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How to fix a wooden fence post
Replacement
Should a fence post be set in concrete?
How much concrete is used to fix in the post
Which fence posts are best?
Wooden posts
What are incised posts?
Concrete posts
Metal posts
Advice
Which fence posts are the best

Which fence posts are best?

  • The best fence posts to use are concrete fence posts with a selection for most fence styles. But lightweight posts have become common within fencing suppliers and are much more fragile. The steel supports within the post must not be bearing visibly as they will rust and fracture the concrete when corrosion sets in.

Which wooden fence posts are best?

  • Which wooden posts should be use? The best wooden fence post is an incised wooden post. Wooden fence posts rot so use a post wrap which reduces moisture penertrating into the wood. Standard wooden posts can not be guaranteed from failure as the perosity in wood is inconsistent as it is a natural product.
  • How do I make wooden posts last longer? Wooden posts naturally weather, expanding and contracting. This allows water build up between the wooden post and the post mix in the ground. The best fence post solution is to use a bitumen post wrap which reduces water penetration and weathering effects which will then prolong the wooden post life.
  • Which wooden fence posts are guaranteed? The best wooden fence posts are incised, meaning they have closely spaced incisions ensuring an even penetration of the preservatives. These posts come with a 15 guaranty.
  • Which wood is best for a fence post?The best wood for an incised post has a high resin count but which reduces water intake. High resin count woods are best used for incising. Some suppliers are aware of this, but believe using pine as it absorbs the preservatives better but it will also absorb moisture like a sponge. But wood used for fence posts varies pending on suppliers and where they source their type of species from.
  • Which wooden fence posts should I use?  Only use Hazard Class 4 posts, meaning suitable for ground contact and which are guaranteed for 15 years, but absorb the preservatives unevenly greatly due to the species and growing time.  
  • How long will wooden posts last? Many 15-year guaranteed wooden posts fail well before a suppliers guarantee period. Low resin count wood will rot through as quickly as 2 years and higher resin count wood can rot through as little as 4 years as the preservatives used are organic and will be diluted down by the natural weathering elements.
  • How often should wooden posts be checked? Wooden fence posts should be inspected every year for rot.

Which metal fence posts are best?

  • Which Stainless steel posts are best?  Stainless steel posts need to have approximately a 3mm wall thickness for a 1.8metre high fence and a 2mm wall thickness for a 1.2 metre high fence. Stainless steel has the best corrosion resistance but are very expensive. 
  • Which galvanised posts are best? Hot dipped galvanised posts are best and have a 20-micron coating during the galvanising process but can be expensive. Estimated 50-year durability
  • Folded galvanised posts only has a 4-micron coating during the galvanising process but are still much longer lasting than any wooden post. Estimated 25 years durability.
Should a fence post be set in concrete

Should fence posts be set in concrete?

  • Do I need to cement a post into the ground? This is based on structural integrity of the ground, location, size of fence and type of fence to install
  • Why are fence posts cemented into the ground? Cementing a fence post into the ground gives greater stability to the fence post and improving resistance in strong winds from movement.
  • How can I increase a fence post resistance in the ground? The structural resistance can be increased by enlarging the hole size or by making the hole square shaped which gives a greater resistance in the ground when surrounding the post in the hole with cement.
  • Wooden posts naturally weather, expanding and contracting. This allows water build up between the wooden post and the post mix in the ground. The best fence post solution is to use a bitumen post wrap which reduces water penetration and weathering effects which will then prolong the wooden post life.
  • Post concrete should have a smooth declining angle away from timber post to allow water to disperse away from the post. For wooden posts it is best for the cement to be proud of ground level in saturated areas.
  • Metal fence posts need cementing into the ground as the posts are narrow and offer very little resistance from movement.
  • Concrete Fence posts have a wider post form and offer good resistance in the ground but if the soil has poor structure like sandy soil, then it is best to have the post deeper into the ground than 600mm standard depth.   
  • Wind tolerant fences with spaces in allowing wind to freely pass through and has lesser need of extra support.
Fence post cement

How much fence post cement is used?

