Need to stabilise a wobbly fence?
Ensure it’s done easily, without breaking the bank and stays secure for a very long time. You can either fix a concrete spur post to a single broken post or attach to every post for an even look and to prevent future failing.
Concrete repair spurs are available at Solent Fencing and are a cost effective way of strengthening a fence to ensure that it lasts longer or repairing an already broken fence.
You like your wooden posts and don’t want to change.
This may disappoint you if you deliberately chose to have wooden posts because you like the natural look of them. Rest assured, you don’t need to spoil the look of your fence, because the concrete fence repair post is only about 3ft tall. You can easily hide it with a strategically placed plant.
There is also no reason why you can’t paint the concrete if you wanted to make a feature out of it, or if you wanted to camouflage the post using a similar colour to the fence. We are fans of Rustoleum products for smaller projects. You can find out more about Universal Enamel Paint & Primer In One on the Rustoleum Website.
What does a concrete fence repair spur do?
A concrete fence repair spur sits upright against the original fence post like a splint on a broken leg. It takes the pressure of a single fence post, absorbing some of its weight so that it doesn’t snap underneath the strain, holding up your fencing so you don’t have to keep fixing it.
When should you use a concrete fence repair spur?
A repair spur is used when the post is mostly still in good condition and sturdy but the part that is in the ground has rotted. If you live in a very exposed area and know that the winds will batter your fences, you can design a new fence using the spurs. Of course, you could use a concrete post in the first place but if you really want the look of wood, using the supports could give you the look that want and the durability.
Why does a fence post rot?
A good quality fence post is treated before sinking it into the ground so that the wood is impervious to damp. If your post has rotted, it either wasn’t treated in the first place, or had some weakenesses where the moisture was allowed to get in.
Regardless of why your fence post has rotted, it needs repairing. In future if you buy a fence, you may consider using concrete posts and gravel boards for the most durable fences.
How many fence posts are you going to secure?
If you are doing this yourself, and you haven’t tried a fence repair like this before, there is no reason why you can’t do the first one to see what’s involved before tackling the other posts. We keep the concrete repair spurs in stock so you can pop down to pick one up easily enough.
This is not a difficult fix and the average person should be able to complete one post repair in less than a couple of hours.
Why not change the complete post?
You can replace the complete post if you want to. Sometimes the original post is so rotten, there is no choice. The idea of using the repair spur is that you don’t have to disturb any of the panels, wires or rails that are attached to the posts. This is something that must be assessed before you buy your fencing repair materials.
Getting Started.
Before you begin, make sure that you have checked for any underground services such as drains and electric cables that might run along your fence. If you didn’t install the fence, there’s no knowing what may be there. This will prevent unnecessary damage to the fence and expensive compensation claims from your neighbours if their service is accidentally broken during this process. It’s always 
best to be safe than sorry so take a moment to scan the area and maybe ask the neighbour.
Before you rush off and buy the fence repair equipment, you need to know that you will be able to make use of it. Before buying anything, dig down by the post that you want to repair. You will need to dig right down, preferably to the lowest point of the post. If there is any old post cement there, it will need to be dug out so that you can secure the support post to the old one.
To repair a fence effectively with a concrete repair spur, you are looking for a post that is rotten at the bottom, but still sturdy above ground. If the whole post is rotten, you will need to replace the post.
What You Will Need.
The only tools you’ll need for this project is a spade, drill and spanners. For each post you wish to repair, you will need one repair spur, 2 coach bolts and some postcrete. We’ll advise how much you need depending on the number of posts.
- Dig a hole out around the post including the old concrete if there is any.
- Position the spur against the old post making sure there’s nothing preventing them sitting tight together. Mark holes in post in line with pre-drilled holes in the spur.
- Drill holes in post ensuring that it remains straight.
- Fix spur tightly to post and ensure both are upright.
- Fill hole with rubble and postcrete. Finally, cover with earth.
Your fence has a new lease of life.
Assuming the rest of the fence is free from rot, there is no reason why your newly bolstered fence won’t last you for many years. Try to tackle this as early as possible to reduce the amount of work it takes and to prevent the need for complete replacement posts.
If you don’t like the look of concrete against your natural wood, it will be easy to enough to plant a shrub or herbaceous border to cover it. Of course an evergreen shrub will cover it all year round.
At Solent Fencing we take pride in helping our trade and residential customers to achieve the best outcomes for their garden projects whether building new, repairing or improving. Pop in and have a chat.
