Fence Post Repair

How to repair a fence post?

How can I make fence post repair last longer?

Concrete fence post repair spur

Fence post repair costs

How to repair a fence post safely

A repair fence post brace is a temporay post repair used to stabalise the fence during the repair or until the repair can be undertaken safely.
Temporary repair of a fence post is by using a metal repair stake or wooden brace.
A wood fence post repair is the most common fix needed and easily fixed using a replacement post, concrete fence post repair spur, met spike or a metal repair stake.
Ultimate wood fence post repair fence post spur is concrete, cemented 600mm in the ground, securely coach bolted to the wooden post, levelled up & braced. Remove & treat rot to reduce decay spreading
Wooden posts commonly rot at the ground level. Most of the time it can be repaired but on occasions the rot has travelled up the centre of the post which means the post needs replacing.
Unparalleled wooden post repair will have the rot treated. The remaining post above ground bolted to a concrete spur for the greatest longevity.
Stabilise the fence. Before repairing a rotten fence post, the fence needs to be stabilised. Bracing the fence with timber supports will assist keeping the fence and post in a stationary, upright position whilst undertaking the fence post repair.
What tools do I need to repair a fence post ? The tools needed are a large concrete drill, extension lead, pry bar, drill, hammer, post scoops, post spade, buckets for water and waste, ear & eye protectors and a good pair of work gloves.
Offset fences need to have the paling boards removed behind the post so the tools needed are a small pry bar, hammer and extension pipe for the pry bar and possibly a drill depending which fixings were used during construction.
Dig a hole in front of the post 600 millimetres deep and 200 millimetres wide.
Remove rotten post section in the ground and retreat the remaining post with wood preservative and rot treatment.
Place a concrete fence post repair spur in the hole and fix secure to the post with coach bolts.
Half fill the hole with post mix , level up the post, add water, check level, and add the rest of the post mix and water mixed together.

Post repair hole depth

A post repair hole depth is the same as a new post hole
A Post hole depth of 600mm is recommended for a 1.8 metre high fence.
Ground structure needs to be untouched virgin ground, meaning never been dug into.
Post hole width needs to be at least 75mm wider than the post to allow for cement infill and best dug out with an Earth Auger or post scoops.
Post hole size depends on the surrounding structural integrity of the ground. If the structure of the ground has been disturbed through ground works or if the soil is light and sandy there would be a need to make the hole bigger or deeper.
Retaining posts properties rule is same depth to height
If post retaining properties exceed just fencing pressure there may be a need to use stronger posts, so seek advice from a structural engineer.
To create greater resistance the hole can be dug out with squared sides, deeper or wider hole.

Wood post repair rot removal.

A rotten wooden fence post can be replaced or repaired.
A fence post that has only rotted at ground level can be reused .
Remove the rotten wooden post in the ground. This ensures a solid structure around the wood post repair spur.
Treat the decayed timber with resin hardeners & preservatives as part of the repair.
Standard fence posts can rot through as quickly as 2 years. Even a Hazard Class 4 post with a 15 year guarrantee can rot through well within 10 years.
Repairing the fence post using a concrete spur means that the concrete spur can be reused for the next new wooden post by just bolting on with minimal labour & waste costs.

Rotten wood fence post repair method.

Wood rot can be treated by removing loose rotten wood and paint the remaining wood with a rot treatment & hardener.
Drill a series of deep closely spaced holes below the required fixing points nearly to the opposing side so the rot treatments can penetrate to all possible rotten wood.
Inject rot treatment into all holes to form a protective barrier, considerably reducing the risk of rot spreading which will affect the timber structure around the fixing points of the wood.
Treat all rot with Ronseal Rot Hardener. https://www.ronseal.com/products/high-performance-wet-rot-wood-hardener/
Reduce water saturation, paint bitumen or another good wood water sealant product up to 100mm above ground.
The repair spur can now be fitted to complete the repair.

Wood fence post repair fixing.

