How to Install Fence Posts in Concrete

Secure your fence in concrete

Installing the fence posts is a crucial first step to getting your new fence up and ready to go. Use a good brand of cement and the following steps to ensure your fence posts remain firmly and permanently in place.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Superpost or Basalite Brand Concrete
• Posthole Diggers
• Wire
• Posthole Augers
• 1-by-2 Boards
• Fence Posts
• Garden Trowels
• 2-by-4 Boards
• Twine
• Gravel
• Carts Or Wheelbarrows
• Cement
• Levels
• Garden Stakes
• Sand

1. Pound a stake into the ground at each spot where the posts will go.

2. Run a string around the perimeter of your fence line. This will identify potential problems with hedges, trees, and other objects.

3. Cut or buy posts that are 2 feet longer than the finished fence height.

4. Use a posthole auger or digger to make a 2-foot hole at the post site.

5. Put 2 to 3 inches of gravel in the bottom of the hole for drainage.

6. Set the post into the hole.

7. Level the post with a bubble level; anchor the post with stakes and wire or by nailing a couple of 2-by-4s to it.

8. Mix the concrete: one part cement, two parts sand, three parts gravel. Add enough water to make it thick but not chunky.

9. Pour concrete into the hole up to ground level. Poke the air bubbles out of the concrete with a 1-by-2 board.

10. Check the level and adjust the post if necessary.

11. Use a trowel to add some more concrete around the base of the post, making it mound-shaped. This will allow water to run off and not pool around the post.

Tips & Warnings

• Mix the concrete in a wheelbarrow for easiest mobility.