If the fence on your house is outdated, worn-out, and sagging, and you want to repair it, prefab panels are your greatest bet. 1st, they are (relatively) low cost. Second, they do not just take eternally to ship/provide. More importantly, these panels are extremely straightforward to put in manually. As prolonged as you have a buddy to assist you out, you won’t require to pay contractors for the job.
Right now, we’ll talk about how to connect pre-assembled panels to a submit. We’ll go above the required equipment and gear, required permits (if any), and the right strategies for installing fence panels on your own. The complete thing will consider 2–3 times you can be completed in excess of the weekend! Alright, now let us get right to it!
| Time Needed | 2–3 days (if you do it manually) |
| Estimated Cost | Depends on the size/material |
| Difficulty | Low/moderate |
What You’ll Need for the Job
A post gap digger, shovel, and concrete are definitely necessary to put in fence posts. Even so, considering that our target nowadays is on attaching panels to a post, mostly, you’ll need to have defense for the arms and eyes, a hammer, drill, and, of course, a pack of fence panels. Here’s a a lot more comprehensive look:
| Tools Required | Materials/Products Needed |
| Gloves, goggles, and a mask | A set of fence panels |
| Standard-issue hammer | Fence posts |
| Electric drill/screwdriver | Exterior screws and nails |
| Measuring tape and square | A can of paint/wood stain |
| Circular saw | String and stakes |
| Tamping bar and shovel (optional) | Post caps (optional) |
| Hole digger/auger (optional) | Ready-mix concrete (optional) |
How to Attach Fence Panels to a Post – The 8 Tips & Tricks
1. Check the Local Laws
Just before you do any fencing, make confident that you’re not violating local legal guidelines. Ordinances, developing codes, and zones—even if you successfully build a fence disregarding all these specifications, ultimately, they will capture up to you. Each one state and even town is different, but the general guidelines are primarily the identical. The maximum height for interior yards is typically four feet, while exterior fences can be as tall as 6 toes.
And let’s not fail to remember about the “good” and “back” faces of the fence. Most amateurs favor to nail/screw the panels to the encounter of each and every put up. It’s less difficult to do it this way and entails significantly less organizing and measuring. What you should do, even so, is mount the panels proper amongst the posts. Hence, your neighbor will get the “nice” look, which is the appropriate fence etiquette. And you do not want to increase tensions, correct?
Is there a punishment involved?
Yes, most states need you to do this (build the fence so that you get the backside) on a legislative level. If you construct it the other way around (set the “bad” side in the direction of the neighbor), the federal government will force you to redo the entire thing. Again, this depends on the nearby rules, but it is constantly better to be safe than sorry. In addition to, with fence panels, you can decide a layout that seems to be wonderful on the two sides.
2. Get Everything Ready
With the codes and ordinance out of the way, think about protection. Get in get in touch with with the authorities or a utility organization to examine whether any pipes or cables are managing beneath your house. Contacting 811 to get details on power strains is also an option. Although you’re at it, have a word with your neighbor about the property/fence traces. They may well be nice adequate to pay for twenty%–30% of the fence cost, or even a lot more.
Do you have all the instruments, equipment, and resources completely ready? Then get started by removing the previous panels utilizing a pry bar. Following, get rid of any nails or screws that are left on the posts. These will only get in the way and can even hurt you although you’re occupied with the new panels.
3. Make Sure the Posts are Secure
Are they already in location? Then all you’ll have to do is double-check out to see how protected they are. Depending on the spot that you dwell in, the posts will have to stand up to winds, rain, snow, hail, and possibly even heavy storms. And let’s not fail to remember about UV rays and insects. That’s specifically why it’s so essential for the posts to be brick-powerful, as the panels will entirely count on them to keep everything together.
Use a amount for checking how straight each post is. Wiggle it into the correct placement use a tamper, if essential. Setting the posts can be a good deal of work. If you want to master the artwork of digging holes, pouring in concrete, and mounting the posts, you can discover all about that more down this information. For now, let us concentrate on how to place the panels, attach them, and get almost everything good and restricted.
4. Position the Panels
The hardest component about this is handling the bodyweight. Although some fence panels are relatively light-weight, they have a tendency to be fairly weighty. So, it is better to request a good friend to assist you out. Normally, you will have to employ the service of a contractor to handle the set up. Now, when you are encounter mounting, the panels need to be centered on the encounter of every single put up in the row.
Use a level to examine how even the fence line is. This will get some likely again and forth, specifically if this is your very first time creating a fence. Or, as advisable previously, spot the panels between the posts so that your neighbors get the good facet. See that they suit tightly. Again, use a degree to make sure the fence panel isn’t sagging. Just put the stage resource on prime of it and it will demonstrate you almost everything.
5. Attach the Panels to the Post(s)
Alright, now that we’ve positioned the panels and they’re nice and comfortable, we can lastly attach them to the posts. When encounter mounting, the most important factor is for the screws to attain the posts. Generate 1 screw into every facet of the rails for the fence to be protected. The longer the screws, the greater, as they’ll have to go by means of the backer rails and achieve the posts.
