How to DIY Repair Your Garden Fence
My wood garden fence was flattened in a storm. Today I show you how to DIY repair it so it will never fall down again.
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0:00 Introduction
2:13 Protecting Fence Posts
3:05 Hole Digging Techniques
4:29 How to Concrete
5:37 Fence Rails
6:56 Feather Boards
8:23 Treating the Timber
10:19 Costings
10:50 Subscribe to Me!
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I love your honesty when doing these projects Charlie
Thanks Mat 👊
I don't need to build a fence...yet, & I learned so many important details & useful tips from this video to know how to build the best fence possible when I'm ready to build one. Thank you.
You're welcome. Thanks for the comment. Chuffed you found it useful 👊
You could also consider charring the posts over a fire/with a map gas torch instead of the bituminous paints/preserves before sinking them in the grounds. The charring protects the timber from decay and is a more natural alternative :) Thanks as ever for the videos, Charlie. Take care
That's a nice touch Simon, I hadn't thought of that. Is it as effective?
@@CharlieDIYte Yes, it is indeed, I would not char a roof truss, but certainly would a fence post, arris rail or featheredge board.
No, you don’t need to replace the whole lot of the feather edge boards, you can trim the bottom by the same height of a gravel board and reuse them with a gravel board installed.
It's a good point 👌
@@CharlieDIYte I did something similar with some 6ft close board panels which, apart from the bottom rail and bottom 3 or 4 inches, were in excellent condition. I liked your nifty tool for digging post holes, another really good tool to consider is a fencing bar.
I really loved this video I’ll say this best fencing repair video on KZhead
At the end of the day it works. I've done tons of fencing in past life. You can get these concrete repair spurs. We have done both repairs. If I was going to say, what do I do if I need new fence. Concrete posts and concrete gravel boards. They last forever.
Agreed, and when the fence panel eventually needs replacing, just lift it out and slide new one in 👌🏻 easy
Fair point 👊
Hi Our fencer put a slither of wood on gravel board, put panels on slither of wood fastened it all in then removed slither of wood to make a small air gap. helps stop bottom of board rotting by keep wood of damp concrete gravel boards. Notice you seem a bit thinner in the face hope it's just hard work. Regards Mick
That's a nice touch Michael. I would have achieved something similar if I had leveled the trails properly and then lined the boards up from the top to a string line leaving a gap below. Thanks for the observation. Yes just hard work I think. 👊
"I haven't got time to sort this out, so I'm going to work out how to fix something which ultimately needs replacing." Oof, I felt that!
Thanks Toria. That's life eh? 👍
Thanks for the educational video. Enjoyed that.
Thanks buddy 👊
Thanks again Charlie!
Your welcome Marie. Thanks for the comment 🙏
Great work
Thanks 👊
Great video and considering our property fence seems to demand attention each year, it's worth a watch. 🙂
Thanks 👊
Nice repair Charlie !! 😊😊😊😊😊😇
Thanks Michael. 👊
I'd of used concrete post and bolted a 3 x 2 onto them. 100 times stronger and will never rot. However for a quick fix whilst your upto your neck in work you did a good job. It never rains it just pours down sometimes.🤪🤪👍👍
Thanks charlie, was just about to ask you how thenkitchen reno was coming along, but you answered my question anyway….take care and stay safe
You too Val. Hope all's well.
Hi Charlie. I recently used those fence post protectors , and found them not easy at all to get them to stick to the wood . Using a blowtorch and a wooden roller , still proved a difficult task . So I agree with you the use of these modern bitumen paints is the best way forward . Best wishes and kind regards as always 😀👍👍👍
Completely agree. I had to put a few on where they attached the post savers at the wrong height and they were very difficult to heat shrink with the heat gun I've got. Good to hear from you and thanks for the comment 👊
We've had concrete fence posts and painted them with used engine oil. And also the wooden posts and fence panels. You can also paint concrete posts with wood stain. So they look better than off white.