  • How much post mix is used in a hole? Calculating how much post mix depends for hole of 175 millimetre wide and 600 millimetres deep, using a 100 millimetres thick post in the centre will require approximately 1.5 - 2 bags of post mix per post hole. 
  • How much does post cement cost? One and a half bags of post mix costs around £10
  • How much cement is used for fence posts? Timber posts should be concreted to above ground to reduce the wetting area around the wood. For wooden posts it is best for the cement to be proud of ground level to reduce saturation. The cement should have a smooth declining angle away from timber post to allow water to disperse away from the post. This will use nearly 2 bags of post mix which allows the timber to keep as dry as possible.
How far apart should fence posts be

How far apart should fence posts be?

  • It is based on your panel size or rail length used which will be 1.8 metres - 3 metres. The more posts there are per metre of fencing, the greater the strength of the fence which also reduces the risk of rails sagging due to the loading weight of the fence boards.
  • The further posts are set apart the greater the load is on the post fixings and rails. A natural product like timber has weak points called knots where it gives little or no support to the rail, post or paling board. Knots can be large enough to take up more than half the thickness of the rail and for a 3+ metre will become a real weak point.
  • When fence posts exceed 2 metres apart then there needs to be a centre support attaching the gravel board to the fence paling board. This is done to make sure the paling board stays seated inplace in the interest of keeping the expected uniform look to last the test of time. 
  • Arris rails can be up to 3 metres
  • Cant rails should be 1.8 - 2.4 metres.
  • Square cut timber rails of at least 75 by 45 millimetres can be up to 3 metres between posts. Any greater distance will be a risk of overloading fixings after 5-10 years of weathering.
Fence post cost

How much do fence posts cost?

  • Wooden Incised fence posts 2.4 metre x 100mm x 100mm cost £20-25
  • Hazard class 4 fence post which are 100mm by 100mm by 2400mm costs £15-19
  • Not all fence posts are Hazard Class 4. Hazard class 4 posts should come with a warranty from failure within 15 years, but it will not cover expensive labour and waste costs when the post fails to support the fence. Most posts fail a 15-year warranty and some only last 2 years.
  • Concrete posts start at around £25 and vary in price considerably as there is no consistency of the thickness, type or quality during production.
  • Wooden post replacement cost for a 6 feet high fence is £85-£180 depending on the post thickness.
  • Adding a wooden post into virgin soil, start from £65
  • Waste cost is £15 which covers soil, concrete & post waste
  • Material cost for replacement wooden post & post mix is £20-30 depending on post used.
  • Post mix cost per bag around £7 and will need 1.5 bags per hole depending on the hole size
  • Labour time is 1 hour for a fresh hole
  • Labour time for breaking out a post set in concrete is 2-3hrs depending on the hole size & strength of existing concrete
  • An allowance for travel time and travel costs also must be allowed for.
  • A concrete spur is cheaper than a replacement wooden post and it will last much longer when done correctly.
What fence posts lasts the longest

Which fence post lasts the longest?

  • Concrete posts last 60-80 years. However, some suppliers use cheaper lightweight products of cement used is a poorer quality. Cheap concrete or reduced cement in a product creates a poor-quality product with the concrete post being weak under pressure.
  • The best wooden fence posts are incised wooden posts and last 10-30 years. Most companies use pine wood, but pine wood grain is open textured and absorbs water compared to a high resin wood.  
  • Hot dipped galvanised posts have a 20-micron coating and last 40-60 years. 
  • Galvanised folded sheet products have a 4-micron coating and last 25-45 years 
Wooden fence posts

Which wooden fence posts are best?

  • Which wooden fence posts are best? The best wooden fence posts are incised posts.
  • Which wood post is best? The best wood for a post has a high resin count with will repel water better.
  • Which is the best wood for incised posts? Spruce wood has a high resin count throughout the timber which reduces water absorption. When the spruce has the incised process, it allows the preservatives to penetrate deeper, giving an even preservative surface penetration.
  • Do fence posts need a post wrap? Post wraps reduce water saturation which is the base element for rotting the wood.
  • Wooden post failure is likely to be improved by sealing the wooden post 100 millimetres above ground to 150 millimetres below ground level as a minimum precaution. Post wraps are the best way to extend a wooden post life cycle considerably 
  • Fact, wood rots and will fail to support the fence at some point. The best posts to use are concrete post with a life expectancy of between 5-10 times longer than a timber post.
  • A timber post is high maintenance and a cheaper choice for a customer. Concrete or metal post are low maintenance long term with a great longevity.
  • A concrete spur is the recommendation if you desire wooden posts for your fence. The wooden post is bolted to the spur above ground level, keeping the wooden post away from constant saturation of ground contact.
Incised wooden fence post

What are incised posts?

