If your fence is falling apart, a lot of the time you just need new posts. You can put posts directly in the ground, but if you have a big fence or you live in a windy area a lot of people prefer using concrete. Here is how you do just that without any cement mixers or buckets.
These are few key pieces of information that you’ll want to start off with.
First of all, when dealing with cement, you should wear some form of eye protection as well as gloves.
Post Length
Before ordering your posts, keep in mind that you’ll want at least a third and up to a half of the post in the ground for stability. This means if you want a 6-foot tall post, you need an 8-foot post with at 2 feet in the post, and that’s at a bare minimum.
Post Hole Width
The diameter of the post is very important for the success of your project, so be careful here. The rule of thumb is that your post hole should be 3x the width of the post (or 3x the diameter of the post if you are using something round).
So for a 4 by 4 you’ll want to use a hole that is roughly a foot wide.
The important detail here is that if your hole is too wide you risk not adding enough concrete to the hole. If the whole isn’t wide enough you won’t get the stability you need from the post hole and concrete footing.
The Concrete
For this method we’ll be using a quick setting concrete. This will be the easiest material to mix straight in a hole in the ground with no cement mixer. Plus, since you’ll be working outside we’ll want the whole process to move along quickly.
Most people will go with a 50-pound bag of Quikrete “Fast-Setting” concrete as it’s easy to find.
Tools Recommended
- Post hole digger
- Magnetic or torpedo level
- Hammer and nails, wrench and bolts, etc. to affix the fence to the pst
- Post hole digger
- Magnetic or torpedo level
- Hammer and nails, wrench and bolts, etc. to affix the fence to the post
- 5-gallon plastic bucket
How To Steps
- Dig the hole according to the rules laid out:
- 1/2 to 1/3 the depth of the post
- 3x the width of the post
- Add gravel to the bottom of the hole, about 6 inches thick. Use the post or a piece of scrap lumber to pound down and level the gravel.
- Place the post in the hole, stabilize it temporarily, and use the level to place it in 90-degrees to the ground (perpendicular) on two sides.
- Fix the hole with your concrete mix until it’s about 3 inches below the ground level. (this will allow for grass to grow right up to the posts if you want).
- Add water using a bucket or a hose. Aim for 1 gallon of water per 50-pound bag of concrete. Stir. The mix should be like cake batter when you are done.
- Wait. The concrete will set in about 30 minutes and will be able to bear weight in about 4-6 hours, depending on conditions.
And you should be all set. As with anything else, it’ll take a little time to get the hang of working with concrete.