Most rental houses, suburban backyards built before 1990, and nearly every commercial property in America came with chain link. It does the job of keeping dogs in and kids contained, but the view through 2-inch diamonds isn’t anyone’s idea of a private yard. Chain link fence covering turns that exposed wire into a real privacy barrier without the $25-to-$40 per linear foot cost of tearing it out and rebuilding in wood or vinyl. Done right, the upgrade lands somewhere between $3 and $12 per linear foot installed.
Privacy Slats: The Cheap and Fast Option
HDPE plastic slats slide vertically through the chain link mesh from top to bottom. A 6-foot tall, 50-foot fence kit from PrivacyLink or Pexco runs about $180 to $280 and installs in an afternoon with one helper. Standard colors include redwood, brown, black, green, and beige.
Quality varies wildly. The $3 per linear foot economy slats fade to chalky pink within two summers in zones with high UV exposure. Pexco PDS Bottom Lock slats at $5 to $7 per foot are UV-stabilized for 15 years and lock at the bottom rail so they don’t shift during wind events. Expect roughly 75 percent visual privacy from any slat system — the diamonds at the corners of each weave still show light gaps.
Outdoor Fabric Screens
Polyethylene mesh windscreens used at construction sites and tennis courts work surprisingly well on residential chain link. A 6-foot by 50-foot roll of 90 percent shade fabric (Aleko or Coolaroo) sells for $75 to $140 and zip-ties to the fence in under two hours. The dense weave blocks wind, drops dust from neighboring lots, and reads visually as a solid neutral.
The downside is appearance — windscreen looks industrial up close and tends to bag in the middle between posts. Reinforce the top edge with a 3/16-inch nylon cord run through the grommets. Expect 5 to 8 years before UV breaks down the polyethylene fibers and the fabric tears.
Natural Bamboo and Reed Rolls
Bamboo and reed rolls deliver instant resort vibes for $3 to $6 per square foot. Backyard X-Scapes 6-by-16-foot rolled bamboo at Home Depot runs around $90 per roll and attaches with stainless wire or heavy zip ties.
- Bamboo poles (1 to 1.5 inches diameter): 8 to 12 year lifespan, $5 per sq ft
- Reed fencing: 3 to 5 year lifespan, $3 per sq ft
- Brushwood (heath, gorse): 8 to 15 years, $7 to $10 per sq ft
- Willow rolled: 4 to 6 years, $4 per sq ft
Apply a coat of Thompson’s WaterSeal or Cabot Australian Timber Oil every two years to triple the lifespan. Natural materials look beautiful for the first season and dignified through year five if you maintain them.
Climbing Plants on a Chain Link Trellis
Chain link itself is a ready-made trellis. Boston ivy, climbing hydrangea, jasmine, and Virginia creeper will cover a 6-foot fence in two to four growing seasons depending on USDA zone and sun exposure. Cost is just the price of the plants — figure $40 to $100 for enough starts to cover 50 feet.
The trade-off is patience and root maintenance. English ivy and wisteria will damage the fence galvanizing and pull the posts toward the heaviest growth side. Stick with annual climbers like morning glory and hyacinth bean for fast cover without permanent commitment, or plant clematis varieties that stay polite.
Wood Slat Attachments
Cedar or pressure-treated 1-by-6 boards attached to the fence frame transform chain link into something resembling a board fence. The technique uses 1-by-2 horizontal stringers wired or U-bolted to the chain link posts, with vertical boards screwed to the stringers. Material cost lands at $8 to $14 per linear foot depending on cedar grade.
This is the most labor-intensive option but produces the most legitimate-looking result. A 50-foot run takes a weekend with a helper, a chop saw, and a drill driver. Stain with Sherwin-Williams SuperDeck Exterior Semi-Transparent or Cabot Solid Color Acrylic Stain — both run $50 to $65 per gallon and cover roughly 200 square feet.
Code, HOA, and Neighbor Considerations
Most municipalities allow privacy attachments on existing chain link without a new permit, but height restrictions still apply. Six feet is the standard residential maximum in front yards (sometimes 4 feet) and back yards (commonly 8 feet). If your covering increases height — say, adding a 1-foot lattice topper — you may trigger setback rules.
Check HOA covenants before you buy materials. Many subdivisions ban certain slat colors or any fabric screen. Talk to the neighbor on the other side too, especially if the fence sits on the property line. Most are happy to see the upgrade as long as it doesn’t crowd their plantings.
Installation Tips That Save Hours
Start at one corner and work toward the other end. With slats, push from the top of the mesh down — gravity is your friend. Use a rubber mallet to seat the slat lock at the bottom rail. With fabric or bamboo, run a chalk line at the desired top height so the entire fence ends up level even if the ground rolls.
For chain link fence covering on a section with a gate, leave the gate uncovered and add a separate panel sized to match. Covering across the gate frame jams the hinge and stresses the latch.
Plan to repair or tighten the chain link itself before adding any covering. Loose top rails, bent posts, or mesh sagging at the bottom will all show through whatever you attach over it.
Wind Load and Sail Effect
Adding a privacy covering to chain link turns the fence from porous to solid. Wind that previously passed through 2-inch diamonds now pushes against a wall. This is called the sail effect and it stresses posts, top rails, and concrete footings.
In zones that see 30-mph or higher sustained winds, reinforce the existing fence before adding covering. Set additional posts mid-span if the existing layout has more than 10 feet between posts. Use heavier 2-3/8-inch outer diameter line posts with 12-inch deep concrete footings instead of the 1-5/8-inch typical residential posts.
Slatted coverings handle wind better than solid fabric because air still moves through the diamond corners between slats. For high-wind regions, slats outperform windscreen and bamboo by a wide margin.
