Frames for outdoor lattice?

[Stephen Tashiro]

The plastic and wooden sections of lattice( typically 2' x 8' to 4' x 8') sold in the garden department of hardware stores look nicer if they are deployed with a frame around them. What is a good solution for the frame?

The stores sell a plastic frame material for the plastic lattice but it is expensive and I don't know if it is durable.

I've tried making frames out of stock ripped from 1 inch thick planks of treated lumber and they warp like crazy. Frames of treated 2x4's do better, but this size wood seems out of proportion to weight of the lattice expecially if I want to hang the lattice from something like the eaves of the house.

I'd like a lightweight frame that has about the same weight, expense and lifespan as the lattice itself.

[Chris Kennedy]

What about taking 2 by 4, ripping it in half and then cut a dado the length of the ripped piece to hold the lattice?

Chris

[Rich Engelhardt]

Most borgs carry dog eared cedar fence that 5.5" wide x 6' long and 5/8" thick.
They work great for stuff like you want to do & are cheap.

I paid something like $2.00 each for 60 of them a couple of months ago when they were on sale.

Unlike treated - cedar tends to stay straight if it starts out straight. Pick through the pile for the good ones.

Oops - forgot to add...

I'm planning on doing similar to what you want, only I'll be making panels that are 2'x4'.
I'm going to use the panels as "ceiing tile".
I saw that done at a nearby bar/grill and it looked spectaular.

I made a protoype out of treated lattice painted white and used 1x3 borg white wood as the framing.
I used a full 4'x8' piece of lattice and it didn't look right.
Plus the pine frame was too heavy.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Have some fun with it - you can make yer own:

> Top rail from 3 pieces [approx] 11/16" WRC, with outer pieces approx 2-1/2" wide and center piece about 1-1/4" wide
> Lattice components 7/8" x 1-3/8" WRC with glued lap joints and tenons glued into reveal in top rail; openings about 5-3/4" square
> Bottom rail 2 pcs 11/16" x 2-1/2" glued to lattice tenons [open gaps between verticals for water drainage].

Between the posts in this section about 9' clear-span.



200093

[Tom Leftley]

I built this type of fence a couple of years ago to go around my yard.
The basic fence is built using pressure treated 2x4. (Posts were 4x4 embedded in concrete 4ft. deep.
Frost plays hell with fence posts in the frozen north.

I then secured the latice using pressure treated 2x2 on each side.
You can buy special srews available at the big box stores but I used deck screws to hold the 2x2 in place.

Up here in the frozen north, I have had some of the panels blow out during a severe snow storm, but it was quite easy to remove the 2x2 on one side, slide the latice back in place and then replace the 2x2.

[Don Jarvie]

Maybe using Azek would work. You can put a dado on the side of the Azek and frame them like a raised panel door. If you want the thicker look you can make 2 rabbits and glue 2 pieces together.

[Neal Clayton]

another idea that comes to mind, for the frame joinery, cut a dado in the back of your face frames and put a board in the dado on edge to form the joint. glue and toe nail the crap out of it. the board set in there on edge will tend to hold the face board straight.