I'm looking to build a picket fence that is only 2' high. It will have 3 sides and no gate. Two of the side will be 45' the other will be 50'. With the exception of the corners what is the rule of thumb on cementing posts. How many feet of fence can I put up before I need another post cemented.

 

Haw far apart will you space the posts?

 

Will you be building the fence from scratch or using pre-fab panels. Usually, anywhere from 6 to 8 feet apart are the posts.

 

The posts will be spaced 8' apart and I will be building the fence from scratch. The slats will be made for 1x4's with a 2 " space between slats. The rails will be 2x4x8' and the post 4x4's

 

A lot depends on the ground the posts are sunk into. Ideally no concrete would be used because concrete holds moisture that will eventually rot out the post. But some soils won't hold the posts stable enough so then concrete is needed. I prefer to concrete the top portion of the post with gravel at the bottom to help it drain.

 

Standard spacing for fence is 6" sections between post. Any different will look odd. Not unheard of but not typical.

 

I agree if the were 1x1 pickets but these will be 1x4 slats. The purpose of the fence is mostly to keep kids from running in the packing lot a the the church.
I understand the issue with cement and rot. That's the the nature of the beast and something I will have to consider. But for now I just need to know in a 50 run of fence how many post should be cemented.
Also instead of cement I'm thinking of using Sika Fence Post Mix. If your not familiar with it here is a video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLx4e_Y0eU8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9J2Rec2MjE

 

Bumping to top for additional help...

 

It depends on the ground. If the posts will set good and secure in the dirt then they might not need cement but often you can't get the posts secure without cement. There isn't a one size fits all answer.

 

Well that makes sense. I guess I need to add info about the soil in the area. The soil is fairly easy to dig by hand and with a post hole digger. Although it is very rocky. The soil will pack hard. The area is North West NJ. if that helps.

 

sika post fix...

I watched the video...

My personal opinion is that this compound is pure chemical... nothing seemed natural about it. The way the guy in the video just trimmed the extra materials away with a knife showed me that the product looks a lot like Styrofoam..

I decided to do a search of the material on line... One bag, One post... 1\$10.97 per bag.....

Off hand my first impression is that the product does not impress me at all....

As for your question.... How much footage between posts and or when should the posts be cemented?

In another post it was mentioned that using cement would not be the best recommendation for installing a wood post... But in all phases of installing everyone has their own reasons for doing whatever they feel is best for their individual project at hand..
Okay.. if you are building your own fence I would say that using a standard 8 foot rail would suit the posts... as most prefab sections are made to be 8 foot long...
If you are choosing to cement posts, my best advice would be to cement all posts... not jump past one to every other...

I do not see the need to shortcut mixing cement so that your product of instant concrete in a bag would be used.... But hey, if that is what you wish to do, that is what you wish to do...

I do not care for the idea of so much of a chemical product being put below ground... There are enough poisons in our trash being put to ground water and such.... why add to it with a prefab product made to go below ground?
Again, that is just my opinion.

As for the idea of installing a 2 foot high fence...

I do not believe that it is a good idea to install a fence just 2 feet high near a school yard, or any yard. I feel that a fence would be too short... it would encourage children to jump over the fence... and if one such child would slip and fall onto the fence they can be seriously injured... Depending on the type of picket you choose in your installation a pointed picket topper could take out an eye... even a dog ear or flat top could easily puncture skin..

If you must keep the fence low for some reason perhaps a 36 inch high should be considered...

42 - 48 inch is better...

This is off topic, but my opinion none the less.

Good luck installing your fencing project...

Happy Holidays...

Greg's Fence NJ~

 

We have a cardiologist who is also a cattle farmer and he told me he uses crusher run to pack around his fence posts digging a 9" hole 2' or so deep. Somewhat cheaper and easier to use than concrete, IMO. And it works well. I visited his farm yesterday to pick up a larger auger and his posts are solid with just the CR.

 

I had to look up the term " crusher run " ... I really had no idea what it was...

But in reading the description of, it being crushed rock... blue stone or other types of stone ground up....

Yes, of course that would be a solid hold.

Around here in the north east crushed stone would work ideally for most wood to soil applications, but it is usually more expensive, certainly not less. I guess different areas are better for different materials. I would love to use crushed stone as back fill, then tamp it in tight as a drum.

So yes... total thumbs up on the idea of using " Crusher Run "

Great suggestion !

Greg's Fence NJ

 

Thanks Greg. I didn't know it was a regional thing. Maybe just a southern term. It is what we use to put down on our driveways instead of paving or concrete. It is crushed stone, probably about #57 or a little larger, mixed with the granite dust. Once the dust gets wet it tends to hold everything together.

 

Crusher run is common in the Northeast. It is ordered by size. My driveway has a 6"layer of compacted crusher run over a 2' base of "trap rock" - another gravel pit term. I don't know how local that is though. I also have a walkway with a bed of "bony gravel." You can also order "bank run" from our local gravel pits.

100 miles away and they probably call it something entirely different.

 

As far as I know here in east tenn they only sell 1 size of crusher run although I've seen it in different colors, presumably made from different rocks. We also have chat which is a lot smaller but similar. It comes in 2-3 different sizes with the fine being almost dust and the large about half the size of crusher run.

The biggest difference between crusher run or chat and regular gravel is most gravel has the stone dust washed from it and chat/crusher run doesn't. The stone dust helps gravel stay put better especially on steep grades.