How to Set a Small Fence Post in Concrete

Building a fence is an easy task these days. Power augers do most of the digging on big jobs, and with a small fence post, even one being set in concrete, you can forgo the augur and just use post-hole diggers to get the job done quickly.

Things You'll Need

• Spray paint/metal pin/twig
• Post-hole diggers
• Gravel
• Post
• 4-foot level
• Support boards
• Stakes
• Hammer
• Nails
• Bag of cement
• Shovel/pipe/rebar
• Water

Instructions

1. Mark where the fence post will go by spray painting a small X on the ground or by sticking a metal pin or even a twig in the ground.

2. Dig a hole for the fence post using post-hole diggers. For a small fence post, dig the hole only about 24 inches deep and about twice the diameter of the post going into the hole. Make the hole 8 inches in diameter for a 4-inch-diameter post.

3. Fill the bottom 6 inches of the hole with gravel to help keep water away from the bottom of the post.

4. Place the post in the hole.

5. Plumb the post using a 4-foot level on two adjacent, not opposite, sides.

6. Brace the post in place by nailing boards to the post and then nailing the other end of the boards into stakes driven in the ground to prevent the post from moving. Nail the braces to two adjacent sides.

7. Fill the post hole with cement. Pour enough dry cement in the hole to cover about one-third of the hole's depth, and add water. Use the handle of a shovel or a piece of pipe or rebar to mix the cement and water in the hole. Once the cement and water are mixed thoroughly, continue adding and mixing a third at a time until the hole is filled with concrete. Mix the cement until it is the consistency of pea soup, adding water as needed. If you add too much water, add more cement until the consistency is right.

8. Allow the concrete time to cure overnight and remove the braces the next day.

Tips & Warnings

• Slope the top of the cement away from the sides of the post to shed water, which helps to prevent post rot. Alternatively, you can mix the concrete in a bucket or wheelbarrow and just pour it in the post hole, although you will still need to pack it in with a shovel handle.

• Before digging any holes, call your local utilities locator service to have them come out and mark any buried utilities. If you don't know how to contact them, call your power company and they can give you the number. It is a free service offered by the utility companies. In most states, if you don't call the utilities locator service and then you hit something while digging, you are responsible for the cost of repairs and a fine as well.