16

TIMBER FENCINGAlmost every homeowner would like attractive fencing of one sort or another around their property. The fencing may be for reasons of privacy, or to prevent children and pets roaming too freely, or simply to act as a boundary marker.

It can be used to divide up part of a large garden, to hide the compost heap, or provide something for plants to grow up in a protected area. It can be decorative, functional, or a combination of both.

Whatever the reason for your fencing needs, Wickes provide a wide variety of fencing materials and numerous accessories to make the installation of fencing easy.

ISSUE 06/11

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BEFORE YOU STARTFencing can be divided into two categories, (a) Ready made panels which simply needto be fitted between posts and (b) fencing which you basically make yourself from loosematerials.

Ready made panelsLappanelsareavailable in fourheights,3,4,5,and6’allbeing6’ long. (Approx.900,1200,1500and1800by1800mm long). Thesepanels consist of a timber framewithhorizontallyfixedoverlappinglarchslats. FIG. 1 (overleaf).

Thepanelsarepre-treatedwithpreservativetogivethemagoldenbrowncolour.Theyarealwayserectedbetweenevenlyspacedposts.

Loose fencing materialsIfready-madepanelsarenotusedyoucanmakeyourownfencingtoalmostanydesignthatyouwish.

Stockade fencing, FIG. 2, is simply 19 x 100mm fenceboarding fixed vertically to arrisrailsbetweenpostswhichmaybeupto2.4metresapart.Betweeneachpieceofverticaltimberthereisagapwhichcanbeaswideornarrowasyouwant.

Featheredge fencing, FIG. 3, is again vertical timber fixed to arris rails with each slatslightlyoverlappingthenextprovidingcompleteprivacy.

Thesestylesoffencingarenormallyerectedin1.8or2.4msections.Fullerdetailsabouthowtomakethemaredescribedlater.

Palisadefencing,FIG. 4, issuppliedbyWickesinkitform,eachkitcontainingsufficienttimbertomakea1753mm(5’9”)longrunjust914mm(3’)high.An864mm(2’10”)widematchinggateforthePalisadeFencingisalsoavailable.

Trellisshouldnotbeignoredasafencingmaterial.Usedinconjunctionwithconventionalpanelsoronitsownbetweenpostsitcanformanattractivebackdropforclimbingplants,orbebuilt intoapergola typeofgarden feature.All trellisesare1829mm(6’) longandcome in threestyles.Theseare the traditionalsquarepattern,ordiamondpatternat1’high,andourbowtrellisat1’1”higheachendandthearchtoptrellisat1’6”highatthecentre.FIG. 5.Allmakeanattractivefeatureontopofawaneylappanelfence.

Fence PostsTraditionally all fencing has been built using timber posts and Wickes stock pressurepreservedpostsin1.5,1.8,2.1,2.4and2.7mlengths.Foreverypostyouplantouseyouwillneedapostcap.Ifagateis includedinyourfencingproject,useaWickes100mm(4”)postforadditionalsupport.

FIG. 1

FIG. 3

FIG. 2

FEATHER EDGE FENCING

LAP PANEL

FIG. 4 PALISADE FENCING

FIG. 5

Concrete posts offer a stronger, totallyrot free, alternative which can help makea fence more durable in severe weatherconditions.Wickesstockaslottedconcreteand wooden post for use with lap panels.Ifyourfencepostbecomesdamaged,youcan always repair it rather than replace itwithaWickesrepairspike.

Fencing accessoriesThebuildingofafenceisnotjustaquestionof knocking posts into the ground andnailingpanelsorpiecesoftimbertothem.Theeffectsofwindandweatherwill soonhavesuchafenceflatontheground.Anyfencemust be securely fixed towithstandtheweatherandforthisreason,inordertomake fence building as easy as possibleandlonglasting,Wickesstockavarietyofspecialfencingaccessories.

Perhaps the most important of these areourGravelBoards.Theconcreteonesare6’longx6”highanddesignedforusewithour slotted concrete posts and 6’ panels.Thefencingitselfisfittedabovethegravelboard thus avoiding direct contact withthedampground.Wealsostockpressurepreserved timber fenceboarding for useas gravel boards. These are in 6’ lengthsto match the lap panels or 2.4 metres forselfassembled fencing. Bothare150mmhigh.

Howeverwell the fencing timber is treatedwithapreservative,itcannotpossiblylastaslongasitshouldifitisalmostpermanentlywet. The use of a gravel board, concreteortimber,willprolongthelifeofafencebymanyyears.Timberstillrequirestreatingonaregularbasiswithapreservative.

Wickes Panel Fence Clips are used toattach framed fencing panels to timberposts.Youwillneedfouroftheseuniqueclips for 900 or 1200mm (3 or 4’) panelsand six for 1500 and 1800mm (5 and 6’)panels.Theyaresecured to thepostandthepanelwithgalvanisednails. See FIG. 6.

Theyprovidea farmoreeffectivemethodof securing the panels than nails alone.It is normal to use arris rails - triangularshaped timber - to provide the horizontalbacking for featheredge or stockade typefencing.Our ArrisRailBracketsareusedtoconnect therails to timber fenceposts.38mmgalvanisednailsareusedtosecurethe post to the bracket, and the brackettotherail.For years the only method of erectingtimber fence posts was to concrete themintotheground.Invariably,thepostswouldeventually rot at ground level and bothposts and concrete would have to bereplaced. The modern way to fix timberposts is touseMetalPostSockets. Twotypes are stocked by Wickes. The first isafixedtoppostsocketwitha600mmlongspikewhichisdrivenintotheground.Thesocketremainsabovegroundlevelandsothereforedoes thepostwhich is clampedintoit.

