How to Install Steel Fence Posts on a Cedar Privacy Fence

A fence is only as strong as its fence posts.

If your cedar privacy fence has begun to sag due to rotted posts, install steel posts for quick and durable fence support. Steel posts last for years under normal circumstances and the installation doesn't require a whole lot of work. Special mounting brackets attach the steel post to the old wood posts that once supported the fence. The most difficult part of the job is the digging, but a strong fence is well worth the effort.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Steel post brackets
• Wood screws
• Electric screw gun
• Premixed concrete
• 5-gallon bucket
• Water
• Stir stick
• Bubble level

1. Dig a hole down into the ground with a shovel just to the side of the existing wood post. Remove any remnants of the old cedar fence post base from the hole. Dig the hole so it's three times the diameter of the steel fence post.

2. Place the new steel post down in the hole.

3. Stand the post upright so that it is vertical with the existing cedar fence post. Place brackets around the steel post every 2 feet and screw the brackets into the existing wood post with an electric screw gun.

4. Mix premixed concrete in a 5-gallon bucket with water until the consistency is like crunchy peanut butter. Pour the concrete into the post hole until it is full.

5. Place a bubble level on top of the steel fence post and prop boards against the slats in the cedar privacy fence until the post stands straight up and down in the hole. Repeat this process to attach any additional steel fence posts.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a stick to help settle the concrete in around the base of the steel fence post.

• Failure to use the bubble level will result in a crooked fence.