Aluminum & Ornamental Fencing in Wilmington, NC

If your property is near the water, aluminum is very likely the smartest fence you can buy. It's the one material that essentially ignores salt air: aluminum forms a self-healing oxide layer, and after a decade of salt-spray exposure it retains roughly 98% of its strength — while ordinary galvanized steel drops to about 71%. Add a powder-coat finish and stainless hardware and you have a fence that stays crisp and black for decades a block from the ocean.

That durability, plus a clean ornamental look that keeps sightlines and water views open, is why aluminum dominates in communities like Landfall and along Wrightsville Beach. It's also the material HOAs love, which matters more here than most places.

Why aluminum wins on the coast

• It won't rust. Unlike iron or steel, aluminum doesn't corrode in salt air — the reason it's the default for waterfront and poolside fencing. Our full coastal materials guide lays out the salt-spray data.
• Powder-coated finish. A baked-on finish resists chipping, fading, and salt film far better than paint, and comes in black, bronze, and white.
• Open views. The picket-and-rail design preserves your line of sight to the marsh, sound, or golf course instead of walling it off.
• Low maintenance. An occasional rinse is essentially all it needs.

Grades and styles

Styles range from flat-top and spear-top to arched and puppy-picket (with tighter lower spacing to keep pets in). We match rail count and picket spacing to your grade, your view, and your HOA's spec.

Aluminum for pools and waterfront

Aluminum is the default pool fence for good reason: it meets New Hanover County's barrier code, won't corrode from splash-out, and keeps an open, elegant look around the water. For waterfront lots along the Intracoastal Waterway or in Kure Beach and Wrightsville Beach, it's often the only metal we'll recommend. Pair it with an automated gate for a clean, secure entrance.

The HOA advantage

Strict communities almost always approve ornamental aluminum, and many require it. Landfall's architectural review, in particular, favors the uniform black aluminum look over privacy fencing. We build to those specs every week and can help you through the approval process — our permit & HOA guide explains what to expect. If you need privacy as well, we frequently combine an aluminum front and street side with a wood or vinyl privacy section in the back where the HOA allows it.

Aluminum vs. chain-link

Both are metal and both keep views open, but aluminum is dramatically better looking and won't rust the way older chain-link can near salt water. Where budget or function rules — a back property line, a dog run, a commercial yard — chain-link still makes sense, and we install plenty of it across Wilmington. For anything visible from the street or the water, aluminum is worth the difference.

Frequently Asked Questions