What are the things you consider when you consider getting a fence? Most people want cheap, reliable, and low-maintenance fences. However, it’s essential to think about the area the fence would cover and what you can use it for. ANywhere can be fenced, including the home, commercial environments, and just about anywhere.
Home fences are useful for indicating boundaries, protecting the home from trespassers, thieves, animals, and providing privacy. In industrial workplaces, fences are primarily used as an additional form of security to keep people from trespassing and to define the property line.
Whatever the case, your reason for getting a fence around your property should significantly determine the type of fence you get. Various types of fences are available to satisfy different purposes, but our focus in this blog post is on chain link fences.
So, please read on to find out if your fence is recyclable, scrapable, and what you can do with the ones you don’t need anymore. Dive in!
Is Chain link Fence recyclable?
Commonly used fences include; brick wall fences, stone wall fences, precast concrete fences, wood fences, barbed wire fences, aluminum fences, vinyl fences, bamboo fences, and chain link fences, to name a few. You should pick the fence type that best suits your needs when making your selection.
Chain link fences are the most sought-after option because of their relative affordability, low maintenance, variety, easy repair, and practicality. However, one essential question people rarely ask about chain link fences is whether or not they are recyclable.
These days, more people are becoming more conscious of the environment, and the damage and pollution that manufactured products can cause. So, is chain link fence recyclable? Indeed, it’s recyclable.
When it becomes old, it loses its aesthetic appeal and functionality. As such, you may consider replacing it with a newer model or a different option. However, if you’re environmentally conscious, your immediate thought should be recycling it? If you’re not reusing your old chain link fence, it’s always best to recycle rather than throw it away.
Chain link fences are recyclable, but it depends on the material manufacturers use to make them. Most chain link fences are made from galvanized or LLDPE-coated steel wire. If your old chain link fence is of good quality, you can take it to your local recycling center for recycling.
You can also recycle your old chain link fence through a scrap metal company. When it’s rusted beyond repair or recognition, you may take a look at it and decide that it’s useless. However, it’s best to resist the urge to throw it away. Instead, you can take it to a scrap yard, as you’ll soon realize.
Can You Scrap Chain Link Fence?
Chain link fences are built with different materials. Some of them include; the metal itself and non-metal parts like concrete. As the fence grows old after installation, other materials, like plant materials, become a part. The materials a chain link fence is composed of will determine whether or not you can take it to a scrapyard.
Although chain link fences contain coated steel wire, this fence is one of the lowest-grade materials you can take to a scrap yard. So whatever kind of metal you need to recycle, you can consider taking it to the scrapyard.
Non-ferrous metals, like steel, brass, aluminum, bronze, and copper, are the metal types accepted by most scrap yards these days. Hence, chain link fences can be scrapped as they contain steel.
However, it has become more challenging to get scrap yards to accept chain link wire because it contains steel, graded as a lesser value than dirty sheet iron. As a result, some yards will even charge you to drop off your chain link scrap.
That said, there are still some scrap yards that would accept chain link fences as scraps, given that all their requirements are met. So, don’t be in a hurry to throw away your old chain link fence just yet, because it’s better to do it properly to protect the environment.
You can scrap chain link fence, but you must remove all non-metal components like cement and plant materials before taking them to the scrapyards. In addition, most scrap yards that accept chain link fence scraps require that you detach the chain link grid from the fence posts.
That’s because it’s easier and safer to transport this way. It’s essential to remove all the plant materials that have grown on the fence and roll up the detached grid into a cylinder before taking it to the scrap yard.
Scrapping is one of the significantly safe ways to recycle your old chain link fence instead of disposing of it in an environmentally-harmful manner. That’s because the scrapyard has several things it can use the fences for.
So the next time you’re thinking about what to do with your old chain link fence or a chain link fence that you don’t want or need anymore, you can consider scrapping it.
Can You Paint the Chain Link Fence?
Several weather conditions such as rain, sunshine, wind, and some other environmental factors can affect the functionality and aesthetic appeal of your chain link fence, especially when you’ve been using it for a long time.
So, you may wonder if you can spruce it up by painting it. After all, it’s made from metals, and the only problem you need to worry about when it comes to metals is rust, which you can repair with some primer and the right paint.
