New-ish build rotting fence post

GDB2222

The trouble with concrete fence posts is that they don’t look great. Has anyone found a good way to get round that? 

FreeBear

GDB2222 said:

The trouble with concrete fence posts is that they don’t look great. Has anyone found a good way to get round that? 

A rock solid concrete post is always going to look better than a rotted timber one that is flapping about in the wind. A tin of paint can be used to change the colour if you don't like cement grey. Or use a composite post made from recycled plastic. No idea how well they would last though.

casper_gutman

TELLIT01 said:

I've just had a shock when checking the price of timber posts.  8' posts for a 6' high fence are from about £25 upwards.  I would have paid less than that for good quality panels when I last did the fence.  I do agree though that it really isn't worth the hassle of trying to get anybody to accept liability - they won't.

Concrete posts don't seem to be much more expensive and would only have to be replaced once.

Really? An eight foot post round my way is still about £15 or less. £21 gets me an eight foot post and a bag of Postcrete or similar to set it.

I know the quality of timber varies, so the cheapest isn't always the one to go for, but I suspect the whole fence will need replacing fairly soon anyway so for a repair in this case I'd use the cheapest going.

marlot

I had the same, but it was just the one post.

I put in one of these to support the post.  It's been fine for the last three years,  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Easy-Fence-Repair-Spike-posts/dp/B00CMQK2JY

ThisIsWeird

FreeBear said:

GDB2222 said:

The trouble with concrete fence posts is that they don’t look great. Has anyone found a good way to get round that? 

A rock solid concrete post is always going to look better than a rotted timber one that is flapping about in the wind. A tin of paint can be used to change the colour if you don't like cement grey.

I agree. And they can be painted with either masonry paint, or even garden fence paint - although there will be an uncertainty element with the that one.

On one length of fencing, I have concrete spurs to which timber posts are bolted - the posts last pretty much indefinitely since they don't touch the ground. Both post and spur are painted black using standard fence paint.

ThisIsWeird

If the OP wishes to DIY the job, there's a fair chance that the posts were actually well supported in concrete in the ground, and the only issue was the rot above this point. It can be a hassle, but if you drill and chisel out the stump, there is every chance you'll have a good solid socket for the replacement posts, whether timber or concrete.

Worth doing something to protect the timber within the socket and to just above ground level, tho'. Black Jack paint? Polythene (DPM) wrap, secured tightly with a tiewrap at the top? Water repellent?

Apodemus

ThisIsWeird said:

If the OP wishes to DIY the job, there's a fair chance that the posts were actually well supported in concrete in the ground, and the only issue was the rot above this point. It can be a hassle, but if you drill and chisel out the stump, there is every chance you'll have a good solid socket for the replacement posts, whether timber or concrete.

Worth doing something to protect the timber within the socket and to just above ground level, tho'. Black Jack paint? Polythene (DPM) wrap, secured tightly with a tiewrap at the top? Water repellent?

This is where the repair spikes mentioned above are so useful.  Simply cut the old post at ground level and hammer the repair spike into the socket - the old rotten wood will make way for it without the hassle of drilling it out.  If you are mean like me MSE, then you can dismantle the fence just enough to reuse the now-shortened, previously-rotten post once the rotten end has been cut off.

Mutton_Geoff

Or buy proper fencing materials from someone like Jacksons Fencing. Check their prices and see what proper stuff costs. As they say, you pays yer money and takes your choice. You can bet the builders did everything as cheap as possible.

How long do you plan to stay there? Less than 3/4 years, a cheap fix. More than that, replace with concrete posts & gravel boards then fit good quality slide in, easy to replace panels.

ThisIsWeird

I was lucky when I did sil's a few years back. The stumps were soooo rotten I could scoop them out. It was mush, with a thin timber skin on the outside.

New posts popped straight in - after a good soaking in Everbuild. 

Jonboy_1984

I had done a satisfactory repair to some of ours with concrete repair spurs, but I had access to an SDS drill to cut into the existing postcrete in the relevant area (took around an hour a spur).