How to Stabilize Wood Posts with a Concrete Girdle

Damaged fence posts lean and wobble, undermining the stability of your entire fence. You may not have to replace a damaged post if you can stabilize it with a concrete girdle. You need a claw hammer, tapered surveyor stakes, premixed concrete, and water. Here’s what to do:

1. Take out adjacent fence construction.

   
   

   You probably will have to go all the way back to the adjacent posts.

   
   



2. Cut or buy a few tapered (top to bottom) surveyor stakes about 24 inches long.

   
   

   You can get them at home improvement stores.

   
   



3. Drive a stake into the ground next to the post or next to the concrete.

   
   

   The top should be just above ground level.

   
   



4. Pull the stake.

   
   



5. Fill the hole with water and level the post.

   
   

   Use a carpenter’s level to determine whether the post is vertical.

   
   



6. Add dry premixed concrete to the top of the hole.

   
   

   Excess water will spill out of the top.

   
   



7. Wait half an hour.

   
   

   If you plan to do another post, work on it while you’re waiting.

   
   



8. Go to the other side of the first post and repeat.

   
   

   Don’t rush the job. If you don’t give the concrete a half-hour to set, you could end up doing more work than you have to. Be patient. Take a break or start working on another post.

   
   



9. After a half-hour, go back to the first post and if it’s still not stable, repeat the earlier steps, each time moving to a different position around the post.

   
   

   Reassemble the fence the next day.

   
   

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