[Closed] Will concrete fence posts help make my fence more durable...?

Yes, in my experience, concrete posts last long. Been in our house for about 25 years and had them for about 22. Still on the same posts. I've replaced about 2 panels, but this is a 30-minute job.

The posts have become rotten in the ground by the looks of it.

Well theres the answer.

A lot of people make a hole, stick in the post, fill with postcrete and then place soil on top, so the bit between the concrete lump and the above ground bit rots away as most softwood timbers rarely survive beyond 3-5 years being immersed in soil.

If you replace with different wooden posts, make sure the concrete is all the way to the top. The gale force wind isnt a normal event, one of these occasional things so theres no need really to go mega on it. Save you a lot of money too.

You can also dip or paint the bottom of the post in bitumen to make it water proof above the soil level if you don't want concrete visible.

I don't want the concrete visible. I can't lift the fallen fence myself either, it weighs a ton so I'll need someone to fix it. Trying to find someone to do a decent job at anything these days is nigh on impossible it seems so if anyone knows anyone who can do it I'd be extremely grateful.

We had ours done in November but only because the foliage was the only stuff holding it up. A lad in Harrogate did ours & by the looks of it did a bomb/galeproof job, used big fat wooden posts though, not concrete.
He’s actually from Durham (Sherburn) but does travel at least as far as Newcastle.
DM me if you want his number.

I don’t want the concrete visible.

Thats the odd thing about concrete posts as opposed to a bit at ground level, they still look like theyre made of concrete.

😆

You could put metpost spurs into postcrete, so if a wooden post fails in the future it's a simple job to replace. Just unbolt the socket. Digging out rotten post stumps from postcrete is a pig of a job.

Repairs to a rotted out timber fence - concrete spurs are good but by the time you've dug enough of the original concrete out its still a pain and you might as well fit a new post. I put concrete posts and larch feather edge down the length of my garden but the effort of big concrete posts was offset by 3m bays and less posts.

If you are replacing the posts anyway I would use concrete.
Once you have posts in place, and if you area is particularly windy you either need more solid panels than the standard ones that flex in the wind (mine have a frame all the way round the outside as well as cross bracing vertically and hrozontally), or look into Yorkshire fence panels that are designed to let the wind through.

As above, if you live somewhere windy or where you know the normal prevailing wind blows into the fence consider panels that let wind through. We've got fence panels that are like a tight trellis - enough to hide next door an just big enough for small birds to hop through. Replaced the wood posts this year with concrete but remember the amount of fence that has to go into the ground to make these sturdy - for a 6' post a minimum of 2' in the ground depending on how soft it is. So 8' or 9' posts.

Thats the odd thing about concrete posts as opposed to a bit at ground level, they still look like theyre made of concrete.

well yes obviously but they will be neater than a visible circle of concrete around the posts. 🙄

It’s not a particularly exposed position and the existing have been there for 8 years but I don’t want to have to repair it again as soon, if possible. It’s round the edge of my lawn too so I’d like it neat. In the last two storms about 35m of fence has come down in two sections. A right pain, as well as a security problem.

A lad in Harrogate did ours & by the looks of it did a bomb/galeproof job

@esselgruntfuttock would you be able to PM me his contact details please? I lost some fencing last night too!! Thanks

well yes obviously but they will be neater than a visible circle of concrete around the posts.

Im only joshing. 😆

The precast type with 2 channels(H section) seems to be favoured by the council. And the width of the channels is such you could get a pretty chunky bit of timber in there so it would survive probably anything mother nature could throw at it. Or one or two packing pieces with whatever thickness of board.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274846684203?mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338364432&customid=274846684203_159912&toolid=11000

The board panels dont look too expensive

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274451929842?hash=item3fe69c1af2:g:eGUAAOSwFOpf8dPY

I suppose the beauty with the H sections is you dont need to have the timber all the way to the ground so can have some decorative bricks down there. Handier to mow against, and less to no chance of rot coming from the wet ground

The precast type with 2 channels(H section) seems to be favoured by the council.

Indeed . Will go well if industrial chic is the look of your property.

@dyna-ti yes that looks a good replacement for what I have already. Thanks.

I don’t think I will be able to keep the existing and just replace the posts with concrete ones unless by some miracle the height of the rails matches the gaps in a post suitable for mounting a railed fence on. I suspect the fence would have to be dismantled and rebuilt and by the time I’ve done that it will  be cheaper to buy new…😟

@esselgruntfuttock DM sent.

Will go well if industrial chic is the look of your property.

I know you can paint concrete posts, but thats a never ending repainting job as its likely to weather and if you change your mind removing it cleanly with the panels in place is bound to be a pain in the proverbial.

But I have heard you can use a stain like cuprinol garden stain, which is easier to apply and it can match any stain you put on the wood.

