How to install a picket fence on your site

How to install a picket fence

A reliable fence made of wooden stakes, created by our ancestors for several centuries, called the picket fence, is again at the peak of popularity in suburban construction. Strong high wooden fencing is not inferior in quality to traditional building materials and acts as an alternative to modern metal or brick fences. The construction of the stockade takes no more than three to four days, and such a construction will last more than two decades.

Content

Preparation of materials for arranging a stockade.
Wood Protection and Processing.
Installation of a wooden fence.
Fencing picket fence

Preparation of materials for arranging a stockade

The length of the pillars depends primarily on the purpose of the building. For the construction of the fence along the external borders of the site, which will act as reliable protection against the penetration of unexpected “guests” use logs with a height of at least 2 meters. If the picket fence will act as a demarcation of the inner zones of the site and the framing of plant compositions, then for these purposes it is enough to use poles of smaller diameter, the height of which does not exceed 50-70 cm.

The basis of the fence is large cylindrical logs, the diameter of which varies in the range of 12-20 cm

When calculating the height of the logs, it should be borne in mind that to create a solid structure with the traditional method of arranging the logs, they are buried in the ground by 50-70 cm.

It is possible to place the stockade in such a way that the wooden poles are fixed on the crossbars fixed to the support posts of the fence. With this installation method, the logs will rise above the ground in full height..

For the construction of the picket fence, you only need to choose well-dried high-quality wood that can last for more than a dozen years

Pay attention not only to the outer flat surface of wooden posts, but also to transverse sections: they should not have any protrusions and recesses.

A characteristic feature of this type of fence is the presence of pointed tops. Each log looks like a sharpened large pencil. To give it such a shape, with the help of a small hatchet, the upper part of the log is sharpened at an angle of 40 °.

Wood Protection and Processing

One of the easiest ways to build a stockade is to install pillars with the bottom part 1/3 deep in the ground. But with this method of arrangement, the lower part of the log, immersed in the ground, begins to rot, which leads to a quick collapse of the structure. Untreated logs with a special protective composition, depending on the quality of the wood itself, can last from three to six years.

To extend the life of the wooden fence, the lower part of the logs is protected by treatment with hot bitumen

Previously, our ancestors used carbonization at the stake for these purposes. The crust formed as a result of charring acted as a protection against rotting and destruction of wood during operation. Carbonized not only the buried part of the log, but also the aerial part of the trunk. This simple procedure made it possible to protect wood from damage by harmful insects..

Today, ready-made chemical antiseptics that protect against the spread of mold, fungus and insect damage, as well as formulations that prevent the ingress of moisture, and fireproof solutions can be purchased in specialized stores.

Thanks to the complex processing of wooden beams, it is possible not only to protect the fence from rotting and rapid wear, but also to make the appearance of the enclosing structure more attractive

Installation of a wooden fence

With the traditional method of arrangement, two options for installing logs are possible.

First option

For the construction of a picket fence use logs with a slightly pointed lower end. They are stuck into the ground, marking a place, then water is poured into the formed hole, and the same column is re-stuck into the softened earth. The installed log is screwed until it is firmly fixed in the ground.

Some masters use a hammer to facilitate the process, but work with it very carefully so as not to violate the integrity of the wood

To protect the logs from damage during impacts and prevent the formation of cracks and chips, special plastic caps are put on hammers.

Second option

Logs are set in a specially dug trench about a half meter deep. The width of the trench should be 5-10 cm larger than the diameter of the installed posts. At the bottom of the dug trench lay a gravel or sand “pillow” with a thickness of 20-30 cm, which will act as a drainage during operation. On the “pillow” set the stakes, placing them close to each other. At this stage, it is important to ensure that there are no gaps between adjacent posts.

The trench is gradually covered with earth, alternately watering and ramming tightly.

The crossbars are placed on the upper and lower sides of the fence, departing from the edges by 20 cm.

To increase the strength of the picket fence along one of its sides, horizontal crossbars of 40–50 mm thick wooden beams are nailed to the logs

Fencing picket fence

At the final stage of arranging the fence, it remains only to make a few finishing touches. Of course, you can leave the fence in its original form.

To make the wooden fence more attractive and natural, it is advisable to coat the wood with a primer, stain or transparent semi-matt varnish

The wooden fence can even be given brown-chocolate or sand-golden hues. To obtain the desired shade of wood, it is enough to experiment with the concentration of stain. Such a wooden fence will rightfully become a worthy decoration of a suburban area.

If when arranging a high fence that encloses the external borders of the site, peeled logs are used, then thinner tree trunks are used to frame the internal zones of the territory, from which sometimes the bark is not removed.

When arranging low stockade, only pointed tops are treated, covering them not only with colorless compositions, but with colored paints for outdoor woodwork

The decorative picket fence goes well with flower beds and acts as a spectacular addition to the design of the site.