Chain Link Privacy Slat Types
Bottom-Locking Slats
The installer threads a locking channel along the bottom of the fence, then slides each slat down from the top until it locks into the channel. It is the economical choice and leaves a level, even line.
- Privacy and wind load factor: about 75%
- Slat length: 3½ inches shorter than the fence
- Stock heights: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 feet
Winged Slats
Winged slats have flexible serrated wings down both sides that fill more of each diamond and grip the wire, so no channel is needed.
- Privacy and wind load factor: about 90% to 95% (the maker's catalog and FAQ differ)
- Slat length: 2 inches shorter than the fence
- Stock heights: 4 to 8 feet; above 7 feet the maker suggests two half-length slats
Hedge (Artificial Foliage) Slats
Hedge slats have a braided wire core with PVC "needles," so the fence reads as a green hedge that needs no water or trimming. The materials are UV-stabilized.
- Privacy and wind load factor: about 90%
- Slat length: the full fence height
Privacy Link (Factory-Woven Slats)
For a new fence, you can buy chain link with winged slats already inserted at the factory. It uses a larger 3½ by 5 inch mesh and gives near-total screening.
- Privacy and wind load factor: about 98%
- Wire: 9 or 10 gauge galvanized, or vinyl-coated in several colors
Windscreen Mesh
Windscreen is a fabric screen fastened to the face of the fence instead of strips in the mesh. It costs less per foot than slats.
- Privacy fabric screen: about $2 to $6 a linear foot
Adding Slats to an Existing Fence
Standard chain link mesh is 2 inches, and one maker packs 82 slats a bag for 2-inch mesh against 78 for 2¼-inch, so the mesh size changes the order. Slat privacy depends on the wire and how tightly the fabric is stretched, so a sagging fence won't look as solid as the spec. Measure the mesh and the fence height before ordering. If the posts or fabric are failing, start with chain link fence installation instead.
Why Hesperia homeowners call Hesperia Expert Fencing
- Calling or using the form doesn't cost you anything
- We send your job to one contractor, so your phone isn't ringing all week
- Ask for posts, footings, gates and haul-away priced line by line
- Look up the C-13 (fence) or C-29 (block wall) license at cslb.ca.gov
Privacy Slat Cost
National cost guides list privacy slats at $5 to $18 per linear foot on top of the fence itself. Windscreen fabric is cheaper at $2 to $6. Slatting 150 feet of existing fence at $5 to $18 a foot comes to $750 to $2,700 (our arithmetic). A brand-new chain link fence runs separately, at the per-foot ranges on our chain link page.
What moves the price:
Style
the maker calls bottom-locking slats the economical choice; other styles screen moreHeight
fences over 7 feet take two slats per columnSlats or fabric
a fabric screen costs less per foot than slats
How Slats Go In
- 1
Measure
Confirm mesh size, fence height and total length. - 2
Fit the channel or start at a post
Bottom-locking slats need the channel first. Winged slats go straight in. - 3
Slide each slat down
Each slat goes in vertically from the top of the fence.
Wind and Sun on Slatted Fences in Hesperia
HomeGuide counts open chain link among the fences that suit high-wind areas. Slats change that. One maker lists the same percentage as both the privacy and the wind load factor, so a 90% slat turns a see-through fence into one that catches most of the wind. Hesperia's design wind figures are on our wind-damaged fence repair page, and a slatted fence on old, light posts is worth checking before it goes up.
Sun is the other wear factor. One maker's slats are high-density polyethylene with UV inhibitors added to slow sun damage, so ask what fade coverage the slat maker offers in writing.