How do I strengthen my fence?

Caz6

Hi,

We need to strengthen a wobbling fence and our attempts so far only last a few weeks. It's 6ft tall, and the wooden panels are attached to the wooden posts by being nailed to them (i.e. not slotted in). It looks like the base of one of the posts has rotted which as it sways. is making neigbouring posts sway too.

Every few weeks we drive a long metal stake into the ground which makes a differene but the effect is shortlived. Access to the other side would be possible if it helped make a more permanent job of it. Needless to say we can't afford to replace the post.

Cheers

Vibrant

It's usually a false economy to try and bodge a fence repair, as a strong wind may pull down the weak post and take several panels and posts with it.
Repairing a post isn't that expensive, depending on how the original post is fixed.
If it's just in the soil, buy a new post and a bag of concrete and scrounge some stones for drainage.
If it's in sound concrete, buy a repair spike, saw the post off flush with the concrete, bang in the spike, turn the post upside down and insert in the repair spike (providing the post is still pretty sound).

If you really cant afford anything. Take a metal (or wood stake) and drive it into the ground at a fortyfive degree angle to the post, so the top of the stake rests against the post. Then insert a screw into the post, above the stake, to stop it sliding up the post.
Do that on both sides of the post.

dander

If the wobbling's caused by a rotten post then it's just a waste of time doing anything other than replacing the post. You'll spend as much money on temporary fixes as you will on a post.

Don't use those metal fencing spikes, they shift in the ground and the fence will still wobble. Concrete the new stake in and you'll have a proper fix. Shouldn't cost more than about £15 to get a post and concrete.

Do it sooner rather than later or the swaying will put strain on the fence panels and you'll end up having to replace them too!

Caz6

Thanks for all the advice - concrete sounds like the way forward but I was kinda avoiding that as the prospect of mixing up concrete/doin something wrong scares me! Anyone got an idiots guide/5 mintue overview to mixing and putting down the concrete?

Razor

You dont have to mix concrete, get a bag of postcrete from just about anywhere, pack it into the hole dry and add water it will set in no time.

ixwood

Buy a bag of premixed bag for £5-10, empty it in the hole, add water.

Kiran

If you want a permanent repair, although its a little more work, concrete fence posts can't be beaten. You can fix them in the ground with postcrete and they never rot.

Alias_Omega

I 2nd the concrete posts, try eBay for them. A few people selling used posts. As above, they dont rot, rust etc.

Kiran

I only paid £8 each from a builder warehouse for mine, so granted they are double what you pay for timber posts, but still not an exssive outlay

brownbake

You could always make it go to the gym??