How to Install Fence Posts Step-by-step | The Home Depot Canada
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- čas přidán 28. 10. 2013
- Learn how to install fence posts the right way. We'll teach you how to dig post holes, what the fence post depth should be and how to set fence posts in concrete to get a sturdy fence that will last. See more fencing projects at bit.ly/2GIywew .
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Thank you start a job tmmr,didn’t know what exactly to do and you showed me what needs to be done🙏
The level of concrete should always be above soil so water flows away from the base of the post to prevent rotting
Steel posts, ftw.
DKclark329 my advice stands as metal posts will rust
Wrong, Not always! frost areas require it to be below surface.
Thanks for the advise! I’m building new fences for my horses, and I was originally thinking “shouldn’t I put the concrete above it?” But when the video said to put it beneath, and I saw this afterward and I was like “okay!”, so thank you. Also I know I’m 4 months late to reply.
@@madelyntodd2449 thanks for your mention, Madelyn. Hope your horses and fences are keeping well and they’re high enough :) Shane
For myself,
After digging the post hole to depth depending on area (frost)
Apply crush stone (2"inch min) and pat down with post
Position post and level
Mix cement to pancake like consistency and apply at least 3/4 post depth and pitch down so water can run away.
Apply crusher stone to roughly 3 inches from hole depth and fill with dirt.
Crusher stone helps water navigate away
great thanks
Very surprised that there was no mention of getting underground utility locates done first....
nice! ty!!!
concrete doesn't dry, it hardens. and why use miracle grow to backfill when there's a pile of native soil next to the hole you just dug?
Only leave your concrete below grade if you want your posts to rot off there. If not, then mound the concrete up and slope it away from the post to prevent water from sitting around the base of the post.
That ship has long sailed we are a float due to Noah's ark
Shiver mi timberrrrsssssss
@@Dragon-Slay3r Well, only if you're in the know. If you're a newborn in construction looking for some helpful information like the cute lil baby Jesus, then the information is sound.
How many bags per hold for a 3' hole and 6' high post
About two 50 lb bags per post. @@James-ed5zy
Interesting
My wife puts more water in her oatmeal than I do.
I'm putting up 16ft posts. How deep does the holes need to be?
the post is ground contact pressured treated, soil at the top will not do any damage.
im more confused than when i started watching
Why would you put dirt on top of the concrete, in direct contact with the wood? So that you have to replace it in another 5-10 years when it rots out?
that makes sense its more likely to get moisture
Home Depot knows this is wrong. But they want you to to do it this way so you replace it 8 years from installation.
Miracle grow soil no less... that won’t get too pricey... unbelievable
what if the post is pressure-treated? wouldn't that withstand rotting? if it's a cedar post then it would rot
@@GerardoDDavila pressure treated wood will not rot as quickly but it'll definitely still rot.
Perfect guide to how NOT to fence!
Don’t forget to buy the bag of “soil” to pour around the top of the post to make sure it set right... 😒whatever.
"More saving."
Lol
Why not use the soil that you had to dig the whole with 😆
Concrete all the way to just over ground level, also dip the bottom of the post up to where its submerged with tar or bitumen ( leave to dry ). Will last alot longer
I haven’t seen the above ground concrete, does it not look tacky!
@@mrorganic13 If you take 5 minutes, it can look almost unnoticeable, especially with some paint. Also, use the tar after concrete has dried, to maybe 1-2" above concrete. Water will wick into the pier like crazy through that wood-concrete intersection.
I just use spray paint to mark the locations of the posts. Cheaper than buying a bunch of stakes.
Won't the fence post rot.?
I thought your supposed to use a metal anchor in the concrete and put the wood into that.?
Always put concrete to top of hole so soil don’t touch the wood
What about the height? The ground is uneven 🤔.
How deep do I need to go for Barrie Ontario need to put 2 post for a gate
At least 4 inches or 100 mm
@@felixgonzalez51264 feet
Hold on, until I whip out my huge post hole auger machine, I'm sure everyone has one in their shed or garage ! 🤓
This video was produced by home depot so I'm sure you can rent a post augers at many of their locations.
You new? lol These are easily found to rent, here im $80 to $105 per day Canadian dollars
@@2000charged Maybe so, but not here in the UK !!
I don’t have one, that’s for sure!
They rent them here in Indiana for $60 a day but you can buy one for $220 might as well invest in it and pay the cost of renting one 3 times to own one
How far apart should the fence posts be set from each other?
At least 15 feet
8 ft
15 feet in the North East
18 feet in the mid west
20 feet in the South
Now will never get to the Halloween 🎃 party 🎉 on hula duck Island 🏝️
At least half? 4feet deep for 8 foot fence?
I also am unsure about this part.
half the exposed bit of fence. So at least 2 feet if 4 feet is exposed. That's how I understood it.
