Horizontal, vertical, timber, aluminium, infills. If you’re looking to add a personalised touch to your modular wall, installing fence slats is as easy as Slip, Slot, Slat! Read on the find out how to install fence slats into your wall design…
Q. Can I install fence slats into my modular wall?
A. Of course! Our modular wall systems are highly customisable, allowing you to integrate a variety of slats or decorative infills.
Q. Do ModularWalls supply the slats?
A. No, we don’t manufacture the slats ourselves; which actually means that you can be as creative — and selective — as you want with your slat choices!
Once you tell us you’d like slats, we will simply factor in the slat measurements into your complete wall design. It’s very important that you communicate your plans for slats, however, so that a section is left ‘open’ (or without a panel), whilst still ensuring the posts achieve the total height you need.
Q. What sort of slats can I use?
A. This is truly up to you! When shopping around, simply ensure the slats match the length of your exact modular wall design, as we offer both 2.4m or 3m panel spans.
Additionally, when it comes to materials, be sure to consider things like maintenance and climate concerns, as well as aesthetics. For instance, timber slats provide a striking textural contrast, but require higher maintenance and are susceptible to rot and termites. For coastal or tropical environments, aluminium slats might be wiser!
If you need some extra inspiration, check out what some of our previous customers have used in their wall designs:
Q. At what stage do I install the slats?
A. The basic installation stages of our modular walls are as follows:
- Dig holes
- Install posts
- Insert panels
- Finishing (including wall capping, post tops and chosen wall finishes)
If you’re adding slats, you should install these in Stage 4, in between the wall capping (which goes under the slats) and the post tops (which will sit on top of the slats).
Slip, Slot, Slat
Installing your fence slats into your modular wall can be broken down into 3 simple steps:
1. Slip
First, slip the end post infills into the open recesses of the posts, where your slats will go, and seal into place using a sealant (such as Sikaflex, FLEXIT, etc).
INSIDE TIP: To save yourself a world of fiddly pain later on, it’s also recommended that you paint your posts, infills and wall capping before the next step!
2. Slot
Secondly, install the mounting channels to the end post infills, which the slats will slot into.
- When cutting your mounting channel, be sure to minus the bottom slat space, so that the channel does NOT touch the panel capping.
- The channels can be fixed using screws, rivets or any appropriate anchor for the substrate behind the channel – i.e a masonry anchor, if attaching to brickwork.
3. Slat
Last, but certainly not least; the slats! Some tips include:
Even slat spacing:
- Have a slat spacer handy to ensure a consistent slat pattern. Plastic spacers (or shims) are available at most hardware stores.
- Gaps always ‘grow’, so always allow a tiny bit of allowance with your slat spacer; for instance, if you’d like a 10mm gap, use a 9.5mm spacer.
Correct slat lengths:
- You might need to trim your slats to provide clearance for the slat to travel past the heads of the channel mounting screws.
- To find out your required slat length, measure from inside of one channel to the inside of the next. Then, add approx. 10mm clearance more.
- Cut one slat first before cutting the rest; it should be a nice free fit and not collide with the screws inside the channels. There is NO advantage of being super tight — you will only cause yourself difficulties during installation.
- We also recommended that you cut the top slat at a tighter fit than the rest, in order to minimise any visual gap between the slat and the channel.
Steady installation process:
- In order to make installation easier and avoid scratching whilst inserting the slats, you can lubricate the end of the slats with soapy water.
- With your spacer on the bottom, install the first slat and secure to the channel using a single screw or rivet through the channel, on the rear side of the wall.
- Secure one slat at a time and keep moving your spacer up as you go.
- For longer spans, a vertical brace may be needed for extra stabilisation; your slat provider should have information on this. Details on vertical brace installations can be found in our full Slats Installation guide (below).
Finishing your wall:
- Once your slats are installed, you can now complete your wall by installing and painting the post tops!