@oceanskipper

DURAPOST is exactly what you're looking for.
Thank me later.

Look up mini concrete posts or spur posts.

We have a wooden fence + panels, but used spur posts. We put them in the neighbours side so we don't look at them. You then just bolt a wooden post to them (bolt the post 30 mm above ground level and they stay dry). Like this

Durapost looks lovely. I expect it has a price tag to match but I’ll take a look. Thanks.

Spur posts might be the cheapest way to keep the existing fence I reckon. Need to find someone good to quote for it all now….

If you replace with different wooden posts, make sure the concrete is all the way to the top

and that the concrete slopes away from the post.

If you replace with different wooden posts, make sure the concrete is all the way to the top

Having just repaired 45 5" square wooden fence posts with concrete spurs, they all rotted in the same spot, where the concrete ends and the air / water get in. None of them had any rot all in the concrete section, all above ground / at ground level. NB They were all getting on for 25 years old, so not a bad life. Quite interesting, the buried sections were often quite sodden, but basically solid wood. The concrete stopped air getting to that bit and so preserved it.

I repaired them all in situ and just replaced the lower 3' with a spur.

[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/1565/25371095715_e4efa768bf.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/1565/25371095715_e4efa768bf.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/EDXuQK ]Repairing Fence Post #4[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr

Our fences at the house we bought in 2013 were all wooden posts / manky old panels.

With a bit of help from my dad and the father in law I changed the lot for concrete posts / concrete gravel boards / decent quality wooden panels. It was a bit of effort digging out the ok old concrete bits round the posts and disposing of it but it was worth it. Touch wood we haven’t lose a single panel yet - must have been up 7 years ish so far. When I do need to replace a panel it’s just sliding the old one out the top and sliding a new one in. That’s a fairly painless job - just don’t do it on a windy day.

Concrete posts are heavy to manoeuvre - but manageable. Just the massive corner posts that are a complete b*stard as they weighed 80kgs each. We only used one of those luckily. Think we put in 2.7m long concrete posts.

We've got concrete posts, they've not moved an inch in the nine years we've been here. Replaced a few panels though - easy job if the posts are solid. Our panels have a concrete runner to keep them above soil level too. This is partly due to the ground sloping, and the next door's (in that direction) have a higher ground level.

Next door (the other way) cheaped out with the cheapest of wooden posts (because amongst other things they are just all round amazing at, they're amazing at saving money) and they've had to get some chaps in to replace posts, at least three times in that nine year interval, on the one section of fencing that borders our garden (no doubt the chaps involved being the cheapest chaps that money can find, see previous detail about saving money).

Sample size one, anecdote, YMMV, etc.

Our panels have a concrete runner to keep them above soil level too.

Our gravel boards are just tanelised pine, but they've lasted pretty well, still on the original set, now 22 years old. All the fences themselves are also fine. I've only had to replace the odd feather edge board that's got damaged from branches falling on them etc.

I'm going to add some sustainability thoughts which or might not help you weigh up the options. Concrete fence posts are durable and that is why they have been used lots for many years. But that was before we became aware of the impact of the greenhouse gas emissions of concrete production. This largely comes from the process of creating Portland cement which globally accounts for around 8% of greenhouse gas emissions. I appreciate that a few fence posts are a tiny fraction of this, but if we all generally stopped using concrete for fence posts it would begin to add up. Timber from sustainable forests uses a renewable material with significantly less environmental impact and with good installation can last a good long while. However it is not perfect as it still needs chemicals to provide protection.

Whatever material you use remember to make sure there are plenty of gaps in the fence at low level to allow hedgehogs and other creatures to get through.

Concrete has many important uses, but I hope we start to use it less in places like gardens where there are other options. In the next few years it might be seen like the use of peat is now.

I put in concrete posts 30 years ago and by 25 years they had cracked and spalled to the point where I had to remove them. They were the cheapest available (no spare cash after buying the house), and in hindsight a false economy. Made with insufficient cement so that the alkalinity of concrete was neutralised by CO2 and the steel was free to corrode. So if you go for concrete, get good quality.

Well the fence is still damaged although I have managed to prop it up temporarily (very temporary if the forecast is anything to go by🙄). I’ve asked a few fencers round here about concrete posts and none of them will do it - I suspect it’s because they are chancers trying to make a quick buck and don’t actually know anything about fencing. I’m keen on the Durapost solution but it looks £££££££ although I’ve not had a quote yet. I’m mindful of the environmental impact though however so I’m going to give it all some thought. If I could find a decent reputable company to give me some options then I’d be happy but every man and his dog says they are reliable honest tradesmen but in reality they are nothing of the sort and mugs like me don’t find out until it’s too late.

