Thread: Fence column help/suggestions? long

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Hi guys... I need some serious help.

My cemetery fence columns are made of wood (2x2's and plywood) They're not holding up too well being outside in the month of October in Colorado (rain, snow, wind, etc) They've been painted and sealed several times but nothing seems to work. I believe the 2 main problems to be:

1) I've coated the plywood with monster mud for texture so they don't just look like painted wood. I really try to go for realism in my props. So the paint isn't necessarily adhering to the wood as well as it could. But I've sealed the hell out of them.
2) Being hollow and 1/2 way on the grass, I suspect that interior condensation is one of the culprits, but again, they've been sealed.

I was thinking of going with stucco. This would make them heavy, but certainly waterproof. Staple underlayment on the wood and screw metal lath/mesh to the wood so no worries of the stucco not adhering since the mesh is screwed to the base. Never does stucco before, but I assume that cracking is a concern since I'm going to be moving them every year.

What I would REALLY like to do is stone veneer. I've seen what basically equates to siding for a house, but it looks like stone. Very light and nearly indestructible. And since it's for a house... weatherproof. The problem is, it's like $5/sq. ft. I have a huge front yard so I have 9 smaller pillars and 2 main ones for the gate. 500 sq. ft (give or take) I certainly don't have $2500 to sink into cladding for these pillars. (if anyone knows of a place I can get this stuff for a buck a sq. ft, by all means, please let me know.)

I would also consider actual stone veneer if I can find them thin (i.e. light) enough and for a decent price. Again, cracking would be a concern since they'll be set to the pillars with mortar. However, small cracks are infinitely more desirable than what I have now... which is basically exposed wood that's swelling and warping.

I've also seen mobile home skirting that looks pretty realistic... no idea on price, weather hardiness etc... I'll probably look at that this week.

Any ideas/comments/suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks

For your area, I'd go with the plywood with a skin of foam and carve out the stonework you want. BUT there are many good solid column builds out there that are made to survive cold/wind/wet conditions...

Good threads to check out:

Foam vs plywood

Graveyard Columns

Phantom Hollow Columns

Foam Pillars and fence finally done

Graveyard Columns from Milk crates.

Also, check out hauntproject.com for more build ideas... there has to be a solution or mod to your existing columns that will work for you.

You might want to check with some of your local contractors that are using the stone veneer. I'm sure they usually have leftover pieces when doing an install. Maybe you can get the scraps on the cheap. I know I have a local roofing company nearby that puts their leftover shingles out for the taking. Came in handy when I had to patch my roof a few years ago. Free shingles!