For the most part, you’ll need to have to do the exact same when the panels are positioned among the posts. Only this time, the screw should be pushed by means of the rail at a 30º angle. Two screws per backer rail have confirmed to be a lot more than adequate (that is six screws on each and every facet). When a few of screws are in, it will be much easier to take care of the relaxation. Alternatively, you can use nails.
Lifting the Panels
Remember: the panels require to “hang” 2–4 inches above the ground. Use scrap wooden or room blocks to preserve them at the right height. They’ll hold the weight of the fence panels, and you can concentrate on attaching them to the posts. Moreover, the further clearance will allow for greater h2o drainage, not to mention make it less complicated to do typical maintenance.
6. Finish Up and Trim the Posts
Maintain pushing screws via the rails and examining for degree. Of course, this can be a little bit tiresome, however the more focus you shell out to how even the fence is, the significantly less work you’ll have to do as soon as you end it. The trick listed here is to place every single new panel so that it’s flush towards the first panel. Slicing down the posts is the subsequent action.
They must nevertheless be larger than the panels (4–6-inches taller). Use a circular saw for that. You may possibly have to lower some of the panels as effectively. Most pre-assembled panels that they sell at house facilities are eight-toes-extended and 6-feet-tall. So, dependent on how prolonged your fence is, some reducing will be involved. That identical circular saw will perform.
7. Nail the Post Caps and Stain the Wood
Last, but not least, grab some caps, place them on top of the posts, and secure them. They have two employment: to make the fence search much more “expensive” and to avert rain/humidity from ruining the posts. A couple of nails and a hammer—that’s all the products you will want for this. Do you want equally the panels and the posts to last? Then think about portray or staining them.
Now, paint offers for a longer time security although staining requires much less time to use. The stain ought to be oil-based mostly, of training course in any other case, it will not be able to resist organic elements. In any situation, we advocate performing this Ahead of attaching the panels to the caps, as you’ll have much more “room for maneuvers”. A slim layer of a wood preservative would be acceptable as properly.
8. Double-Check Everything
The work is carried out! The last point to do is go around the fence and look at every little thing. Verify every put up (is it secure ample), each and every screw (possibly some of them are sticking out), and the all round firmness and stage. If you hire an knowledgeable contractor, they’ll be completed with the total gig in a day or two. But they also do cost a good deal ($55–$60 per linear foot).
So, even when you decide to shell out a third celebration to manage the set up, get at the very least 5–6 estimates prior to choosing an individual. These will not value you a penny, but you will understand the common labor cost in your spot. Every business/contractor will have a diverse price tag, of course. A swift be aware: late drop/early winter is the down period. For that reason, if you’re on a price range, get in touch with a contractor then.
Checking the Old Posts
Are the fence posts in a respectable condition even though the true fence is not? Then fence panels ought to be the only factor on your buying list. Nevertheless, if the posts are in a negative condition, that indicates you need to change them as well. Grab a knife or a screwdriver and drive it towards the submit. If the wood is fragile, brittle, and the knife/screwdriver goes by means of easily, you are working with inside rotting.
Setting New Posts
Preparing on placing new posts rather of the old types? You won’t have to dig any holes then. Just remove the concreted posts, set them apart, and slide the model-new posts in. And if this is a brand-new fence, operate a string line to uncover the correct spot for every posthole and mark them with stakes. Then go forward and dig the holes. Use a posthole digger or an auger for that.
The holes need to be 3x broader than the posts and thirty% the length. Ahead of mounting the new posts, go in advance and fill the holes with all set-blend concrete. To make sure appropriate alignment, use a level and string strains. When operating with concrete, put on protective gloves, goggles, and a mask (so that you don’t breathe anything in). Normal concrete will just take 10–12 several hours to heal quick-environment concrete, in distinction, is ready-regular in 1–2 several hours.
What’s the Best Material for A Wood Fence?
The most popular fence panels are created from wooden. You have acquired pine, cedar, maple, and other possibilities. Nevertheless, wooden is not the only obtainable material. You can go with vinyl, chain website link, metal, or aluminum. Now, wooden posts will probably not be capable to hold an aluminum fence, but if you’re ready to dedicate to premium top quality, it will be a excellent option.
Wrought-iron fences are amid the most high-priced types ($35–40 for each linear foot), although chain back links are rather low cost ($15–18). Composite fencing can also be very pricey ($30–32).
Conclusion
If you’re not completely ready to spend an individual to set up a new fence for you, fence panels are the ideal Diy option on the desk. You will not have to manually lower, shape, and connect every single single piece of hardwood. Instead, you can decide a panel of the right dimension, pick the design and style/design that you like, the wood kind, and connect it to pre-installed posts.
Fastening the panels to the posts will not just take a lot time or energy, possibly. Just stick to our thorough instructions, make confident you’ve got the required equipment/equipment all set, and don’t neglect to place on protecting gear. Indeed, you will have to do some hefty lifting and probably even get your clothing soiled, but the consequence will be one hundred% value it!
Highlighted Image Credit: romakoma, Shutterstock
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