If you've decided that you want the fence around your swimming pool to be made of wood, your next step will be to decide exactly how you want the fence to look. While you'll eventually need to choose whether you want the wood to be painted or stained, your immediate priority will be to evaluate the many different wooden fence styles that are available to decide which will offer the best visual fit in your yard. Your pool fence company can likely show you photos of several of its past projects, which can help you to choose the right look. Here are three options that are available.

Vertical Planks

A wooden pool fence that features vertical planks of wood is a classic design that many homeowners favor. Your fence builder will give you the choice of how wide you want the planks to be, as there are several different options on the market. You'll also be able to decide how large you want the gaps between the planks to be. Some people favor virtually no gaps, which creates more of a feeling of privacy around the pool, while others like the look of a fence that has small gaps between the planks.

Lattice

When you think of wood lattice, you might initially think of it being a top accent on a fence made with vertical wooden planks. While this design is common, a lattice design can also make up the entire fence. A wooden lattice fence has thin pieces of wood that cross over each other. A common design will include both vertical and horizontal pieces. You'll be able to decide how much space you want between the narrow pieces of wood, so it's important to think about whether you want the pool area to have a private feel or whether this isn't necessary.

Rungs

When you picture a wooden railing around a deck, there's a good chance that it features a number of vertical rungs in between large wooden posts. This design can also work well as a pool fence, albeit on a larger scale. Your pool fence company will give you the option of how large you want the rungs to be, as well as what size of wood you want across the top of the fence. While this fence won't create much privacy due to the gaps between the rungs, this can be handy if you want to be able to see into the pool area from inside your home. Contact a pool fence company to talk about these and other options.