Personally I think concrete spurs are a good compromise, less concrete than a full post and they cover the section which will rot eventually (no matter how well the wooden post is treated). They'll also last forever. NB Much easier to install first time round, swapping out the rotton bottom 1/4 of a post in situ is a PITA process....

We had concrete posts put in all the way round our garden during the summer, replacing the rotten old wooden posts that the previous owners bunged in.

It was all absolutely solid this weekend during the storms. But yes, concrete posts do look like concrete, I suppose you could paint them to prettify the appearance a bit, but TBH it's mostly the panels you notice not the posts.

With any luck they won't need touching for a couple of decades at least,and panels just lift up/drop in so replacing knackered bits will be much easier...

A colleague weighed his options up a while back an opted for a steel post system and composite panels (can't remember the name of it) he reckons it compared favourably with concrete posts and standard panels and was very pleased with the look of it.

I wouldn't choose timber posts ever again, all materials will degrade given a long enough but timber goes quicker and requires more maintenance (IMO/IME)...

With any luck they won’t need touching for a couple of decades at least,and panels just lift up/drop in so replacing knackered bits will be much easier…

My original wooden posts lasted 20 years so I'd expect a lot longer from the concrete spurs. The top 3/4 of the original wooden posts are still going strong. A few are rotting a bit from the top down but survived all the storms fine.

My original wooden posts lasted 20 years so I’d expect a lot longer from the concrete spurs

My concrete posts lasted 25 years. Unless your concrete spurs are made from better concrete (which is quite possible) they will last as long as my posts did.

Durapost looks lovely. I expect it has a price tag to match but I’ll take a look.

Wickes sell it and putting up fences is reasonably easy. Top tip install the posts plumb and then leave them un-adorned until the concrete has hardened off a bit (2 to 3 days). Then install panels or cant rail and featheredge boards.

My concrete posts lasted 25 years. Unless your concrete spurs are made from better concrete (which is quite possible) they will last as long as my posts did.

My parents fences use the same type and they've been up 40+ years, so yes, I'd be very annoyed if they fail after only 25 years (no better than tanalised pine posts).

This model:

[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/1565/25371095715_e4efa768bf.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/1565/25371095715_e4efa768bf.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/EDXuQK ]Repairing Fence Post #4[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr

I've slowly fitted concrete spurs to all posts. Mostly reused the original posts that I've cut at the old ground level mark - most of the posts are 20+ years and still solid.
The advantage of spurs/wooden posts is I can replace a panel myself (even in bad weather) whereas I cant lift a panel into slotted posts.

I’d be very annoyed if they fail after only 25 years

Indeed. I was.

This model:

Concrete just looks like concrete. You can't see the mix design, which is what matters. It will definitely have changed since your parent's posts were made 40 years ago, because cements are different, but will it be the same quality or designed down to a price?

As pointed out already, your problem probably isn't the wooden posts but the poor installation that's caused the issue. Correctly installed 4 × 4" by 8' treated stobs will outlast you. Dig holes to approx 2 feet deep. Pour enough concrete down each hole to create a solid base for the post & allow to dry. Plant the posts, check for upright in both planes and fill holes with concrete. Once the concrete is starting to go off use your trowel & create a haunch to shed rain and surface water away from the post. The top of the concrete has to be above the level of the soil so that ground water doesn't saturate the wood.

I put my fence up at my previous house like this 25 years ago and its still there. The new owners have used the fence like a retaining wall and the bottom of the fence is beginning to belly out into the public path. I'm surprised its lasted this long as they've never treated it once. I personally wouldn't like looking at concrete posts every day & I doubt they're as resistant to bending force as a quality wooden post. Those metal spikes with a socket to accept a 3" post are a total liability. Freely corroding mild steel in the ground. There's only one outcome.

@Davesport I would add pea-shingle under the concrete pad for extra drainage like the Americans and Canadians do. Extra belt and braces stuff if your soil doesn't drain well. Mine is sand and aggregate around 18" down so not a problem I'm likely to have.

I put composite posts in (posh word for plastic posts) because I found concrete too heavy to install myself. Matt gray colour they don't look as harsh as concrete - slimmer and more rounded, plastic base board and full wood panels slotted in which have gone a matching gray over time. No maintenance, not even painted, in about 15 years, still looking good.

Wood will eventually rot no matter how deep you put it and how much the post is pressure treated. Done many fences over the years and concrete posts are the most durable (and least attractive) as others have said boards will keep the panels off the ground which will stop them deteriorating as quickly and with well sunk and installed posts you can slide new ones in.

Thanks to this thread, we've also gone concrete post. just one for now, it's round the side of the house where the gate is, so a bit of a wind tunnel and high use (with banging gate) area. 12yr old wooden post is rotten and now flapping about, so going concrete. Thanks for the asking the questions, OP.