5 Ways to Make Your Fence Last

1) Maintain Your Fence Rails

Make sure that all of the rails on your fence are intact and solidly fastened into place. This will prevent any gaps from forming at the bottom of the railing which can lead to intruders sneaking onto your property or kids falling off onto dangerous surfaces below.

2) Clean Up Unsightly Debris

Remove leaves, dirt, twigs or anything else that has collected on top of the fence post. This is important for ensuring a nice looking and even clean surface on your property.

A lack of care in this area can lead to debris accumulating over time which will eventually cause damage to the posts themselves as they are unable to withstand the constant pressure from all that weight. If you do notice anything like this, be sure to remove the items and dispose of them leaving the fence surface clean and free of debris.

3) Ensure the posts are adequately spaced

You want there to be enough distance between the posts so that they don't bear too much of a load from one another.

For example, if you have four fence posts and space them two feet apart this is not sufficient for heavy fences such as chain link or wooden post & rail types. You will need at least five feet between each post in order to sufficiently guard against any type of sagging which can occur over time due to the weight on top of these surfaces.

It's also important to avoid placing your posts too close together because it could lead to leaning towards one side when pressure occurs on just one end-resulting in an uneven appearance on your property.

4) When installing the posts, make sure there is enough cement to set each post four inches into the ground.

The most common mistake homeowners make when installing their fence is not having enough cement to set posts in at least two feet deep. This makes it vulnerable to sagging and leaning over time, so be sure you have plenty of materials before starting the process!

You'll also want to take care that your posts are evenly spaced apart as well-about five or more feet will do this effectively by guarding against any type of leaning towards one side due to pressure on just one end resulting in an uneven appearance on your property. Always remember: measure twice cut once! You don't want a crooked fence now do you?

5) The gravel boards at the base of the fences should be smoothed out to prevent weeds or grass from growing.

To do that, you'll want to rent a plate compactor at your local rental store and compact the soil down into it-this will help keep any unwanted plants from taking root in areas where they can be difficult if not impossible for homeowners to dig them up. Be sure when doing this as well, that you use something other than just your feet-try using an old metal rake with sturdy tines so you won't risk ruining the fence by bending or pulling on wires while trying to get rock particles back under the wire mesh like I did!

This step is also important because some of these weeds are hardy enough now days that they can even grow through asphalt.