Check your local frost lines
why did you not measure the distance the post went into the ground? If someone is building a 6ft height fence and the post is 8ft, how did you know you put the post in the ground at exactly 2ft???
This is what I needed
@@adamstv4025 you needed someone to tell you to measure it?
Why the flower bed¿
You can't do half the exposed height when you hit a boulder! Heck you can't even do 1/3 sometimes! I have done my whole fence by hand digging, ON MY FEEBLE OWN. I can't WAIT to be done! She-RA though! Girlie, you can do anything you set your mind to!
I'm a small female who doesn't have the strength, height, or body mass to work a post hole digger OR a power auger, so I bought an earth anchor and I'm using a tire tool to turn it like an auger. Amazingly easy, just time consuming is all. It took me about 20 minutes to dig one 2 ft. hole by myself, and that's with lots of breaks because it's 115 degrees. So, honestly, it probably would take other people less than 10 minutes and it requires absolutely no strength whatsoever. I'm so happy with my work. Men, please don't laugh. I'm doing it the only way I can!
@@user-np7pq2gy1v Way to go! I used a hand auger, the kind that looks like a clamshell digger, but drills a hole when you turn it. It drilled into the sandy soil areas very well, getting me a narrow 2'8" hole for most of my posts. It was the rocky areas that were hard. I used a digging rod for that, but did hit a few boulders. I managed to get one out of the ground with a ratchet strap tied around a tree, but only just! I totally over exerted myself that day. The other boulders I left be cause I could only do that once! I used extra concrete in the shallow holes, but I know there is a thingy you can buy that if you have a hammer drill , you can glue this post holder thing into a drilled hole in the rock, but I didn't go that far. Hopefully my fence stays straight! I felt I was doing well if I could get two holes dug and two posts in in a day. I set my last post today, 27 total! Keep going! We got this! : D
Isn't the rule of thumb for the diameter of the hole should be 3 X the diameter of the 4 x 4 wooden post? at 9" in diameter, the hole is undersized as it should be 12"
Hula Duck Island Here We Come
Okay but you didn't show how to set up the string line n get the leveled first.
i heard it's better to put an additional 4" of gravel in the bottom so that the bottom 4" of the post is not encased in concrete, so that water can drain out. if not, the water just pools in the bottom of the post and rots it.
It depends on the type of soil you have that far down. The soil in my parts is clay, so water will also pool in the gravel bed you make for it and soak the end of the post. If the soil can drain then yes, cupping the end of the post with gravel is a good idea. But for heavy clay area's without a means of drainage, you may as well do what you can to prevent air from getting down that far where it will speed up rotting... Or go for a concrete post, or newer steel posts systems.
@@davfree9732 interesting...i can see why that'd be a big problem. yes, i think you are right, a non-wood solution would be best then if you needed real durability. peace
@@davfree9732 What country do you live in??
News flash. It’s wood. It’s going to rot regardless.
@@travisvanalst4698 news flash, timeframe matters! lol, you are going to die eventually, so it doesn't matter if it's today, or in 100 years, huh? 🤣 doofus
at 3:10 the post moves just from patting it while putting in dirt
How deep does it?
Step #1, Hire a Mexican.
Step #2, Crack open a beer, sit back and watch.
😂🤣😂
What’s the point to add soil?
Jason S To sell you more fence posts, and panels in 5-7 years lol
You really want that high end MiracleGro soil to properly fertilize the fence post so it grows stronger.
No point. Fill the hole entirely with concrete and level it off at the top. They are doing that so it looks nice at the top. If you want you can mound a little soil above ground after the concrete completely dries so it covers the concrete but dries quickly after raining and you don't have to worry about moist earth sitting constantly on the wood post and rotting it
Why not backfill with the same dirt you dug out
apparently that's because freshly dug out soil will never achieve the same level of density once dispersed. So a brand new, unpacked mix will do.
My thing nowadays is not to use wood posts but galvanized steel posts. They'll definitely last for years to come.
Heheh... Same. I have clay soil so using wood is already a losing game. Water just can't drain at the base if it gets down there so encapsulating a steel post in concrete is the way to go.
@@davfree9732 I didn't know about this till recently.
“Wood” is pretty general. People around here use Osage wood which lasts hundreds of years in the ground. Not a commercial wood. Black locust also lasts a very long time. The coniferous soft wood from lumber stores is crap.
@@davfree9732 Pretty simple if you coat your lumber with tar/bitumen, and use a 4-6" gravel bed below the concrete. I'd 2' off the water table, and have got 10yo piers that are still straight and strong.
@@MustObeyTheRules PT wood is generic, what people want is Ground Contact PT wood. Get some, let it dry for a few weeks or months if possible, and then coat it with tar/roof sealant. Put a good 6" gravel bed below it for water to drain away, and concrete above ground, slope it, and tar/seal where the wood and concrete meet.
