How To Restore A Wooden Fence
How To Restore A Wooden Fence
Do it yourself How To Restore A Wooden Fence repair can be a challenge for the inexperienced but it doesn’t have to be. Knowing times are tough and as a thirty year veteran I will try to make fencing repair. Changing rotted fencing posts and replacing panels in your fence doable for those who like to do it yourself and save money.
There are as many How to Wood Fence and Fencing Repair as there are nails in fence pickets. The way that I describe here has worked for me here in the Dallas Texas metro area for many years.
Do it yourself How To Restore A Wooden Fence. Is easy if you go about it the right way but is very hard if you go about it the wrong way.
Do It Yourself Fencing Repair
Replacing Rotted Fence Post: Replacing posts in a Fence is one of the hardest things about fencing repair. I have seen DIYer’s try everything to get broken fence post out of the ground. One of my favorites is what I call the Grand Canyon. This is when a DIY will dig a hole so big around the fence post that they almost need a cement truck to bring in enough concrete to fill it.
Have you ever dug a hole for a fence post? If so use the concept of digging a 8 inch diameter hole for a fence post against the concrete of the old fence post about 2-2 1/2 feet deep. Then take a sharp shooter shovel to clear a little dirt from each side of the concrete. Use post hole digger to remove the little bit of dirt that you loosened from the post hole. You now have a hole that is deep enough that with a little effort you can use a rock bar to lever the broken post and concrete into the hole you just dug so that it will be easy to lift out.
Replacing Posts in Fence Made Easy
Cedar Fence Post: Cedar is naturally highly resistant to rot, decay, warping and bugs when used above ground. If it is saturated with moisture when installed in the hole with concrete around it and dries out, it will shrink leaving a void that will take on water. This creates a premature rotting process. This can also happen at the ground level if the concrete is not poured to a level that will help repel the water away from the How To Restore A Wooden Fence post. You can use a good weather treatment to soak the post end prior to installing. I have used Behr and Olympic with good success.
Treated Wood Post: Pressure treated wood post have a chemical that is resistant to rot and bugs. The tag on the end of the post at most retail chains like will tell you if it is good for ground contact. I have seen a lot of Landscape timbers used for posts in a Strong Fence. These usually do not have the proper treatment that will give it the rot protection so unless someone is on a very tight budget. I will not recommend this type of wood post for fencing. Pressure treated pine fence post can warp or check from drying and shrinking.
Galvanized Metal Fence Post: Galvanized Metal Fence Post are my choice to use for fencing a backyard or changing out a rotted fence post. When they are installed correctly they can last a lifetime. The type of soil and ground condition as well as the freeze line for your area will dictate this. They will cost a little more but in my opinion are worth the difference.
Changing a Wood Fence Picket: Changing a Fence Picket is almost self explanatory. The white woods typically have a longevity of 7 – 10 years unless a good weather sealant is applied.
Once again make sure that your screws or nails are of the proper length and either hot dipped galvanized or aluminum.
You can attach a fence board to the top of the pickets. Use a sawzall with a metal cutting blade. Slip the blade in between the rail and the post so you can cut the nails or the screws. Use a Wonder Bar and a hammer so that you can wedge it between the rail and the fence board. Pry the fence board away from the fence rail. Follow the same procedure with all the fence boards. Take the fence rail out. Cut the new one to the same length. Drive the nails through the fence picket leaving the nail in. Insert the rail. Hammer to nails back into the fence rail. You then can use 3 1/2 inch hot dipped galvanized nail to hammer through the rail …