    • Incised posts have a 15+ year guarantee and are much more likely to surpass a 15-year guarantee than a standard post which is not incised. Preservative layer is consistently even due to closely spaced knife incisions into the length of the wooden surfaces. The slices made during the incised process holds more preservative than standard posts and saturates the wood up to 5-10 millimetres layer of the post due to the incising process.
    • Has a life expectancy of 15-25 years.
    • What does incise mean? Incised means incisions with a blade are made throughout the length of the wooden fence post which allows a consistent absorption layer of preservatives during the pressure treatment process.
    • The best wood to use for incised posts is the Heart wood from the Spruce tree. Spruce trees have a high resin count which means it does not absorb moisture well, meaning it should be more durable in wet conditions. Not all incised posts are made using the Spruce tree wood, so check before buying. Spruce or larch as the timbers has a good durability and absorption of the preservative.
    • A hazard class 4 wooden post should be kiln dried to 18% moisture content which reduces the water content and enables more preservative absorption under pressure which forces the preservatives into the wood grain.
    • Pine wood is normally used as pine absorbs the preservatives like a sponge. However, once dried water will still be absorbed to untreated areas of the wood and start to rot
    • Preservatives used are organic water-based preservatives. The incisions in the post will hold more preservative and allow a better saturation of the post after the pressure treatment process has finished 
    • Spruce wood does not absorb the preservatives well due to the high resin composite, but the incised process allows the preservative to penetrate to a even consistency. The resin naturally in the wood reduces water penetration which prolongs the post life.
    • All timber has varying porosity throughout and incising the post is the only way to ensure the timber to have a consistent even layer of wood preservative into the wood grain during the pressure treatment process.
    • Fence post wrap will add a protective seal for the wood 100mm above ground to 150mm below ground as a minimum. This reduces water saturation and diluting the preservatives.

Redwood fence posts

  • Supposed to have a good resistance to rotting but found very little to prove this. 
  • Have a very good absorption of the wood preservatives with up to 30 millimetres penetration into the timber
  • 15+ years guarantee (Please read fencing guaranties section at the bottom of the page)
  • Has a life expectancy of 5-10+ years depending on preservative and process
  • Average life expectancy of 7-10years
  • Absorption rate is uneven 1-12 millimetres due to the varying density of the wood.

Pine fence posts

  • Pine is more cohesive with the liquid preservatives as the wood grain is less dense, a lower resin count and absorbs the preservative like a sponge when the process is undertaken correctly.
  • The preservative should penetrate approximately up to 10-15mm into the timber but due to the varying density of the wood it may only absorb to 1 millimetre in depth into the wood grain.
  • The main problem with pine is it also absorbs water easily when in saturated conditions and is faster rotting.
  • Have a life expectancy of 2-15 years depending on preservative and process
  • Average life expectancy is 7-10 years but as little as 2 years.
  • Absorption rate is uneven 1-12 millimetres due to the varying density of the wood.

Spruce fence post

  • Spruce absorbs the preservative up to 5mm into the wooden post during the pressure treatment process, but, due to the varying timber structure the preservatives absorb unevenly into the wood and may only penetrate to 1 millimetre. Due to the high resin count it has a better durability to repel water which increases its longevity.  
  • Have a life expectancy of 4-20 years depending on preservative and process.
  • Average life expectancy of a standard pressure treated spruce fence post is 10-15 years but as little as 4 years.
  • Absorption rate is uneven 1-5 millimetres due to the varying density of the wood and high resin count.
Concrete Fence Posts

Which concrete fence posts are best?