Will prevent water from entering from the top, and while water will wick in through the concrete column, it will also dry during summer depending upon area rain.
The bottom of these posts are going to be soaking up the water that collects in the gravel. Is that really how this should be done?
No the post won't soak up the water because the gravel allows the water to sink below the post.
spirit wolf And then where? If you have sandy soil, it will drain through the gravel. If you have clay soil, it will pool and accelerate rot.
@@rootvalue Post savers, or pitch will protect them
Clay soil will hold the water regardless of the water table and result in the posts taking up extra water. Loamy water draining soils are better for gravel installations where the water table is far down.
Best advice to give is dig a hole 1m down and see if your soil type is consistent all the way. If you have clay, you might be lucky and find a different soil type under it that it was preventing water from reaching.
One problem with fence install vids is they rarely tell people what kind of soil they install fence posts into. If you have heavy clay your better off looking at concrete posts, or the newer steel posts that can be wood clad.
@@spiritwolf7247 Depends on the type of soil you have, ive heard clay soil will hold the water and not drain at all
Di it this way if you want to replace your wood fence every 6to8 years
Tell me about it should of brought the mix up to ground level.
👎🏾 I'm replacing a fence post that rotted away at the base because the idiot who installed it allowed it to be in dirt. Fill the hole completely to the top above ground level with concrete.
@Flip Arrachi wouldn’t you rather it be more sturdy and not have to replace it every now and then, rather than having it be ugly? Just my side of things. Also a lot of people, including me, don’t have the money to keep wasting away on new fence posts and mesh fencing in between every time the posts rot.
@Flip Arrachi I actually should live that much longer, considering I’ll only be in my late 30s early 40s
Actually early 30s
So how do you know the post are level with eachother?
String line is your guide
@@frankieortiz2677 I think KC meant the height of the top of the post in comparison with the height of the other posts.
@@chenolan8678 Place your first and last fence post, and then string line it. That will reveal a sloping gradient. Also, take a board that is the height of the post above ground and use it to see if the surface height of each post to go in will be over or under.
A back yard shouldn't be so bad that you need to do this, but it's also important to spot problem area's that might cause a large peak or fall in your fence. Aesthetically the top of a fence should flow. If you have a rise, use however many panels between the lowest point and highest to follow that rise so you don't have 1 panel drastically higher than the others
I’m no where near close to knowing a whole lot on the fencing topic, but what I’m doing is making all the holes first, using a measuring tape and sticking it at the bottom and running from the top, and making sure all my holes are the same depth in inches. After that, I’ll add in my fence posts, but before they harden in place I use either string, or something else to put in line with them and make sure they are all the same height before I add the concrete.
@@madelyntodd2449 most contractors make the job easier, you typically set taller fence posts than actually needed (example - if you want 3 feet in the ground, and 6 foot above ground, they dont sell 9 foot posts so you would be buying 10 foot posts anyways, simply dont cut them before setting them, and lop the tops off in a perfect sraight line once they are set. perfect line everytime.
The real trick is making sure the posts dont "twist" off the rope line when they are initially set, be very picky that the entire side face of the post is kissing the string line
Concrete doesn't "dry" it cures.
Oh No Look Out For That Hole
I want to build a fence but with lumber prices tripling, I can't afford it.
U won’t afford if u keep waiting the price continues to rise no signs of it going down
Plant a hedge instead, probably cheaper right now.
@@StumpfForFreedom that’s the plan. If wood is expensive, don’t even think about a vinyl fence.
NEVER USE CONCRETE, use clay based gravel.
Simple reason CONCRETE sets were as clay based cravel will pack and slump as the ground moves.
Plus it's cheaper, works Better.
IF , if a post breaks or gets broken the clay based gravel can be dug out, were as CONCRETE is a bastard to deal with.
Cheers from Chch, New Zealand.
Depending on the region, i can see this being both good and terrible advice.
@@danielsimonson3484 why should I do in Pennsylvania (us)
@@thad1773 i would us concrete because it is a wet area that won't dry out over the winter. Small layer of rock, 1 bag of mix. It should end above ground level with a slope. away from the post.
@@danielsimonson3484 Actually just the opposite. It will not dry out with concrete but will with gravel.
This is a dumb advice
That post is going to rot out within 5 years, even PT Ground Contact.
Bring concrete 2-3" above ground level, and smooth in a slope from wood to outer base of concrete. Once dry, make sure to coat the rim where the concrete and wood meet with a decent tar or roof coating.
Couldn’t you do it like a deck footer and pour concrete then bolt it down?
The background music is very annoying.
do-de-do-do-de-do-this is how you do it wrong-de-do-de-do
@@ThePeacemaker848 You're dum-de-dum-de-dum
That bagged dirt is a compost used for plants and sure to hold moisture. Bad idea.
