Forum home› Tools and techniques
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Picket fencing

JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
in Tools and techniques
Hi all,

Im looking for some ideas.  We have a white picket fence in the front garden bordering the pavement. It’s old, missing a few pieces and wobbly.

It has three posts, about a metre high, spaced unevenly.  Two posts fit into fence posts bases, set in concrete, the third is directly into concrete (but appears loose).

Replacement fencing is okay in price but is in standard widths that don’t fit my uneven spacing. Is it worth modifying standard fence panelling?

Repairing the fence would seem to be bespoke, as I can’t find similar enough pieces. I can swap some around and repaint it which might work. A lot is rotted so if I don’t replace it now, I will next year or the year after.

The only other option I can think of is to get the raw materials and make my own, which probably won’t look great.

Any ideas?
«1

Posts

  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    • It would be easy enough for you to do yourself as long as you:
    • have the space to work
    • have some means of getting the wood home from the depot - it may come in 3m lengths.
    • have a chop saw because sawing all that by hand would be a pain. 
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    Or modify the posts to fit the standard fence panelling? That would be easiest.
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    hogweed said:
    Or modify the posts to fit the standard fence panelling? That would be easiest.
    I’m not sure what you mean?  The concreted in base points for the fence aren’t easy to change.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Rather than trying to find/make fencing to fit between your existing unevenly spaced posts, wouldn’t it be easier to saw off the existing posts at ground level and sink new posts in where you need them?  For the ones set in metal bases, if you dug out the soil around to reveal the bolts, you could unscrew them or shear them off with a metal saw. If the metal bases are stuck fast, you might need to dig out the concrete pad they are bolted to, which would be a bit of a pain, admittedly...
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    Nollie said:
    Rather than trying to find/make fencing to fit between your existing unevenly spaced posts, wouldn’t it be easier to saw off the existing posts at ground level and sink new posts in where you need them?  For the ones set in metal bases, if you dug out the soil around to reveal the bolts, you could unscrew them or shear them off with a metal saw. If the metal bases are stuck fast, you might need to dig out the concrete pad they are bolted to, which would be a bit of a pain, admittedly...
    In such a scenario I’d only be creating a new centre post - either end is limited by my drive and my neighbours land respectively.  Even if I did that, Id have one section standard width and still have one that is not.
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    If you are thinking of replacing the fence within the next two years, I would just buy enough wood the right width to fill in the gaps. You can take a saw to B & Q or wherever and saw a long length in the car park, roughly to the sizes you need so you can get them in the car and then shape the tops when you get it home. Homebase used to saw pieces for you as did B&Q but I don't know if they still do. You might need another person to help at the store to hold the wood steady as you saw it.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Some timber, and a cheap jigsaw to cut the ends to shape, would fill in the gaps for now.
    I'd have thought a half decent joiner could replace all of that quite easily and cheaply. Perhaps worth getting a couple to give you a quote. The biggest cost would be labour - digging out the concrete the posts are set in. After that, and setting in some new posts, the rest is fairly simple  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    Okay, I’ve decided to bodge it for now.

    Does anyone know what you’re supposed to do to stop passers by getting paint on them?

    Paint at night?

    Some kind of curtain?
  • Jennifer 10Jennifer 10 Posts: 112
    edited August 2018
    Put some coloured tape on the pavement (like a yellow line effect),  and chalk 'wet paint' on the floor.    Some paints are touch dry in an hour as well.

    Those posts look awkward to paint, but I've seen some by me done in black which looks very good.    
Sign In or Register to comment.