What maintenance does a garden fence need?
Posts are what fail, not panels — the annual check and the repairs that extend a fence by years.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 3 hr
- Read
- 2 min
Short answer
Check the posts at ground level each summer by pushing hard at the top of each one. Rot at the soil line is what brings fences down, and a post repair spur fixes it without replacing the whole fence.
Fence panels look like the fence, but they rarely fail first. The failure point is the post at the point where it meets the soil, where wood is alternately wet and exposed to air.
What you'll need
- Wood preservative
- Brush or sprayer
- Post repair spur (optional)
- Gravel boards (optional)
Step by step
- Push each post firmly at the top.Any movement or creaking at the base means rot at ground level. Do this every summer — it takes five minutes for a whole fence.
- Dig away soil and check the base.Clear a few centimetres and probe with a screwdriver. Soft wood at the soil line is the classic failure and it is invisible until you look.
- Fit a repair spur rather than replacing the post.A concrete or metal spur bolted to the sound part of the post and concreted in. Far cheaper and quicker than digging out a post with panels attached.
- Keep soil and plants off the timber.Soil banked against a fence keeps it permanently damp. Climbing plants hold moisture against it and their weight adds to wind load.
- Treat the wood every two to three years.A proper preservative, not just a coloured stain. Do it in dry weather with a few dry days forecast, and pay attention to end grain and the bottom of the boards.
- Fit gravel boards at the base.A replaceable board between the soil and the panel. It takes the damage instead of the panel and costs a fraction to replace.
- Check the fixings.Rusted nails and brackets fail in wind. Replace with galvanised or stainless fixings as you find them.
- Check it before winter storms.A loose panel or a rocking post is what turns a windy night into a broken fence and a claim.
Tips
- Concrete posts with timber panels last far longer, because the failure point is removed entirely. Worth considering when replacing.
- Treat the fence on a still, dry day. Preservative applied before rain mostly ends up in the soil.
- Agree boundary responsibility with neighbours before repairs, not after. The deeds usually say which side is whose.
Questions people ask
Why do fence posts rot at ground level?
That point is alternately wet and exposed to oxygen, which is exactly what rotting fungi need. Below ground it is too airless and above it is too dry.
Do I have to replace the whole post?
Usually not. A repair spur bolted to the sound upper part and concreted in restores it, without dismantling the fence.