Chain link wires gotten from factories are usually either vinyl coated or galvanized. Galvanization involves covering the metal with another metal, usually zinc or aluminum, to make it more durable. With this zinc coating, the metal or steel becomes more durable. In addition, the zinc coating protects the underlying steel from rust and scratches.
The vinyl-coated chain links improve the style and durability of the fence. In this case, the wire is covered with plastic material. The best chain link fences are usually both vinyl coated and galvanized. The plastic material provides an extra layer of protection for the underlying galvanized steel.
Although most chain link wires are vinyl-coated or galvanized from the factory, making them more durable and resistant to environmental factors, they eventually succumb to environmental wear over time. So, the question is, can you paint the chain fence link?
You certainly can! You can give your rusty-looking chain link fence a good facelift by painting it. However, there are some conditions it’s best to pay attention to, such as the way you paint the fence.
For the paint to last on your fence, spray painting it or putting a coat of paint on it won’t be sufficient. That’s because spray painting will waste a lot of paint. After all, the fence is mesh-like with holes in it.
The best option is to use a paintbrush for the poles and a paint roller on the chain link. An oil-based paint would be best for painting a chain link fence.
How Much is a Chain Link Fence Worth?
If you’re looking to purchase a chain link fence for your property, there are several things you need to consider. You need to consider the size of the area you want to be covered, the type of chain link you’re interested in, the gauge of the wire, the application, and several other factors.
Chain link fences can be applied in homes, commercial establishments, playgrounds, amusement parks, factories and warehouses, educational institutions, public properties, etc. All these factors will determine the amount of money you will spend on a chain link fence once taken into consideration.
Chain link fences are primarily used in various places because of their affordability. However, the prices of chain link fences vary due to the following; height, coating, gauge, post material, privacy slats, gates, permits, the slope of the land, cost of installation, equipment, cost of materials, etc.
So naturally, the more chain link fence you need to cover your property, the higher the price you’ll have to pay for it.
Some chain link fences are stronger than others because they have thicker wire; others provide more security, especially along slopes because they are built higher. These different chain links have varying prices for purchase and professional installation.
As you can expect, a chain link fence will cost more if it has a thicker wire or more height. Typical backyard or front yard chain link fences are usually around 4 feet high and cost about $9 to $19 per linear foot, while commercial grade chain link fences about 10 feet in height cost between $16 to $31 per linear foot.
The gauge of the wire mesh indicates its thickness. A lower gauge wire means a thinner wire and, consequently, a lower cost and vice versa. For example, a relatively thin wire, about 10-gauge, will cost about $18 per linear foot, while a thicker gauge wire will cost about $23 per linear foot.
As mentioned previously, chain link mesh or wires can be galvanized or vinyl coated. Galvanized chain link fences are low-end fences and do not cost as much as vinyl-coated chain link fences; they cost between $10 to $17 per linear foot.
On the other hand, vinyl-coated chain link fences are more expensive as they are high-end fences and are more durable. Their cost ranges from $13 to $20 per linear foot.
On average, homeowners pay between $1,,241 and $5194 to install standard chain link fences on their property. This cost includes professional labor.
What to do With Old Chain Link Fence?
If your chain link fence has become old, and you don’t know what to do with it, we’ve got you covered. However, if you also have one lying around or would like to update your fence to a better option, then read on for environmentally-safe methods to dispose of your old chain link fences.
1. Repurpose It
For one, it’s best to avoid considering throwing it away because it’s wasteful and could prove hazardous to the environment. Old chain link fences are reusable, and even if you can’t reuse the chain link, there are better ways to recycle than simply throwing it away.
You can use them for chicken pens, garden fences, plant them as living fences, among many others.
2. Donate It
Instead of throwing away your old chain link fence, you can donate it to anyone who needs it. There are always people who can find some use for that old chain link fence that you no longer need, which makes donating a better option than throwing it away.
3. Sell It
Another option is to sell it on classified online sale websites or sell it as scrap metals to scrap yards. One juicy benefit of selling your old chain link fence as scrap metal is that you can make a little money off it.
Conclusion
We need fences for a host of reasons – to protect and beautify our property, indicate boundaries, among many others. However, nothing lasts forever, including the fencing material you opt for, or in this case, the chain link fence. So, we’ve provided information about whether you can recycle it, and other safe ways to dispose of it.
