Guide To Installing Concrete Fence Posts

Tools Required for Your Concrete Fence Post Project

Installing fence posts on concrete is a manageable job, but you will need many tools to complete the job.

• A measuring wheel: Without a doubt, using a measuring wheel is the best way to measure for a fence. A measuring wheel shows highly accurate measurements on an easy-to-read counter. Most fencing pros use these, and while some models can be quite expensive, the precise measurements they provide make them worth the price.
• A tape measure: If your budget is limited, you can use an old-fashioned tape measure instead of a measuring wheel, but if you choose to measure this way, we recommend you do this with one other person so they can keep track of the ground that you have measured. You’ll also need a tape measure for measuring the size of the holes you’ll dig.
• Garden stakes: Once you’ve measured your fence area, you will need to mark the locations where your fence posts will be so you’ll know the quantity you need to order. Garden stakes are the best markers, although spray paint is another great option. Fencing professionals traditionally have used orange spray paint, but you are, of course, welcome to use any color of spray paint you like.
• Wheelbarrow: When building a fence, you may have to move a significant amount of dirt and shrubs away from the locations of the posts, and a wheelbarrow will come in handy with this task. Wheelbarrows are also useful for mixing the concrete.
• Posthole digger or auger: This is a tool designed to dig holes in the ground that you’ll later stick the posts in. Blue Hawk and Kobalt are widely available brands that you should be able to buy at most stores. You can also use an auger, a drill that makes holes in the ground, for digging your postholes.
• Work gloves: Work gloves are essential for almost any DIY project — any concrete fence post installation is no exception.
• Digging bar: If the ground where you’re installing your fence is rough or rocky, you may need some extra help digging. A digging bar can work in most situations, although if your ground is extremely rocky, you may have to rent professional equipment to dig your postholes.
• String line: When you install your fence, you want it to be straight. To make sure your posts are lining up, you can’t just depend on your eyes alone. Instead, you will need to use a string line. You may have heard that lasers can also be used for this purpose, but they tend to be a bit pricey and are not required for the task. Strings, on the other hand, are cheap and get the job done just as effectively.
• Permanent marker: If you have to cut some fence panels shorter than the standard lengths they come in, use a permanent marker to mark them.
• Band saw: Once you’ve marked each section, use a handheld band saw to cut sections that may be too wide. If you don’t have a hand saw, you can buy one or, depending on where you live, you might be able to rent one from a hardware dealer in your area.
• Level: Once you’ve inserted your posts into the holes you’ve dug, you’ll have to ensure these posts are upright and level. Make sure to use it on every post.
• Drill gun: While you’re free to install all the screws and fence hardware with your own hands, you could do it all twice as fast with a drill gun. Unless you’re a hardcore DIYer who loves working with your hands, you’ll probably want a drill gun to save time and effort. Make sure to get a cordless one, as you will most likely not be anywhere near an electrical outlet.

In addition to your posts, fence panels and other associated fence hardware, you will also need gravel and concrete to set the posts in place securely:

• Gravel: Gravel has a variety of applications in landscaping, and installing fence posts is one of them. After digging a hole for a post, you’ll pour gravel into the bottom, which the post will sit on top of. This gravel enables water to drain away from the post’s base.
• Bagged premixed concrete: Once the post has been placed on top of the gravel, bagged premixed concrete will then be poured around it. This concrete mix blends sand, gravel and cement and can set in as little as 20 minutes. Just put the mix into the posthole dry and then soak it with water.

Preparing Postholes

To dig the postholes, we recommend you use a posthole digger or auger. When digging, make sure the holes are:

• Wide enough: Make the postholes three times wider than the width of your post.
• Deep enough: The postholes should be deep enough that at least a third of the post is below grade. The hole you dig should also accommodate a 6-inch-deep gravel layer on which your post will rest. In other words, the depth of the hole should be 1/3 the original length of your post plus 6 inches. However, the building codes in your municipality may require a certain minimum depth, such as 30 inches, which is why it’s important to speak with the building authority in your area before you begin digging.

Based on the size of your postholes, you can calculate how many bags of the bagged premixed concrete you’ll need for each hole. With a 50-pound bag, you can make about 0.375 cubic feet of concrete. So, if your posthole is, say, 12 inches wide and 30 inches deep, it will require five bags of the mix. If you’d rather not do any math, many brands offer concrete mix calculators on their sites, which will tell you the exact number of bags required to fill your posthole.

Tips to Keep in Mind When Installing Concrete Fence Posts

In this section, we’ve compiled a couple of useful tips to help you avoid common pitfalls when you install your concrete fence posts.

Making a String Guide

We mentioned above that installing multiple posts in a straight line can be challenging without the right techniques. If you want your posts to be perfectly aligned with one another, a string guide is an easy way to do this. To do this, you will only need some strong twine or string. Once you’ve acquired these items, follow the steps below:

• Set only the two end posts: Dig all the postholes that will form a straight line, but only set the fence posts on the ends by following the steps above. Wait four to six hours for the concrete to cure.
• Run a top string: Tie one end of one string around one end post about 6 inches from the top. Run the string to the other end post and tie it 6 inches from the top there as well.
• Run a bottom string: Tie another string about 6 inches from the bottom of each post. Together, these two strings create a guide for the rest of the posts.
• Set the remaining posts: To set the rest of the posts, position each one in its corresponding hole, making sure the post is 1/8 inch from the bottom and top strings. Fill each hole with concrete once each post has been correctly positioned.

If each post touches the strings, the result will be a fence that looks very straight and professional.

Divert Rainwater With More Concrete

If you live in a region with lots of rainfall, rather than topping off each hole with soil, you instead could top it off with more concrete, which will divert water away from your post. However, when making this concrete, you’ll want to mix it in a container such as a wheelbarrow or a bucket and spread it smooth with a trowel.