Painting them is a good idea. Have thought of that 👌
I found if you use a blow torch on the bottoms of the posts and blacken them on the end and the part in the ground it works well preserving the post on the ground as it brings out the creosote in the wood
Thanks Clark. Yes a couple of you have suggested this. I've never heard of this technique before. Very interesting 👌
My project this weekend was to do exactly this to a rotten fence post, I agree with you that the mutt is the tool to use for this job. Digging out the old post from the concrete is the part I hate the most
Thanks William. How did you get on? I also have a gorilla wrecking bar but the mutt pro is a bit kinder on the hands and better for chipping away at the deep holes.
Woo second. Well done Charlie love your vids.
Yey, thanks for the comment Adam and thanks for watching 💥🎉👊
Can't make my mind up between wood and concrete posts........ Could say I'm on the fence 😂
🤣
Could have chopped a 45degree angle on the posts before erecting them. Or you can install some nice looking post end caps which do the same job.
I thought about doing that but lazily decided that this way I didn't have to worry about the height. 😉
A few years ago I had to replace my fence. I tried to find a contractor to do it but my city is growing so fast that I couldn't get anyone to do the work. It's okay because I ended up with a better looking fence than if I paid someone to do the work for me. The old fence was the traditional post cemented in a hole with panels between. I took a different approach with my new fence. I was able to find someone to take the old concrete out and put in new concrete deck piers that came about 5 cm above the ground. I made sure that the bottoms were flared to ensure they wouldn't heave with the frost (an important thing to worry about in Canada). I then used a newer product from Hoft that was being advertised as a privacy screen for decks and, after checking with the company, used it for my fence. I used four bolts to keep their aluminum posts attached to the concrete deck piers after I laid out where the posts would sit to make a straight line. Cedar deck planks were cut to length and fit between the posts. The included aluminum spacers keep the planks from touching one another. After the boards were placed then included post caps were installed. All of the aluminum parts are black. The great part of the system is that if anything breaks, for example a board, all I have to do is take the post caps off a couple of posts, slide out the boards above the damaged board(s), replace the damaged board(s), and replace what I removed previously. If I need to get a large machine into my back yard it's also easy. Just remove the boards from two sections and remove a post (as it's bolted on). Since I had bought the cedar straight from a lumber yard I had to leave it out for a while before treating the wood in order to let the oils in the wood leave. Instead of putting UV protection oil on directly on the fence I ended up taking the planks out of each section so that I could treat all of the cedar and put an end grain treatment on the ends. I couldn't have done that with a regular fence, at least not without disassembling it and building it again. If I ever build a fence again then I'm going to use Hoft for the posts. It's a little more time because every plank needs to be measured before cutting however it looks wonderful and has some advantages over traditional fencing.
That sounds like a fantastic system. If you have a chance ping over a photo on email as If line to see it 👊
G'day Charlie, I see that you are producing the 'short' videos now. I suppose KZhead's algorithm loves that but it gives me no content value whatsoever. I love it when you show the pros and cons in 20 minutes. All the best cobber, Andy
Always rains when I undertake fencing 🙄 That Mutt scraper looks handy though - not seen it before so thanks for highlighting it 🙂
Don't buy it, they are useless. Far better with a heavy duty Roughneck digging bar
I've got one of those as well but the scraper edges it for me.
Charlie if you put about 2" of pea shingle at the bottom of the hole helps as well with drainage.
Yes I've done that on all my posts in the past but for some reason didn't bother on this one. I think because I'm sceptical as to whether it's actually worth it...
"And its raining again" - Guy living in Britain 😄
Living in Britain... in April. Hate this month and it's constant showers. That said the last two days' weather have been exceptional 👌
👍👍👍Thanks.
Cheers Pete 👊
Thanks for for video Charlie. Looks like a solid repair. What dust bag do you use on your cordless Ryobi circular saw? And is it just a friction fit? Thanks
It's an Evolution bag I got with a mitre saw that simply fits on the exhaust attachment that comes with the circular saw. It's quite old now that saw and brushed but considering it's a circular saw the extraction is remarkably good so it's worth sticking a dust bag on.
