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In my previous post, I talked about setting the fence posts for a 3-foot high fence. The next step is to put railings on your fence.

The further apart your fence posts are, the more likely you are to crack, warp, or sag your railings. I have two spans that are 10 feet apart, and realized after having already set the fence posts that this was not a good idea. My recommendation is to keep your fence posts no more than 6 feet apart (4 feet is ideal if you want strong railings). This provides enough support that you can actually lean on the fence railing.

After your fence posts are plum and have been set in cement for a few days, you can cut your fence railings to size. I encourage you to keep your fence posts at 90 degree angles, as cutting the mitered edges of your fence railing can be a cumbersome and painstaking task. I spent about twice as long on the mitered edges as I did on the straight edges. Be careful – if you cut it too short, you’ll need to scrap it and start over.

I used a compound miter saw for all the railings. The wood was a 2×4 by 10 feet (2 spots) and 8 feet. I also had a few 6 feet and shorter spans for the curved part of the fence.

I placed my railings on edge, as this will result in less sag over time that means you can’t just run it across the top of the fence post, you have to screw it in to the side of the fence post. Having the angles meet up to the 4×4 post can be challenging, even require a recut once or twice. I found it to be somewhat painstaking and suggest avoiding angles if you are able to do 90-degree turns.

After all your fence post holes are dug, it’s time to mix the fence post concrete and set your posts.

It’ll look nicer and save you the hassle of having to trim off the top of the fence posts if you make sure all your post holes are the same depth. Aside from the depth of the hole, you need to be sure the top of the posts are all the same height — if your ground is not flat you may have variations in the height after you’ve sunk the posts.

I found it would have been better to place all my posts in the fence post holes and line them up (adding dirt or digging more) where necessary such that they all lined up.

Mixing Concrete

Mixing concrete is one of the hard labor exercises you’ll get to do! I used an old shovel and wheel barrow to mix the cement. Usually 2-3 bags at a time so I’d have enough to set 2-3 posts. Be careful to over flow it with water too much water and you’ll need to add more cement mix to counter balance. Also, be sure the wheel barrow is on solid ground, the last thing you want is to knock it over and have to cleanup.

Pouring Concrete

Pouring concrete is rather easy. I simply scooped it out with the shovel and dumped it into the hole with the post in the hole. Put one scoop on each side of the post and then straighten the post. You have some time before it starts to harden, be careful not to use too much cement. If you overfill the hole then you’ll have to work around big chunks of cement when planting flowers or bender board later.

Plum Your Posts

Plumming your posts is the most critical part of the process. You’ll need a level with a bubble to be sure the post is straight. You’ll want to plum both sides, so it is straight. Simply put the level along the post on one side and tap the post lightly to get it inline. Then do the same on the other side 90 degrees (not the opposite side). You can check all four sides as well to be sure the post is level. Be sure you’re cement is not too wet otherwise the post can rise up or tilt after you walk away. I recommend checking them again in 30 minutes to be sure they haven’t shifted.

Watch for Water

If you have water in the holes as I did after a recent rain, be sure to use enough dry concrete to absorb it all, otherwise you end up with concrete soup, and your fence posts may float up on you while you’re trying to plum them. I gave a few taps on the top with a rubber mallet to be sure the post had sunk down enough — the last thing you want is to realize the next day a fence post floated up on you, and the concrete has already set.

Be sure to get enough stakes (about 1.5 to 2 feet long) so you can brace your fence posts after you set them with concrete. Nail two stakes across the bottom at an angle — one on each side to brace the post. A rubber mallet works well for pounding the stake into the ground at a 45 degree angle and then nailing two nails into the fence post to keep them in place.

It took me about 7 hours to set 14 fence posts — although the last 4 . About two-thirds of that time was spent mixing, so if you are in a hurry you may want to use the alternative method where you pour dry concrete mix into the hole and get an attachment for the garden hose that you can sink down into the hole to water the cement.