Repairing & Maintaining Fences & Gates

MATERIALS:

• Cleaners

• 1×4, 2×4 and 4×4 posts

• Nails

• Deck screws

• Lag screws

• Carriage bolts

• Mesh

• Pre-mixed concrete

- Anti-sag kit†

† Available in Store Only

TOOLS:

• Fiber scrub brush

• Wash cloth

• Wire brush

• Hammer

• Screw gun

• Ratchet and socket wrenches

• Handsaw

• Circular saw

• Drill

• Drill bits

• Spade

• Shovel

• Cold chisel

• 3 lb. sledgehammer

• Wood chisel

• Post level

• Pliers

• Wire cutters

• Trowel

• Clamps

• Safety glasses

• Work gloves

- Fence puller or pull bar†

 

Clean vinyl fences with a sodium-bicarbonate-based cleaner. Bleach may stain the fence. Use a cloth instead of a brush so you don’t scratch the surface of the fence. Wear safety glasses.

Clean metal fences with a wire brush, scrubbing away old paint, dirt, and rust from metal posts, hardware, and other areas. You can take care of most stains with 1 cup of strong household detergent mixed with a gallon of warm water

Step 2: Add a sister rail to bolster a damaged rail. The sister rail can span the entire original rail or just part of it, depending on the damage. Clamp the sister rail under or on top of the original, then drill holes through both rails, bolt them in place with 3/8×4-inch carriage bolts, and remove the clamps.

Step 3: Add a third rail between the top and bottom ones if the fencing seems loose. Screw the rail to the posts with #8 deck screws or toenail with galvanized 10d (3-inch) nails. Fasten the fence boards to the new rails with #8 deck screws.

Step 2: Remove the rail. Pry out the nails or remove the hardware holding the old rail in place. Cut a new rail to fit between the posts. Nail or screw the rail in place, then reinstall the fence boards.

Splicing A Rail Save yourself some work when you need to replace a short section of rail on a fence that has an exposed rail by splicing a new piece of rail in place. Remove the boards from the damaged section of rail, then cut off the damaged section at an angle. Put the new piece in place alongside the cut and trace along the cut in the old piece to transfer the angles to the new piece. Cut along each line, drill holes, and bolt the new piece in place with 3/8×4-inch carriage bolts.

Step 2: Break up the old footing. If the post is set in concrete, break up the concrete with a 3-pound sledgehammer and cold chisel. Wear gloves and protect your hands from the hammer with a shielded chisel, as shown here.

Step 3: Plumb and brace the fence. Screw braces to the post, plumb it with a level, then screw the braces to stakes driven in the ground. Check again for plumb and reset the braces, if necessary.

Adding A Sister Post You can reinforce a damaged post with a small post called a sister post. (If the post wobbles in the ground, either brace it or pour a new footing.) A sister post is half the thickness of the original post and the same width, but no higher than the fence’s top rail. Cut the base of the sister post at a steep angle so you’ll be able to drive it in like a stake. Put it in place against the original post. Place a block on top of the sister post to avoid splitting it in two.

 

Hit the block with a 3-pound sledgehammer to drive it 2 to 3 feet into the ground. Bolt it to the original post with 3/8 × 4-inch lag screws. Using a handsaw, cut a 45-degree angle on the top of the sister post so it will shed rain.

 

Step 2: Break up any old footings. Wearing safety glasses, break up any concrete with a 3-pound sledgehammer and cold chisel. Break the concrete into small, manageable pieces.

Step 3: Brace the Post. Temporarily screw or nail 2×4 supports to the post. Plumb the post and hold it while a helper screws the braces to stakes driven in the ground.

Step 5: Bolt the old and new parts together. Clamp the two post sections together. Counterbore 1” holes for the heads of carriage bolts, drill ½-inch through holes, and insert ½-inch carriage bolts with washers. Put washers and nuts at the other end of the bolts and tighten with a socket wrench

Step 6: Pour a new concrete footing. Fill the posthole with concrete. Slope the top to help drain water away. Let the concrete harden for two to three days before removing the braces and supports.

Step 2: Remove the damaged section of fence. Open the loop at the top and bottom of a strand just outside the damaged area. Twist and pull the strand free. Take out a strand on the other side of the damage and remove the damaged section.

Step 3: Weave in a patch. Cut a section of mesh the same size as the one you removed. Weave it into the remaining fence using the strands you removed in Step 2. Loop the wire at the top and bottom of the strand back around the fence with pliers.

Step 5: Reattach the tension bar to the tension band and release the fence puller.

Step 6: Re-tie the patched fencing to the posts. Attach new tie wires to hold the mesh firmly against the top rail and line posts. Thread a new tension wire through the bottom openings in the mesh.

If a chain link gate gets out of alignment, you can usually fix it by adjusting the hinge pins. Loosen the pins with a socket wrench and reposition them with a wood block and hammer. Check the gate’s swing and reposition, if necessary, before tightening.

Gate Stop A gate that swings too far will gradually loosen its own hinges. The low-tech solution is to screw a 1×2 or 2×4 stop to the gatepost so the gate stops when it’s flush with the fence. The high-tech solution is a hydraulic gate closer (available at home centers), which gently pulls the gate shut and stops it at the right point.

Step 2: Plumb and brace the fence. You can’t nail into a metal fence, so drive a stake into the ground first, then screw it to the brace with a single screw. Plumb the fence, then clamp it to the brace.

Step 3: Pour new concrete footings. Once the fence is plumb and in position, mix bagged concrete and pour new footings. Slope the concrete away from the posts so water will drain away from them. Remove the braces after the concrete has hardened for 48 hours.