TradePoint - How to fix a garden fence
In this latest in our ‘How To’ series, we turn our attention to the garden as we take a closer look how to easily fix up a garden fence.
Firstly, you need to consider safety and you’ll want to wear protective gloves, eye protection and so on when using certain tools and paints.
Step one
Examine the current fence
Is your fence damaged, or is it just a single panel that needs replacing? Or could you mend something on the panel to repair the fence?
It’s important to properly take a look at the fence to see what steps you need to take. Make sure to look behind any hidden areas to, after all, if a lower part of a fence is behind a bush and has a hole in it, you’ll want to make sure that’s all fixed.
Consider if you can repair salvageable panels
Sometimes you may not even need to replace a single fence panel. Instead, correctly measure the timber you need and cut it to size. Add wood capping and protect the new wood panel by covering it with wood stain or wood dye.
Removing full fence panels
If you need to remove full fence panels then needless to say this is a bigger job.
Take care to remove all of the old nails first, and then you should be able to carefully remove a panel by pulling it away.
Put the old fence panels to one side for recycling, and then it is time to dig out the old fence post.
It’s a good idea to take a look at the state of these as again, you may be able to reuse some of the old fence posts again if they are not too damaged.
But for safety reasons if there is damage you should replace them.
Replacing fence posts
You’ll first need to measure out and start digging a new hole for the new fence panel.
Top tip! Aim for a hole that is around 450 mm in depth. The width should be twice the size of your post.
Once the hole is dug, you can place in the new posts. Temporary supports can be used for now until the posts are permanently fixed in place. Just use some screws to support these.
Then, you’ll need to make sure both fence posts are the same height. Do this using a plumb line and a spirit level to make sure everything is level, as it’ll be a big job to fix once you’ve secured the panels in place.
Speaking of which, where youre happy everything all lines up, it is time to mix some concrete.
Secure the new posts
Take some postcrete ( a type of concrete typically used for this purpose) and be sure to follow the instructions on the product carefully so you know the correct ratios to mix, and also how long the whole thing will take to set. An idea could be to check the forecast beforehand as a sunny, dry day would be perfect for this.
Slot the fence panels back in
Once this has been added and has had the time to dry, you can remove the temporary post supports as everything is all fixed in place.
It is now time to add (or replace) the fence panels. Take some fence clips and screw these in place on the posts, one at the top of the post and one at the bottom.
Then, you should be able to just slot the panel or panels in place. Remember, it is important when slotting the fence panels in that you stop short of the ground, so as to prevent rotting.
Once you’re happy everything is all level, screw in the clips on both sides of the panel.
That’s how you fix one fence panel, you just need to follow this process if adding any other ones.
After you’ve done this, you can always personalise the panels by painting them on your side.Watch a video demonstration of this from NRLA partner Tradepoint (B&Q) here:
