Faulty Fence Panels

row7

We had some landscaping work done in January this year which included replacing all the fence panels. After only a few months the nails seem to have corroded and stained the panels. We've spoken to the people who did the work who have contacted their suppliers of the fence panels and seems they're not willing to do anything about it. They're coming round later today to discuss it properly but I'm trying to find out what rights, if any, we have in contacting their supplier directly as we know who they are? 

Aylesbury_Duck

row7 said:

We had some landscaping work done in January this year which included replacing all the fence panels. After only a few months the nails seem to have corroded and stained the panels. We've spoken to the people who did the work who have contacted their suppliers of the fence panels and seems they're not willing to do anything about it. They're coming round later today to discuss it properly but I'm trying to find out what rights, if any, we have in contacting their supplier directly as we know who they are? 

Is that it?  I think you're being overly picky.  The marks aren't particularly unattractive and once those panels have been through a full set of seasons the wood will change appearance anyway.

Also, it's not the panels that are faulty, it's the choice of nail material.

I can't see that you have any rights because I think your criticism is unreasonable.

shaun_from_Africa

Aylesbury_Duck said

Also, it's not the panels that are faulty, it's the choice of nail material.

I can't see that you have any rights because I think your criticism is unreasonable.

Saying that the panels aren't faulty, just the choice of nail material doesn't make sense to me.
If you bought a new car and after a few months the wheels started getting stained, what would your reaction be if the dealer claimed that the car wasn't faulty, it just that the manufacturer used wheel nuts that were of poor quality?

For the nails to have rusted so quickly indicates that they are either bright steel nails (no corrosion protection) or very poor quality galvanised nails.
Good quality galvanised nails should really be used for things such as fence panels and if you do a search on Google, you will find that this type of nail is what is recommended for fencing by just about every fencing company and hardware supplier.
The two problems with having nails rusting so quickly is that they can soon work loose which can allow the fence boards to start moving and apart from the unsightly staining, the rust itself can cause damage to the wood.

Aylesbury_Duck

shaun_from_Africa said:

Aylesbury_Duck said

Also, it's not the panels that are faulty, it's the choice of nail material.

I can't see that you have any rights because I think your criticism is unreasonable.

Saying that the panels aren't faulty, just the choice of nail material doesn't make sense to me.
If you bought a new car and after a few months the wheels started getting stained, what would your reaction be if the dealer claimed that the car wasn't faulty, it just that the manufacturer used wheel nuts that were of poor quality?

For the nails to have rusted so quickly indicates that they are either bright steel nails (no corrosion protection) or very poor quality galvanised nails.
Good quality galvanised nails should really be used for things such as fence panels and if you do a search on Google, you will find that this type of nail is what is recommended for fencing by just about every fencing company and hardware supplier.
The two problems with having nails rusting so quickly is that they can soon work loose which can allow the fence boards to start moving and apart from the unsightly staining, the rust itself can cause damage to the wood.

OP claims that the panels are faulty (thread title) and that the landscapers have contacted the supplier of the panels who won't do anything about it.  And rightly so.  I can't see that OP has any rights with regard to faulty panels.  My point is that the panels aren't faulty, it's the wrong nails that have been used.  The landscapers should put the proper nails in.  The stains are trivial.

DoaM

Agreed. To use the same analogy as shaun ... the seller's remedy would be to replace the wheel nuts, not the whole car. In this case the installer should be replacing the nails ... and perhaps applying a protective coat/stain to the panels to mask the staining.

shaun_from_Africa

DoaM said:

In this case the installer should be replacing the nails ... and perhaps applying a protective coat/stain to the panels to mask the staining.

Replacing the nails in fence panels isn't really viable as it would mean that you would just about have to destroy the panel to remove them and even if you managed to get them all out, once rebuilt it would probably never be as strong as it was originally.
I had fence panels fitted about 7 years ago and these were far from cheap and if the nails had started rusting within a few months, I wouldn't have been happy,
This is what my panels look like now.

The nails still look perfect with no sign of corrosion and the galvanisation has held up perfectly.

roddydogs

Do they make panels like that? Looks like feather edge separate slats.

mattyprice4004

That's pretty poor - in a year or two they'll rust through and bits of the panel will start to fall off. 

shaun_from_Africa

roddydogs said:

Do they make panels like that? Looks like feather edge separate slats.

Yes. They are called closeboard panels and are made from feather edge slats nailed onto horizontal rails.
https://www.lawsons.co.uk/product/category/1144/1524x1828mm-%285ft%29-brown-pressure-treated-feather-edge-fence-panel/f10040015
They are generally more expensive that larch lap panels but I've found that they do tend to last far longer (but in the OP's case, I doubt if this will be true).

George_Michael

Aylesbury_Duck said:

My point is that the panels aren't faulty, it's the wrong nails that have been used.

I have to agree with sfa on this.
How can you argue that the panels aren't faulty yet in the same sentence say that the wrong nails have been used?
The nails are put in by the manufacturer when the panels are made and if as you say, they used the wrong nails then surely this must mean that the panels are faulty.

Aylesbury_Duck

George_Michael said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

My point is that the panels aren't faulty, it's the wrong nails that have been used.

I have to agree with sfa on this.
How can you argue that the panels aren't faulty yet in the same sentence say that the wrong nails have been used?
The nails are put in by the manufacturer when the panels are made and if as you say, they used the wrong nails then surely this must mean that the panels are faulty.

Ah!  I get you now!  Sorry Shaun.  I thought the panels OP referred to were the individual panels that the landscaper nailed into place.  I didn't realise they were supplied as a pre-assembled piece.  I have a 70 foot run of fencing and the individual slats were nailed into triangular cross-section rails.

Yes, if they were bought pre-assembled then yes, they are faulty.  Although I wouldn't be bothered by the cosmetic appearance I accept that the nails will rust and new nails will be needed sooner than they should be.