont worry its not green in colour or dripping wet when you get it, it simply means it is fresh cut and has not been seasoned (left to air dry for a long period of time).

Western red cedar is often mistaken for hardwood, it is actually soft although it is classed as a durable softwood due to the fact it contains natural oils that protect the timber from rot, decay and insect damage, this is why it has been used for centuries in Canada and the US and is an ideal choice for exterior use.

As much as our timber is a quality product, its a natural product, knots, small chips, marking or scuffing can be quite common, any making is easily rectified with a little light sanding and knots or small chips usually solved by turning the slat so you have a good face side.

But to avoid any delays in finishing your project, we suggest adding some extra slats to your order, if you order the exact amount and find you have a couple that has a knot you do not like, or one that has worked loose, or something similar, then this will only slow your project down and potentially cost more money in extra delivery costs and replacement product.

Remember nature grew the tree and it didnt check it with a spirit level while it was growing, allow for the odd quirk, bow or knot, order some additional just in case. We cannot guarantee that every slat will be perfect and therefore we cannot replace a slat because of something that is a natural occurrence
As much as our timber is high quality, we highly recommend clients add 5  10 % additional materials to your order, as we cannot supply every length defect free.
Timber is a natural product and sometimes has an odd defect, or knot, as such we cannot replace pieces due to natural defects.

Most can be rectified by sanding or trimming, but please allow a little extra material just in case.

Wood is natural product and as much as we cut it, plane it and profile it, in the end some pieces will misbehave and do exactly what they want, a little bit like my teenage daughter!

Wood it literally like a sponge it will absorb, retain and release moisture, sun, rain, heat, cold along with other mechanical factors will force the wood to adapt to its environment, this is a term known as weathering. The cracking/checking is a side effect of the timber trying to reach a natural equilibrium in its environment.

Timber starts drying from the outer/surface layers inward in order to reach a balance with its environment, as the outer layers dry and shrink, the moist, hard center (or heart wood) doesnt give them room to shrink or compress, the cracks/checks are the woods way of relieving this pressure.