Picked cedar fence boards over pressure-treated for my backyard project and now I'm second-guessing

I spent last weekend putting up a new fence along the side of my house in Austin. I went back and forth for a week on cedar versus pressure-treated pine. Eventually I picked cedar because it looks nicer and doesn't have all those chemicals. But now three days in, I already see some cupping on two boards. The guy at the lumber yard warned me about that, said cedar warps more easily. Anyone else run into this? Did I mess up or is this just normal settling stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

wade_perez1d ago

Had a buddy who used cedar in Houston and half his fence looked like potato chips after one summer.

hayden_rivera1d ago

Was it real cedar from a proper lumber yard or big box store stuff? I feel like that makes a huge difference, cheap cedar can be super soft and just fall apart. The old growth cedar I've used in the south held up way better than I expected, just had to let it dry out good between rains. Also, some people don't realize you gotta seal it right away in humid areas or it'll warp like crazy. So yeah, I push back a bit, think it's more about the wood quality than the type.