As you’ll see in this video from the concrete experts at Quikrete, the dry mix will react on its own without more work from you! For the 30-inch-deep hole mentioned above, that would require about five gallons of water. Add slowly, allowing the water to seep down and saturate the mix. Pour water on top of the dry concrete mix at a ratio of about one gallon per 50-pound bag. It will tell you exactly how many bags of mix you’ll need to set for standard post sizes and hole diameters. If you don’t want to do the math, enter the depth of the hole into the Quikrete Fast-Setting Concrete Mix calculator. So, to fill a 30-inch-deep hole that is 12 inches in diameter, you’ll need five bags of Fast-Setting Concrete Mix. STEP 8Ĭontinue filling the hole with the dry fast-setting concrete mix until the mix sits approximately three inches below ground level.Ī 50-pound bag of mix will make approximately 0.375 cubic feet of concrete. Keep the post upright and centered as you fill the hole, but do not lift the post-if you do, you’ll have a tough time getting it back to the gravel bottom. Then, pour dry Quikrete Fast-Setting Concrete Mix into the hole, getting an even amount around all sides of the post. Grab your work gloves again and also put on protective eyewear and a dust mask-pouring dry concrete mix is a dusty job, and you don’t want to inhale it or get it in your eyes. This is where you’ll need an assistant who can hold the pole in place while you fill around it. Position the post in the center of the hole and hold it upright. Repeat this three to five times to even out the gravel. To do this, set the post in the hole and, with gloved hands, lift the post up a few inches and bring it back down hard on the gravel. Tamp down the gravel using the bottom of the fence post. Gravel provides a solid base for the fence post to sit on and prevents it from coming into direct contact with the soil below, which might increase the risk of rotting. STEP 4Īdd six inches of gravel, such as Quikrete All-Purpose Gravel, to the bottom of the holes. So, if you’re installing standard four-inch-wide treated wood posts, the holes will need to be 12 inches in diameter. The minimum recommended diameter is three times the width of the posts. Make the holes wide enough to fill with concrete. After you determine how deep the hole should be, add six inches to allow for the addition of gravel in the bottom. The standard rule of thumb is to bury at least a third of the length of the fence post in the ground (half is better), but local building codes may require a minimum depth, such as 30 inches, so check with your local building authority before you start. STEP 2ĭig the postholes using a manual posthole digger or an auger. If you’re using treated wood, select the straightest posts you can find to avoid running into problems. Then, using the chalked marks as guides, mask off the stripes.Ĭlick here to ask your own question about painting stripes.For a fence, it’s imperative to start with posts that are arrow-straight. This isn’t an issue with metal posts, but wood posts have a tendency to twist or warp slightly. Repeat the process until you have marked all of the stripes. Use a pencil or a piece of chalk to mark the path of the line - a few light marks between the ceiling and floor should suffice. You may want to get off your stepladder for each mark, to stop the weight at the bottom from swinging, and pin it to the wall (through the hole in the washer). When you tack the plumb line to each chalk mark at the top of the wall, the line will hang plumb (perfectly vertical), from the mark. Then tie a knot in the other end (the plumb line between the knots should be about an inch shorter than the height of the wall), and poke a push pin through the top knot. Tie a small weight such as a metal washer onto one end of a piece of heavy thread. If you don't have it in your home, you can easily make it yourself: Answer: The best way to make sure your guide lines are truly vertical is to use a plumb bob line.
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