Home Improvement Outdoors Fences

How to Repair a Fence: 10 Ways

Fixing Fence

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Wood fences need the occasional repair to keep them in good condition. Rotting, sagging, and leaning are just a few of the problems that wood fences experience. Wooden fence repair is made easier with helpful gadgets like fence menders and post caps that simplify the process.

Fix Rotting Wood Fence Post Tops

Wood fence post tops bear the brunt of the damage from the weather. Split or cracked fence post tops encourage even more damage by pooling the rain or snow. If rot at the top is not fixed, it will continue downward, possibly requiring replacement of the entire fence post.

A rotted fence post top with damage in the center can be fixed by adding a fence post cap. A plastic, metal, or wood post cap covers the entire top of the post. Much like a roof, the cap is slanted to prevent water from accumulating. An LED solar post cap has a small solar panel that recharges a battery, turning each fence post into a light. 

If the rotted fence post top is damaged around the edges, cut down the post top to solid wood before adding the post cap.

Repair a Leaning Fence Due to a Broken Post

Not only does a leaning wooden fence make your property look tired, it's unsafe and it can damage other parts of your property. A partially leaning fence can become so unstable that it pulls down the rest of the fence. 

A broken fence post is often the reason the fence is leaning. Water or snow can cause the fence post to rot at the ground level. Even though the concrete post footer may remain stable, the fence post will break within or just above the concrete footer.

A metal fence post mender allows you to repair the rotten portion while keeping the post and footer in place. Wedge the fence post mender between the fence post and the concrete footer. Pound the post mender down about one foot with a sledgehammer. Complete the repair by connecting the mender to the post with galvanized hex-head screws.

Repair a Leaning Fence Due to a Tilting Footer

A wooden fence may be leaning because of a tilting concrete footer. The fence post may still be in good condition, but the footer—the heavy concrete base—may be tilting in the ground due to improper installation or poor ground conditions. This issue cannot be fixed with a fence post mender.

If the fence is leaning due to a tilting concrete footer, brace the post until it is vertical again. Dig out the soil on the side that had been tilting. Finish by filling the soil void with concrete.

Make sure to compact the replaced soil, usually in 3- to 4-inch increments, Tamp the soil with a fairly heavy flat-ended tool or a piece of wood.

Replace a Wooden Fence Post

Wooden fence post repair may require the ultimate step: replacing the entire post. A fence post may be rotted beyond the help of a fence mender or the ground may be in such poor condition that shoring up one side of the footer will not help. 

Replacing a single wooden fence post is possible without taking down the entire fence. The fence stringers or rails are first detached on both sides of the fence post. Then, the old fence post is removed. It's usually necessary to dig a new hole for the new post. The hole's depth should be half the above-ground height of the post and the diameter should be three times the post's width.

Fix a Wooden Fence Gate

After enough time and use, a wooden fence gate will begin to sag or twist out of shape. A sagging gate is not just unattractive—it can become a hazard for children and pets if it does not fully close and latch shut. 

Fix a wooden gate that is sagging on its hinges by tightening the screws on the hinges. If the screw holes will no longer grip the screws, replace the screws with longer screws.

When the gate is sagging because the gate is lopsided and out of square, the gate can be fixed with an anti-sag cable kit. You usually don't even need to remove the gate. With corner braces, clamps, and a steel cable, an anti-sag cable kit will force the wood gate back into square, so that it can open and shut properly again.

Replace a Wooden Fence Board

A wooden fence board that is loose, rotting, or missing defeats the purpose of having a fence. If the fence board is still in good shape, it can be nailed back into place. Otherwise, purchase a new wood fence board and use that as a replacement.

Fence boards that are face-nailed to the fence stringers or rails should be nailed back into place, but shift the nails so they are not in the same nail holes. 

Fence boards in pre-built wood fence panels are more difficult to replace since they are attached side to side with tongues and grooves. Not only that but boards in pre-built panels fit into upper and lower slots. It's usually best to run two horizontal strips of one-by-two lumber at the top and bottom, then face-nail the boards from the other side.

Replace a Wooden Fence Panel

It is time to replace a pre-built wooden fence panel when the bottom is rotted out, the stringers are sagging, or when many fence boards are missing. Pre-built panels should be replaced one for one; repairing or replacing individual parts is difficult.

First, the current fence panel is knocked out. Care should be taken to keep the fence posts intact. As long as the posts have not shifted, the next fence panel should be between them. 

Replace Sagging Fence Stringers

Stringers are the horizontal rails that hold the fence boards in place. The weight of the fence boards, combined with the effects of weather, causes most fence stringers to sag. While not a safety issue, sagging fence stringers also translate to sagging fence boards. So, to improve the look of your fence, replace the stringers.

Stringers in pre-built fence panels usually cannot be replaced, so the entire panel will need replacement. 

Stringers on scratch-built fences can be replaced. After removing the fence boards, pry the stringers loose from the metal fence rail brackets. If the brackets become damaged when removing the stringers, replace with new brackets. Then, add new stringers (do not use the old stringers upside-down) and attach the fence boards.

Fix a Hole in a Wooden Fence

An occasional hole in a wooden fence is normal. But if there are too many holes or they are placed at eye level, privacy is lost. 

It's often best to simply replace the fence board with one that doesn't have holes. Or you can move boards around, replacing boards that have holes with solid boards.

Holes up to 3/8-inch in diameter can be filled with wood filler. Use a petroleum-based wood filler rather than a water-based filler for greater strength. Press the wood filler into the hole with a putty knife, then sand smooth.

Reburbish the Surface of a Wooden Fence

Weathered, discolored, and tired-looking wooden fences can be refurbished with wood stain and sealant. Not only does this improve the look of the wood fence but it also will maintain the wood and help it last longer.

The wood fence should first be pressure washed to remove dirt, moss, and mold and mildew. Let the wood completely dry. Use an exterior-rated oil-based wood stain and sealant combination. For large areas, apply the stain/sealant with a paint sprayer. One gallon covers about 125 square feet.