How to Repair a Wood Fence Post

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By theperfectfit
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Making repairs to a wood fence post can take some time but save you money in the long run. A wood fence post can be damaged from below the ground freezing, wind, water run-off from a roof, age, etc. One damaged wood fence post can weaken and bring down an entire wood fence. If you save the wood post, you can save the wood fence. Repair the wood fence post with below ground damage and save yourself time and money in the long run.

I have several sections of wood fence around my property on a busy corner. This fence was built from used telephone poles in the 1970's to protect the house from any stray cars at the intersection. Because of water run-off from the roof, two posts had become rotten below the ground. Since I was unable to replace the wood telephone pole posts, I had to find a way to repair the two posts or lose the fence. Eventually a new fence will be necessary but with these repairs the fence will stand for many more years.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Shovel
Tarp
Level
Exterior coated wire
Turnbuckle
12" aluminum flashing
Masking tape
Just-add-water cement

Step 1

Survey the damage. Generally a leaning post is the best indicator that something is wrong. With a shovel dig the dirt away from around the post and put it onto a tarp for future use. If the area is damp, wait for several dry days so that you can get a good look at the condition of the wood post that is below the ground.
Step 2

Once the dirt has been removed from around the post it is time to look for a way to support the post in an upright position. NEVER try to straighten a post until the dirt has been removed from around the base. If there is rotting you could break off the post.
Step 3

There are several ways to support the post. The method that I used is to wrap heavy exterior coated wire around the upper post and a nearby tree and by using a turnbuckle I was able to pull the post into a 90-degree position. Use a level to make sure the post is straight and secure.
Step 4

Dig the hole out about six inches out and around the base of the post. Dig down to at least a foot to create a more solid base for the post. Cut a section of the 12" aluminum flashing long enough to encircle the base of the post and wrap with masking tape to hold it in place. I use flashing that is brown on one side to blend the color with the dirt. Make the flashing circle large to get a secure base for the post.
Step 5

I used some short sections of re-bar on one heavily stressed post inside the aluminum circle around the post base. As you add the just-add-water cement around the base you can adjust the sections of re-bar to get the most support for the post. Once that you have filled the aluminum cylinder with cement up to a solid part of the post, just add water to the cement and let it dry for several days.
Step 6

Removing the aluminum flashing is an option. I have left mine in place because the brown color blends in with the ground more that the cement will. Back-fill the dirt around the new post base. You may need to add more dirt at the ground settles. Make sure that the dirt is high enough that water down not pocket around the base when it rains.
Step 7

Remove the support wire from the wood post. I would suggest leaving it intact for a period of time to make sure the post base is secure.
Step 8

NOTE - This is not a fancy-looking wood post repair. This is utilitarian to save a post to save a fence. Because the property is at a busy intersection, the uniform strength of the fence is crucial. The cost to replace the fence will be quite expensive when the time comes to replace the wood fence.
Step 9

My credentials to write this information is that I am sort-of-sixty and have been managing and doing maintenance for an apartment house for twenty-five years. With an engineering aptitude, my goal is to find ways to keep up with repairs while keeping maintenance cost down.

Comments

jonijumpup said

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on 9/20/2009 Fence post repair. An option that I have used a number of times where the post has rotted at ground level, is to cut the post off to save the good wood, then cut it half way thru about 4" inches up, and then make a matching splice on a new section and bolt them together.