Setting fence posts is an essential part of installing your own fencing. Fence posts hold your whole fencing up so are key to any fence construction. Setting a fence post isn't overly complicated but it must be done properly to ensure that your fence line stays set, secure and erect for years.
Why set fence posts?
Installing quality fencing keeps your property, garden, animals and family secure and safe. So, start this DIY task off right, by knowing how to set fence posts, and the rest of the process will follow. Only use the best quality products such as the ones AVS sell in-store and online.
What to use
Wooden fence posts are commonly used for gardens and perimeter fencing for homes, as they match the most common fences and give a natural look. The typical height of this and most fencing is around 1.8m, so a fence post of 2.4m would be used, including depth into the surrounding ballast and cement (ratio: about 6:1) or Post Mix Concrete. Remember you don’t want this mixture underneath the post where it can hold water, upping the chances of wood rot.
The best base
Shingle bases should underlie cement posts to act as a barrier in areas where water doesn’t readily drain away from the earth. Always ensure vertical alignment with a spirit level, and adjust posts to stay erect.
Gravel boards
When using concrete gravel boards as your fencing base, secure panels into the cement-ballast or Postmix concrete. If you know how to set fence posts made of cement, you realise this keeps the fencing from soaking up ground moisture and decaying the fence. AVS sell slotted, easy to use concrete cement posts for quick slide-in fence panels. Such panels make for easy stepping of fence segments on sloping property.
• AVS also sell morticed concrete fence posts for easy installation of timber rails that are the horizontal support for beautiful open-view palisade fencing or more tightly constructed closeboard fencing. These offer another simple option good to know about when considering how to set fence posts. Rectangular holes in the sides of morticed concrete fence posts allow for easy insertion of supporting timber cross rails.
• Metal fence posts, often used for chain link fences, are also usually best secured in a solid mixture base. Learn how to set fence posts from the helpful staff at AVS’s many centres, and you’ll be advised to plant metal posts’ base plates securely in the mixture.