  • A concrete fence post has steel stays inserted in the post before the mortar hardens off. This gives some reinforcement to the post structure. For solid fences the concrete post diameter needs to be 100mm x 100mm for the best longevity of the fence.
  • Concrete slotted light weight posts are approximately 80mm x 95 mm and are only suitable for using retaining panels due to being a weak construction. Ideally concrete posts need to be 100mm x 100mm approximately and the steel stays must not be visible as they will rust and expand which will split open the surrounding concrete of the post.
  • Slotted concrete posts are generally the best choice for residential fences. These posts allow easy changing of wooden panels when the panel is no longer fit for purpose. 
  • Multi hole concrete posts are used for bespoke made panels which are made on site. These panels are normally 2.4-3metres wide. 
  • Concrete spurs have the uniqueness of being the only bolt on and off post support for a wooden post. The concrete spur should be positioned in desired position in a hole & cemented in. The wooden post is then bolted securely to the concrete spur with coach bolts, ensuring the wooden post is above soil conditions. Wooden posts longevity is increased using this method by 2-3 times and is simply replaced, without digging out the post, by unbolting the old and bolting on the new wooden post. This gives the longevity of a concrete post and the aesthetics of timber if you can cover up the visible 600mm, knee height, of spur protruding from the ground.
Metal fence post

Which Metal fence posts are best

Galvanised post

  • A folded steel post has a 4-micron Pre-Galvanised Steel coating and increases the longevity of the steel. Folded steel posts wind tolerance is approximately 100mph. The lifespan is expected to be 30 years+
  • Hot dipped galvanisation is best as it has approximately a 20 microns coating and has a much greater resistance during the salt spray test, and the advised usage for coastal areas as salt air rusts steel quicker.  The life expectancy is 50 years+.
  • Suitable for virtually any type of fence.
  • Some metal posts are light weight and easy to install.
  • Wind Tested to 110mph.

Aluminium post

  • Quicker
  • Cheaper
  • Slots for the rails which reduces working time of fixings.
  • No drilling holes meaning the rail should have a greater longevity.
  • Holes on the post to slot the rails into which will give a secure hold of the rail.

Advice

  • Which fence posts are best? Only use concrete, galvanised steel or hazard class 4 wooden fence posts as a ground contact post.
  • Which wooden fence posts do I use? Make sure wooden posts are incised wooden posts and pressure treated and has a guaranty.
  • Ensure wooden fence posts are a Hazard class 4, which means suitable for ground contact. Most suppliers will offer a warranty of 15-25 years. Keep your receipt.  
  • Check suppliers guarantee as they will have their own terms and conditions which must be adhered to for their guarantee to be valid in some cases.
  • Make sure the post concrete is proud of ground level with a smoothed pitched slope so water will drain away and ensure the timber post will not be in saturated conditions.
  • How do I make the wooden post last longer? Wooden posts are best installed with a bitumen sleeve to protect from ground water levels.
  • Treat the timber posts with a good quality timber paint or bitumen sleeve before they fixed securely in the ground.
  • From ground level to 100mm above, should not have nails or screws as this is the wetting zone and is most likely to transmit moisture through to the untreated timber. This is most likely to give a shorter life expectancy to the wood post.
  • Post caps are advisably fitted to the tops of timber posts to reduce weathering. Without a post cap the weak part of the post, which is the end grain where the capillaries are. The capillaries can transmit water into the post, reaching the section of the post, which is untreated, Post caps will help increase the post longevity, slowing the rotting process.

Guarantee

  • Which fence posts are guaranteed? Hazard class 4 posts are guaranteed which have been kiln dried to 18% moisture content and then pressure treated with preservatives.
  • Do fence posts have a guaranty?  Not all wooden fence posts are guaranteed. A guarantee is only valid when the suppliers’ guidelines are followed.
  • How is a fence post guarantied? A fence post is only guarantied from failure in natural weathering conditions. The guaranty only covers replacement product, not labour, cement or waste products. 
  • Receipts need to be kept attaining a replacement post which has rotted through during the guarantee period, if you can prove the post was installed correctly.
  • It is best for the customer to purchase the fence materials, so you know you have the receipt and the quality of posts that you require.
  • Businesses only keep receipts for seven years and a post guarantee from some suppliers is 15+ years.
How-Which-Fence-Ipswich

Fencing Contractors company in Ipswich, A garden Fences suppliers expert companies Services & constructions builders, unparalleled fence repairs of panels, rails & posts for 23 years

Established in 2002 as M.A.C.C.S Landscapes & experimenting with materials for 10 years to find the best practises & materials to understand why some concrete & many wooden posts fail a 15 year warranty if it has a guarantee. Understanding a product gives the customer the best service which is why we dissect structural materials and supply the findings for people to make informed decisions.


 
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