One of the most common questions we get from Louisville homeowners is: "What kind of wood do you use for picket fences?" Our answer is always the same — cedar. Not pressure-treated pine. Not whatever is cheapest at the lumber yard that week. Cedar pickets, every time.
After 15 years of building fences across Louisville and Southern Indiana, we've seen what both materials do over time. Here's why we choose cedar and why we think you should too.
Pressure-treated pine is regular Southern Yellow Pine that's been chemically treated with preservatives — typically copper compounds — to resist rot, decay, and insects. It's the standard material for fence posts and structural components across the industry, and for good reason. It's affordable, widely available, and works great for ground contact.
But for pickets — the vertical boards that make up the visible face of your fence — treated pine has some real drawbacks, especially in Kentucky's climate.
Eastern Red Cedar is a naturally rot-resistant wood that contains its own oils and tannins that repel moisture, insects, and decay — no chemical treatment required. It's lighter than pine, more dimensionally stable, and has that warm, rich color that makes a fence look truly beautiful.
| Category | Eastern Red Cedar | Pressure-Treated Pine |
|---|---|---|
| Rot resistance | Natural — built in | Chemical treatment |
| Weight | Lighter | Heavier |
| Warping & twisting | Less likely | More common |
| Splinters | Smooth, minimal | More prone to splintering |
| Appearance | Beautiful warm tone | Greenish tint when new |
| Takes stain | Excellently | Must dry first (months) |
| Chemical exposure | None | Copper compounds present |
| Smell | Pleasant, natural | Chemical smell when new |
| Cost | Slightly higher | Lower |
| Lifespan (maintained) | 20–30 years | 15–20 years |
Louisville weather puts wood through its paces. Hot, humid summers. Cold winters. Ice storms. Weeks of rain followed by drought. This constant cycle of wet and dry, hot and cold, is exactly where cedar outperforms treated pine for pickets.
Pressure-treated pine is wet with chemicals when it's installed. As it dries out over the following months, it shrinks and can warp, twist, and crack significantly. We've all seen brand new fences where the boards start cupping or bowing within a season — that's almost always treated pine. Cedar dries much more uniformly and holds its shape far better.
Cedar's natural oils make it resistant to rot and insects without any chemical treatment. This matters especially for a picket fence where kids and pets are often rubbing up against the boards. There's no concern about copper compounds leaching into your garden soil or your dog's fur.
One of the most frustrating things about new pressure-treated pine is that you can't stain it immediately. The wood is saturated with treatment chemicals and needs to dry out for 3–6 months before stain will penetrate properly. Cedar can be stained almost immediately after installation, giving you a beautiful, protected fence from day one.
We've gone back to re-stain treated pine fences that we installed years ago and found the boards cupped so badly the stain pooled in the center instead of penetrating evenly. Cedar boards from the same era were flat, smooth, and took the stain perfectly. The difference is night and day.
Cedar pickets do cost more than treated pine — typically 20–40% more per board. On a 150 linear foot picket fence, that might add $200–$500 to the material cost. But consider the tradeoffs:
In our opinion the extra cost is almost always worth it for a picket fence. The boards are the part you see every day — it makes sense to use the better material there.
We're not anti-treated pine — we just use it where it makes the most sense. Treated pine is our go-to for:
For picket fences in Louisville, cedar wins. It looks better, lasts longer, handles our climate better, and gives your kids and pets a safer surface to interact with. The extra cost is modest compared to the long-term benefits.
If you're getting quotes from fence companies in Louisville and someone offers you a treated pine picket fence without mentioning cedar as an option, it's worth asking about. At Ruth Fence and Deck, we always walk our customers through their material options so they can make the best decision for their yard and their budget.
Want to see what a cedar picket fence looks like? Check out our project gallery — we've installed hundreds of them across Louisville and Southern Indiana.
Ruth Fence and Deck installs beautiful cedar fences throughout Louisville KY and Southern Indiana. Family-owned, licensed & insured, 15 years experience.
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