Cement Wooden Fence Posts

Pour the dry mix into the tube.

Cement wooden fence posts.

Purchase a quick setting concrete from your local hardware store. Two 50 pound bags of fast setting concrete will set a 4 inch by 4 inch or a 4 inch diameter post in a 10 inch diameter hole. Place the form tube into the hole. Apply high quality exterior acrylic caulk or silicone specifically designed to adhere to concrete at the base of the post.

Caulk around the fence post base. Set the end of the post on top of your gravel in the middle of the hole. Seal it with a sealant that bonds to concrete and wood such as some silicone sealants or exterior acrylic latex caulk. Make sure the post is plumb before allowing the concrete to set.

Pour the concrete into the hole until it s 2 3 in. So six foot high fence posts ideally need to be buried three feet into the ground. Soak the bottom of the wooden fence posts in a wood preservative containing copper napthanate such as cuprinol. Set the post into the form and temporarily stand straight.

This gap will widen with natural expansion and frost allowing water to pool here and cause rot. The general rule of thumb when setting a post is that the depth of the post s hole needs to be 1 3 to 1 2 of the actual above ground height of the post. Once the initial curing is complete seal the gap around the base of the fence post. The diameter of your post hole should be three times the diameter of your post.

Seal the gap between post and concrete. Inspect your posts at least once a year ideally in spring or fall and reapply paint or stain as necessary to protect the wood and keep your fence looking its best.