Fixing wood posts in the ground

Installing woodland mesh is a great way to fence your property quickly and inexpensively. The wire f ence provides a barrier for animals and effectively protects the area from unwanted visitors. What should you do to make a temporary fence last many years in an unchanged shape? Take care of precise attachment of wooden stamps. In our article we will tell you how to prepare and properly install the posts in the ground

Installation of wooden stakes - what should be prepared?

Before you start installation work on your plot, you need to stock up on basic materials, protective chemicals and tools. In addition to rolls of mesh and bolts for its attachment, you will also need to build a fence:

• wooden stakes (preferably pine), debarked, with a diameter of 10-15 cm and a height of 2-2.5 m,

• protective-insulating emulsion,

• protective gloves,

• hand-held wood saw or cordless saw,

• spirit level,

• brush,

• bucket,

• spade or drill.

Remember that the stakes should be spaced every 2 or 2.5 meters, and get enough of them in proportion to the size of your plot. Also make sure that the corner posts are healthy and thicker than the inner posts (optimum diameter is 15 cm). You should reinforce them additionally with side, diagonal supports, thanks to which the fence structure will be more stable.

How to place a wooden post in the ground?

Temporary fences based on wooden posts are the easiest to install. All you need to do is to measure in a straight line the places for the posts and then prepare holes with a spade or a drill and place the posts in them, backfilling them with previously chosen soil. Before setting the poles in the ground you must treat the bottom 50-70 cm of the poles with a special product that protects against moisture and vermin.

Engage a helper to support the posts in the holes and check the verticality with a spirit level. The immobilized post can be efficiently backfilled, remembering that for its stabilization you can use not only soil or sand but also field stones, aggregates and rubble. How to harden the ground? The cheapest and the simplest method is to tamp the soil with shoes until it becomes compact. If the soil is still soft and loose, use a hand hammer.

Fixing posts in the ground - hole size

The optimal diameter of holes for wooden fence posts is 30 cm. There is no need to make wider holes - large holes are more difficult to harden well and digging them takes more time. If the diameter of the posts is 10 cm, the trench can be 25 cm wide. Fill the 7cm strip of space between the wood and the ground tightly with soil and aggregate, and monitor the position of the post continuously.

If you want your fence to be durable and last for many years, carefully prepare the holes for the posts, maintaining their minimum depth of 40 cm. If the ground on the plot is loose and unstable, dig a 50 cm deep hole and additionally reinforce the posts with stones at their base. Take care to keep the ratio of the height of the post to the depth of the hole - this means that 1/3 of the pile should be under the ground, so that the fence will successfully serve for at least several seasons.

Impregnation of wood before attaching to the ground

How in a simple way you can preserve the life of wood, protect it from the destructive impact of moisture and pests, which feed in the soil? Before setting the poles in the ground, cover their lower part with a protective impregnation. You can choose from a variety of preparations, for example: bitumen, resin, tar-based impregnates or insulators such as Dysperbit. Pour a small amount of the product into the bucket, adding to it as needed. Apply the product to the wood with a brush and wait until it is well absorbed.

Are you a fan of traditional, natural preservatives? Use the woodburning technique, making sure to debark the piles and then carefully treat and thoroughly char them at the base. This is a time-consuming method, and you will need a hand burner or a simple campfire with a makeshift stone structure to support the poles over the fire.

Don't use burnt-out motor oil to protect wood poles

One of the most common techniques for protecting wooden fence posts is to lubricate them with burnt engine oil. Although such a product is inexpensive and widely available, it is a very environmentally hazardous, toxic waste. Many people reach for the so-called in order to save the expense of building a fence, but usually they are not aware of the dangers of using such pseudo-economic methods.

Burnt oil can seep into the ground, causing water and soil contamination. Before you reach for wood preservation, you must also know that the substances contained in it are highly toxic, and even - carcinogenic. So if you plan to build a fence and want to use wooden poles, impregnate them only with certified, safe protective preparations.