Building a Wood Fence with Metal Posts?

Do you know which part of your wood fence is most susceptible to rot and insect damage?  If you said the posts, congratulations, you're right.

Most wood posts rot from the ground surface down to the concrete plug, which makes perfect sense when you consider the fact that they sit in a dark, damp environment for years.  There are certain things you can do to extend the life of your wood posts like using loose gravel for drainage or putting some type of rubber sealant on; but, over time wood fence posts will rot. 

That's why one of the hot trends in fencing today is attaching steel posts to wood fencing instead of the traditional 4x4's or 6x6's.  2 3/8" galvanized steel posts are much stronger and more durable than treated wood.  Plus they won't rot, get insect damage or get damaged by the weed trimmer. 

Using metal fence brackets, you can install your wood fence with galvanized steel posts to avoid rot and insect damage.

Put up a Facade to Achieve an "All Wood" Look

One of the only drawbacks to using steel posts is that it takes away from the natural look of an all wood fence.  But, that is easily remedied by building a wood "facade" around the steel post with 2x4's.  In fact, the large Oz Post Brackets* are designed with extra long tabs which allow you to do exactly that.  And since none of your wood facade is below ground, the chances of it rotting are greatly diminished.

* Oz Post Brackets have been discontinued. Check out the replacement WAP-OZ brackets below, or view our entire selection of wood to steel post adapters here.

Build a wooden facade around metal posts to achieve an all wood look.

 If you want to build a wood fence that lasts, while minimizing your upkeep, consider using steel posts for installation.

 

WAP-OZ Wood to Steel Brackets make it easy to install a wood fence using steel posts.

Installing a Fence on a Slope - Option 2: Stair-Stepping Your Fence

In the last post, we talked about using rackable panels to install your fence on a slope.  Pre-Assembled rackable panels definitely make the job easier, but they are not always practical.  First, they are not available for all fence types and styles.  Second, rackable panels can only adjust so far.  If your hill is angled by a larger degree than your fence panel will rack, you have to use a different installation strategy called stair-stepping.

What is stair-stepping?

Stair stepping is a fence installation technique where each successive panel in your fence line is installed higher (or lower) than the last; creating a stepped look.  This is accomplished by either custom routing your fence posts to fit the height of your panels or by using brackets attached to unrouted (blank) posts.  The panels themselves require no adjustment.

 

As you can see from the illustration above, one drawback to stairstepping is that it creates gaps underneath your fence panels. If that is an issue for your application (ie. keeping children/animals in or out), there are a couple of ways to fix it First, you can build a solid barrier or use wire mesh to stop animals and children from crawling through the crack. The second solution is to actually create a concrete step under each panel so that the ground underneat is flat. (See the photo above).

If you are pouring concrete under a stair-stepped aluminum fence, then you will use a post mount or welded bottom plate to attach the post to the concrete.

As we mentioned in the introduction, sometimes stair-stepping is the best solution to installing a fence on a slope.  It is also the only choice when installing one piece cast fence panels or panels that are welded together; neither of those are rackable.   Or, it may simply be that you like the look of a stair-stepped fence; it can create an eye catching visage around stonework, landscaping, and pools.