Cap and Trim,the Finished Edge on a Wood Fence

Cap and trim is not its own fence, it is a finishing detail added on top of a standard wood fence. A flat cap board runs horizontally along the very top of the picket line, and a trim board runs along the frame below it, usually covering the ends of the horizontal rails. Together they close off the exposed edges a plain picket fence leaves open.

This is an add-on, not a decision that stands on its own the way choosing a wood or a fence style does. It gets built onto a base fence, most often cedar where the finished look already matters most, but it works the same way on a pine fence built for a more structural job. If you are weighing a plain picket line against a capped one, what you are really deciding is how much finish and edge protection you want on top of a fence you have likely already chosen.