How to Install a Traditional Picket Fence

A traditional picket fence looks good in almost any setting.

The traditional white picket fence is a warm and welcoming addition to almost any yard around a home. Standing just a few feet tall with small- to medium-size gaps between the pickets, these fences provide more decoration than security. These days, picket fences come pre-assembled in a kit, meaning you only have to worry about installing the fence and not building it. Even so, installing a fence can be a labor-intensive task that can take you several days to complete properly.

Things You'll Need

• Stakes
• String
• Measuring tape
• Post-hole digger
• Shovel
• Wooden fence posts
• Level
• 2-by-4
• Prefabricated picket fence panels
• Wood spacers
• Pencil
• Rail brackets
• Drill
• 1 1/2-inch wood screws
• 2 1/2-inch wood screws
• Gate posts
• Gate
• Gate hinges
• Gate latch

Instructions

1. Determine the path of the traditional picket fence on your property. Place a stake in the ground where every fence post will go, and run string between the stakes to envision the path. Measure the length of your picket fence panel rails, which are the horizontal pieces running across the panel, and add the width of a post to your measurement. Each stake should be exactly this distance apart.

2. Dig your first fence post hole using a post-hole digger. Make the hole deep enough to equal half the height of the fence.

3. Place a post into the hole. Have someone place a level against the side of the post and hold it level while you shovel the dirt back into the hole. Since picket fences are relatively light and not meant to keep out intruders, there is no need to set the posts in concrete. After you fill in eight inches of dirt, tamp it down with the end of a 2-by-4. Continue to fill the hole with dirt and tamp it down until the hole is full.

4. Dig the second post hole in the same manner and to the same depth as the first one.

5. Place a fence panel next to the first installed post. Place wood spacers underneath the panel to hold it up above the ground, as it will look when installation is complete. Use your pencil to draw an outline of the end of the rails where they meet the installed post. Place the second post into the second hole. It should abut the opposite end of the panel. Ensure the post is level and fill in the hole the same way you did for the first one. Once it is in place, outline the ends of the rails on the post and remove the panel.

6. Place a rail bracket over the end of one of the panel rails. Drill through the holes in each side of the rail bracket with 1 1/2-inch wood screws, securing the rail brackets to the rails. Complete this process for both ends of each of the rails.

7. Move the panel back into place between the posts. Drill 1 1/2-inch wood screws through the other holes in the rail bracket to secure the brackets to the post.

8. Continue this process of adding panels until you reach your gate posts. Install the first gate post like any other fence post, although you may need a deeper hole if the gate post is taller than the normal fence posts.

9. Dig the second gate post a distance away from the first equal to the width of the gate plus 1 1/2 inches. Install the second gate post as you would any other post, only place your level across the top of the two gate posts, to ensure they are the same height. If your level isn't long enough, use the 2-by-4 with your level placed on top of it. Continue to install panels for the rest of the fence, then come back to the gate once the rest is done.

10. Place your gate between the gate posts on top of spacers to keep it off of the ground. Align the faces of the rails running across the gate with the edges of the posts. You can choose either side of the posts to install the gate, but your gate will swing open on the side to which you install it.

11. Place one leaf of a gate hinge centered on your gate rail, and the other on the gate post. Drill 2 1/2-inch wood screws through the holes in the gate hardware and into the wood. If your gate rails are less than 2 1/2 inches thick, use 1 1/2-inch wood screws instead. Repeat this for every rail on the gate.

12. Screw your latch hardware into the other side of the gate and the opposing gate post. Use 1 1/2-inch wood screws to secure the latch in place.

References

• This Old House: How to Install a Picket Fence
• Ask the Builder: Building and Installing a Wood Picket Fence
• Ace: Building Wood Fences
• Taylor Rental: Installing a Wood Fence