You left out the fact that those post are not designed for direct burial.?
Mark the fence posts eh
why loud music that makes it hard to listen ???
Oh no The Wheel Is Broken
posts should be plumb on both sides!
Thats some lumpy oatmesl
I use a level on my post that attaches with a rubber band. Not a bunch of strings
Geez. Never put soil on top of your post like that, fill all the way to the top and above ground to keep your post from rotting. Who makes these videos?
Never put soil on top of the cement, this is idiotic. You pour cement slightly above the surface. Then trowel the cement, sloping it away from the post so water runs out to the surrounding area.
Wrong, Not if you get frost.
Thanks! I replied to another comment similar to this, and I’m building a new fence for my horses, and I definitely don’t want any rotting in my wood, or else that would be bad with strong animals inside. Thanks for correcting that!
If the frost goes deep you need to keep the concrete below the surface or it could heave the post .
What is its a metal post
@@mit1346 No, you are wrong. If you have frost, you excavate below the frost line and hopefully use something like a Bigfoot or make a bell at the bottom to prevent heave/pull-out.
No matter where you are, you bring concrete above ground and slope as Kenny said. Most recent research says its the cherry on top to put some tar or roof sealant over that sloped area and an inch or two above where the wood enters the concrete. This prevents standing water from wicking through wood/concrete interface and hastening your lumber rotting.
Why would anyone put soil against the wood post!!? you don't want moisture against or settling near the wood!
It is concrete you do not want up against the post. The post will be continually wet becoming saturated which encourages wood fungi.
Just forget the concrete and use a mix of aggregate with little soil.
@@BugJuiceFlavor You can come here to the non-desert and change many fence posts rotted with concrete stumps.
@@BugJuiceFlavor Just the opposite. Frank Lloyd Wright proved that. The one condition would be sandy soil where gravel may not work.
Yea let’s buy potting soil to topdress the holes instead of using the dirt that came out of them
Tolee and hoho look really sad 😭
Bad idea to put concrete around the post unless you wrap the post with 30 lb. felt before pouring the concrete to act as a wick to remove any water between the concrete and wood. Otherwise the trapped water will accelerate rot in the post.
@@BugJuiceFlavor No this is not false. Water is caught between the concrete and wood and has no place to go. The wood although pressure treated still absorbs moisture which the wood fungi accelerate rot. Research it.
@@BugJuiceFlavor Like it or not it is true. It is called Building Science. Concrete wicks moisture from the ground and it absorbed by the wood thus attracting fungi that eventually leads to the post rotting. Pour gravel in the hole prior to setting the post and then around the post. Coat the bottom of the post with asphalt foundation coating.
@@gary24752 Your science is being proved false as my fence posts are rock solid after more than 15 years.
@@robcanad Wrong. A lot depends on on the species of lumber and if your soil type is well drained and if your post is sitting on gravel that will allow it to drain. I suggest you try researching it.
@@gary24752 I did my research and time has proven that concrete surrounding my posts has had no effect on it, and they remain rock solid
Should be the consistency of opium? What Home Depot? What?
Oatmeal...
Please delete the distracting continuous background music...very annoying.
Straight people don't hear any music 👀
Mucho pinché pedo 😂
Hahaha. verdad
Metal post is the way to go... learned that the hard way. Now I have to replace all my wooden post. Never again will I buy wooden post
Dun dun badundum METAL 🤙👍👌🤘🤘
4 inches of gravel, seems overkill. I probably do half that.
Why fence ourselves in and others out? Sad.
Helldorado it’s racists really. Lol
I like my neighbors.. I also like having peaceful time in my backyard with family or by myself. A fence gives me that option. I can always invite others over.
You guys ever hear of a dog? 4 legs, hairy, run away every chance they get.
What if it’s to keep predators away form chickens or other pets?
Guess I’m racist against deer lol
Wrong . Don't install posts like this guy .
Coat the wood that will be in concrete with Cuprinol . Concrete has to be above ground level , then taper it down from post to ground level .
Caulk post to concrete with silicone caulk used for concrete .
This guy's fence won't last long , he insured the post to rot by his incorrect installation .
It's a home depot video lol of course he did
Why would you caulk the post to concrete the wood will soak up the water anyways.
why would you caulk the concrete? To create a water trap?
@@rootvalue it's because the concrete can shrink away from the near the top and create a gap, if there's even a hairline gap water could sit there freeze and get worse.
Jordan Mercier Thank you for explaining it.
They did mad extra steps. So stupid
You place concrete, not “pour” it. Also concrete does not “dry”, it cures.
YOUR style of post doing ,,,will cause many problems.. people please DON'T DO YOUR POST LIKE THIS 😂