How to Put Up Chain-Link Fences
Erecting a chain-link fence is a home improvement project that involves a lot of planning, materials and installation time. However, homeowners can do the project themselves to save money on installation. The most physically challenging part is installing the fence posts. After that, the project is relatively easy. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Stakes
- Hammer
- String
- Post-hole digger or auger
- Shovel
- Tape measure
- Permanent marker
- Rust inhibiter
- Concrete
- Carpenter's level
- Torpedo level
- Terminal posts
- Line posts
- Offset line post caps
- Terminal end cups
- Socket wrench set
- Top rail
- Hacksaw or pipe cutter
- Fencing mesh
- Aluminum tie wires
- Fence puller
- Brace bands
- Tension bands
- Tension bars
- Wire cutters
- 12-gauge tension wire
- Hog rings
- End caps
- Terminal post domes
Instructions
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Install Posts
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1
Use stakes to mark each corner post position. Tie a string to the beginning stake and wrap around the stake in each corner position. Keep the string tight between stakes. Be sure the stakes and string are exactly where you want the chain-link fence.
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2
Use a post-hole digger or auger and a shovel to dig the corner post (also called "terminal" post) holes, approximately 2 feet deep and 3 feet across. Remove each stake before digging.
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3
Measure and mark each terminal post with a permanent marker at 48 inches for a 4-foot fence, 60 inches for a 5-foot fence, 72 inches for a 6-foot fence from the top of the post. Spray rust inhibitor on the inside and outside of each post.
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4
Place a terminal post in each terminal post hole. Pour 2 inches of gravel into each hole around the terminal post. Mix concrete in a wheelbarrow according to package directions and pour the wet mix around terminal posts. Align the marks on the posts to be in line with the surface of the soil surrounding the hole by placing the carpenter level across the hole and aligning the mark with the bottom of the level. Use a torpedo level on the sides of each post to ensure the posts are perfectly vertical. Brace the posts into position with three pieces of 2-by-4 angled from the ground to the pole. Check each post with the torpedo level again to ensure each is still plumb after positioning the braces against the post. Adjust the braces and posts as needed. Allow the concrete to set up for 24 hours before removing the braces.
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5
Measure the distance in feet between terminal posts on each side. Divide the distance for each side by 10, delete the remainder and subtract 1; the result for each side is the number of line posts you'll need for that side. Divide the distance between terminal posts in feet by the number of line posts. Dig the center of the hole for each line post according to this measurement.
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6
Tie a string on a starting terminal post, near the middle of the post. Take the string around each of the terminal posts on the outside of the fence area.
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7
Tie a string 2 inches from the top of the first terminal post. Keep the string tight and tie to each subsequent terminal post 2 inches from the top. Position the line posts in each post hole so the top of the line post is just touching the top string and the side of the line post is just touching the guideline on the outside of the terminal posts. Backfill the soil around each line post in 2-inch layers and tamp each layer with the head of a sledgehammer by dropping the head of the sledgehammer repeatedly around the post to compact the soil. Use a level after each addition of dirt to ensure the line post is perfectly vertical.
Install Top Rail
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8
Place offset caps on each line post with the offset toward the outside of the fence. Attach an end rail cup to a terminal post to start installing the top rail. Attach the end caps by placing a brace band over the terminal post, placing the hole of the cup in alignment between the holes on the brace band, inserting the nut and bolt, and tightening with an appropriate-size socket wrench.
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9
Push the large end of the top rail into a terminal post cup. Push sections of top rail together by placing the end of the top rail onto the tapered end of the previous piece. Push the top rail through offset caps on each terminal post. Trim as needed with a hacksaw or pipe cutter. Cut the top rail on the end that is not tapered.
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10
Secure the end of each rail to a terminal post by inserting the top rail into a terminal end cap on each terminal post.
Install Fencing
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11
Place the roll of fencing beside an end terminal post on the outside of the fence area. Unroll the fencing as close as possible to the posts. Lift the farthest edge and tie to the top rail with string at 4-foot intervals.
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12
Insert a tension bar through the chain-link mesh at the end of the fencing next to the terminal post. Secure the tension bar to the terminal post with three tension bands. Place the tension bands around the terminal post and tension bar so they are both before the hole. Insert the bolt through the opening in the tension band and secure with a nut. Tighten with an appropriate-size socket wrench.
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13
Insert a tension bar through the chain link mesh approximately 20 feet from the next terminal post. Attach the single side of a fence puller to the terminal post and the side with multiple hooks on the tension bar. Move the handle on the fence puller to tighten the mesh until squeezing the tightened area allows the fence to move about 1/4 inch. Pull the rest of the fence toward the terminal post, insert a tension bar and attach it to the terminal post with tension bands. Untwist the next wire on the fencing mesh at the top and bottom and pull out from the top to separate the secured piece of fencing from the tightened fence. Remove the fence puller.
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14
Attach the chain-link mesh to the top rail with 20-gauge wire ties approximately every 2 feet. Remove the string ties. Attach the mesh to each line post with four or five 20-gauge wire ties. Repeat this process between each terminal post.
Install Tension Wire
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15
Wrap the tension wire approximately 2 inches from the ground around an end terminal post, and twist to secure.
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16
Thread the wire through the chain-link mesh, alternating through the wires in the mesh, maintaining the wire approximately 2 inches from the ground. Cut off the excess with wire cutters.
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17
Secure with hog ties around the chain-link mesh and the tension wire.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Trim line posts with a pipe cutter if needed. Add small pieces of post under the offset cap for line posts that are too short.
Accurate measurements when installing posts will result in easier installation and a perfect fence.
References
- Photo Credit fence image by Betty Oesterling from Fotolia.com