Hi Charlie...you've lost a lot of weight Hope its from all the DIY, buddy and all is well with you.
Thanks buddy. Yes all fine I think. I have a crazy metabolism so hopefully that's to blame - that and not being able to chew properly due to orthodontics on the jaw (don't ask🤦) 😉
Great video once again, quick question for the average DIY’er are brushed drills and impact drivers ok?
Thanks Jonny. Yes absolutely fine. There are some great deals on brushed tools and for DIY use you're not going to notice the enhanced efficiencies/ durability of brushless IMO. 👊
When you get around to doing the fence, would you consider shadow-box style?
Probably not for mine but they are smart, particularly in an urban setting. The trouble for me with any panel fences is I've got a gradual slope down the garden which is easier to take care of with closer boarding.
A temporary permanent repair, the best kind 😂
Exactly 👊
Not bad for a temporary repair
Thanks Tahir 👊
Thanks Charlie, sadly it seems as soon as you have a fence you're soon making repairs that will ultimately be replaced, it's only a matter of time ! We seem to have high winds more regularly these days !
Yes. With well treated 4.5 - 5 inch posts though I reckon you've got 15 years minimum and a fence that will put two fingers up to anything nature throws at it.
Many years ago was told to use "Denzo" tape (greased cloth tape) on the post bottom at the wind and water line. Think it wolud stick better than the sleeeves. Not sure you can get this any more....as an apprentice working on a chlorine production plant it was used everywhere to stop corrosion!!
I like the sound of that David, thanks for sharing 👌👊
Concrete spurs are the best option all else is a matter of when not if... Failure... But hey it's your time and money
Thanks. Yes I can see the benefits. 👍
Did the rails have an angle planned on them? Otherwise water will sit on them
No. That's another flaw to the design but to be honest the rails aren't going to rot for that reason alone.
Gravel boards are kind of anti hedgehog (Which eat the slugs and snails in the garden) not sure alot of people realise
Don't hedgehogs have the same issue with non gravel boards that are down to the ground?
If it was just a temporary repair, why didn’t you just use a concrete spur. You could always paint the sour brown to make it look like a wooden post. Would that option have been cheaper?
Trouble is, when I say temporary, it could be there for 5 years. What I've done has basically guaranteed the fence for another 10 years, strengthening the existing structure in the process. Plus the section that fell down was knackered so best to renew the whole section for the small expense and time it took.
For me this was major overkill and time for a quick fix. I used post buddies (metal strips you hammer into the broken wood) to have a broken post fixed in about 20 minutes. Definitely not going to last as long as what you did here but if you're planning on replacing in a few years anyway why spend so much time making something that will last 20 years that you rip out before that.
The issue is that's no post in the ground to refix to and actually the repair has probably bought the fence another 5 - 10 years life. We shall see 😉
Wow those posts rotted fast.
Crazy isn't it!
Fence tends to out last posts.....my 35 year fence has concrete post that are really showing their age
Thanks for that. 35 years is a decent innings though 👌
The sleeves are a waste of time. Paint on the otherhand, good bit of kit. 450 mil in the ground I hope it isn't windy where you are. 500 mil minimum. That's why the post are 2.4 mtr. 600 in ground
Not like you didn't have enough on your plate Charlie...🤦♂
I know 🤦😉
Concrete spurs and affix the existing posts to it. New wooden posts will always rot...Any guarantee otherwise is just a lie.
It's a fair point. Yes probably the best solution. Shame they're so damn ugly though. 👊
@@CharlieDIYte Yes, they are horrible. But at least only a couple of feet stick out of the ground and with a few plants in front of them they soon "disappear". But treated 20 year guarantee wooden posts (even 4 x 4) are a joke.
Yikes eye protection much!?
Massive overkill to much time/money on your hands 😂
I don't think £70 is too bad and on the time front I had to repair it so might as well do it properly.
A "mil" is a thousandth of an inch. Not the same as a millimeter.
My bad 🤦 Good point!