Coach bolts are the ultimate wood fence post repair fixing to a repair spur.
Coach screws are a quicker fix but a poor substitute .
The best bolt to use is a hot dipped galvanised coach bolt or stainless steel.
Fixing repair spur to a wood post should be done using 2 M10 Coach Bolts.
Coach bolts clamp the two posts securely together as the ultimate fastening.
Concrete a spur into the ground gives a greater resistance & greater longevity.

How to level a fence post (plumb levelling)

Vertical Post leveling is called plumb levelling .
Attach a string line to the neighbouring posts at equal points .
Fence post levelling is achieved by front & side aligning of the post.
Align the post by placing the level length in line with the string line.
The bubble needs to be centre for the front of the post (repeat for for side alignment).
Level up post align with the string line equally to the string line attachment points.
When the post is aligned add a half bag of dry post mix. The dry mix slides under the post when lifting to the correct height and add half of the water.
Water needs to be added, ensuring the water penetrates to all areas of the post mix in the hole.
Add the rest of the post mix ready mixed with the water and keep checking the post levels are still aligned.
To finish, check the post alignment.

Which fence post repair spurs to buy?

A fence post repair spur is a concrete or metal support used to reinforce existing rotten or broken fence posts.
A concrete fence post repair spur will have the greatest longevity of 40+ years.
Metal fence post repair spurs is a short term fix of 1-15 years depending on manufacturing quality.
The best metal fence post support is hot dipped galvanised metal which is a true exterior grade which has a 20 micron coating opposed to sheet metal being a 4 micron coating.
Expertly repaired wooden posts to be reused will last 10-25 years.
A concrete spurs bolted to wooden posts advantage is a replacement wooden post is just unbolted and a new one bolted on with no expensive labour costs.

Concrete post repair spur makes fence posts last longer?

A concrete post repair spur bolted to a new, rotten or broken post extends the use of a wooden post by keeping the wood away from saturated soil conditions.
A concrete repair spur will last for 60-80 years approximately.
The repair spur should be within the owners boundary line on the owners side of the fence .
Concrete repair spurs bolted to old timber post extends the post length and longevity.
Timber posts last up to 5 times longer bolted to a concrete spur above ground as the timber is not in saturate ground conditions.
Replacing a post in future is a bolt on off repair.
A concrete spur 100mm width is 600mm in the ground & 600mm above ground & easily hidden with a bush in front.
A concrete spur 75mm width is 500mm in the ground & 500mm above ground.
A concrete post repair spur is a great way of having the aesthetical look of wood with the durability of concrete. This method will outlast 3+ wooden posts life cycles in the ground.
Painting concrete post repair spur with maisonary paint helps reduce concrete visability.

How much does a post repair cost?

Wooden inline fence post repair costs:

100mm x 100mm repair spur = £110
100mm x 75mm repair spur = £105
75mm spur = £90
Please add £5 if there is only one

Wooden offset post repair costs are:

100mm x 100mm repair spur = £115
100mm x 75mm repair spur = £110
75mm spur = £95
Please add £5 if there is only one

Cost includes labour, fitting, material, hot dipped galvanised coach bolts and waste costs.

Discounts available to property maintenance companies.

Concrete repair spurs

75mm x 75mm x 1000mm = 3” x 3” x 39.37” approximately

Low load bearing post
Suited for fences under 1500 mm = 5’
Suitable for non-load bearing trellis panels up to 2 metres in height.

100mm x 75mm x 1200mm = 4” x 3” x 47.24” approximately

Medium load bearing post
Suited for 75mm flat edged wooden posts.
Suitable for all fences styles up to 2 metres = 78.74”

100mm x 100mm x 1200mm = 4” x 4” x 47.24” approximately

Medium load bearing post
Suited for 100mm flat edged wooden posts
Suitable for all fences styles up to 2 metres = 78.74”

100mm x 100mm x 1350mm = 4” x 4” x 53.15” approximately

Medium load bearing post
Suited for 100mm flat edged wooden posts
Suitable for all fences styles up to 2 metres = 78.74”