Cedar or Redwood? Choosing Timber for a Los Angeles Fence

Both are good. They are not the same. Here is what actually separates them once the fence has been in the ground for a decade.

What they have in common

Both are naturally resistant to rot and insects because of oils in the heartwood, which is why they last here without chemical treatment. Both take a stain well and both age to a silver grey if you leave them alone.

Either will outlast pressure-treated pine by a wide margin in Southern California, and both are worth the difference over the budget option.

Where cedar wins

Cedar is more dimensionally stable. It stays flatter and is less prone to cupping and twisting as it dries, which matters on wide boards and on horizontal runs.

It costs less than redwood and is easier to source in consistent grades. For most Pasadena back yards it is the sensible default.

Where redwood wins

Colour, mostly. Redwood has a depth that cedar does not, and on a front elevation where the fence is a feature that is worth paying for.

Construction heart grades hold up particularly well near the ground. If the fence is going somewhere permanently damp, redwood earns its premium.

The thing that matters more than either

The posts. A redwood fence on shallow footings will fail before a cedar fence set properly. Species affects how the boards age; the posts decide whether the run stays straight.

Ask any contractor how deep the holes are going and how much concrete goes in each one before you spend time choosing timber.

Staining, whichever you pick

Let a new fence dry a few weeks before the first coat so the stain penetrates. Re-coat every two to four years, sooner on the sun-facing side.

A semi-transparent stain fades back gracefully. Solid stain covers more but peels, and stripping a peeling fence is a miserable job.