Asledgehammerisusedtodrivethepostsockets into the ground. To protect themetalsidesofthesocketyouneeda‘dolly’-achunkofstrongtimberormetal-which

fitsintothesocketandishammeredratherthanthesocketitself.Wickesstockadrivein tool just for that job. The second postsupport is a socket plate. This has thesame socket at the top with a flat metalplateunderneath.Thisisintendedforfixingpoststoaconcretebase-apathordriveperhaps - using our Sleeve Anchors tosecuretheplatetothebase.FIG. 7 showsthebasicsocketfixings.

Thespiketypeshouldnotbeusedwith6’panels in very exposed and windy areas,mustneverbesetinconcrete,andshouldnotbeusedinfreshlydugground.

Ifyoudoprefertosetyourpostsinaholein the ground, perhaps replacing the oldconcreteblock holdinga longgone rottenoldpost,thisisperfectlyacceptableandourPostcretewillproveinvaluable.Yousimplyneedtopositionthepostinthehole,pourinaquantityofwater,addthePostcreteandleaveitforafewminutestoharden.

Remember, posts must be long enoughtoaccommodategravelboardsat150mmhigh,andany trellis thatyoumaywish toaddontopoffencing.

Most fencing materials are a little on theroughsideforhandlingsoitisadvisabletowearglovestoprotectagainstsplinters.

Whendrivinginpostsupportstheprotectivedolly may jump out of the socket top.Always ensure that it is properly seated.Keep other people well out of the waywhenswingingasledgehammer.

The work sequence varies very slightlyfor panel fencing and other types, butessentiallyis:-

1.Determineandmarkoutthe boundaryline

2. Putinthefirstfencepost3. Fixasecondpostandinfill betweenthetwo4. Proceedsectionbysection5. Treatbaretimber

ERECTING PANEL FENCINGForthepurposesofthisleafletitisassumedthatpostsocketswillbeused.Thefirstjobwithanyfencebuildingprojectistodeterminethelineofthefencing.Onapropertyboundary,marktheboundarylineusingapieceofstrongstringortwine.Allyourpostsandfencingmustbeonyoursideofthisboundarymarker.

At the start of the fencing run drive in apost socket, keeping the clamp face ofthe support facing towards your side oftheboundaryline.Fitthefirstpostintothesocket and secure in place by tighteningthebolt.

Temporarilypropthefirstpanelagainstthepost.Driveinasecondpostsocketattheendof thepanel,keeping thesocket facealignedwiththepaneledge.

WORK SEQUENCE

CUSTOMER CARE

TRELLIS

Remove the panel and fit the second post.Cut a gravel board to length to fit perfectlyhorizontally at ground level between thepost sockets. Secure the gravel board tothe socket at each end using timber fixingbracketsandeitherblack japannedorotherplatedroundheadscrews.

Refit thepanelbetween thepostson topofthe gravel board and secure with the fencepanel clips - two or three at each end. Thetriangularsectionoftheclipsslotbehindthetimberframing.Thepanelshouldbelocatedcentrallyontheposts.Repeatthesequencefor the remainderof the fencing run.Finallyfitapostcapping-availablefromWickes-toeachoftheposts.

Shouldyouwishtodarkenthecolourof thefencing, apply an additional coat of WickesFenceandShedTreatmentusingeither theGoldenorDarkBrownshade.Othercoloursareavailable-pleaseaskIn-Storefordetailsorcheckourwebsite-www.wickes.co.uk.

MAKING YOUR OWN FENCINGFeatheredgeFeatheredge fencing consists of posts, postsupports,arrisrailsandbrackets,andgravelboards,plusfeatheredgeboards.

Thearrisrailsareavailable in2.4mlengths.Although sections of fencing can be madeuptothislengthitmaybeconsideredbettertowork in1.8mruns inparticularlyexposedwindyareas so that there is a shorter spanbetweenposts.

Thefeatheredgeboardingisavailablein1.5,1.8, and 2.4m lengths packed in bundlesof 10/12 or sold separately. If a 1.2m highfence should be required the 2.4m lengthsarecutinhalf.Similarly,ifa0.9mhighfenceis required,perhapson topofwalling,1.8mlengthsarecutinhalf.

For fences1.5metreshigh, threearris railsarerequired,for1.8mhighfences,fourarrisrailsarerequiredand fora2.4mhigh fencefive.Thefencepostsshouldbetallenoughto cope with the height of the gravel board(150mm) and the featheredge boarding.Theseshouldbe100x100mmandneedtoset600mmintotheground.

Unlikepanelfenceconstructionwhichisdonesection by section, featheredge fencing isdonebyerectingthemainframeworkfortheentirerunbeforetheboardingisfitted.

Startbymarkingthefencelineasdescribedpreviously.Drive in your first post socket atthestartingpointandfitapost.Usingalengthof arris rail as a guide to spacing, drive ina second post socket and fit another post.Connect the two posts with arris rails andarris rail brackets. The rails should beset back from the front face of the post byat least the thickness of the featheredgeboarding. You should check that all yourarris rails are exactly the same length, andare fitted perfectly horizontally. They shouldbepositionedabout200mmfromthetopandbottomedgesoftheintendedpositionofthefeatheredgeboards.

Fit the first gravel board between the postsupports as described for panel fencing butwiththefaceflushwiththefrontofthepost.Continuebuildingtheframeworktotheendofthefencerun.SeeFIG. 8.

Thefeatheredgeboardingcannowbefitted.Fora2.4metrerunyouwillrequire32piecesof boarding. For a 1.8 metre run you willrequire 24 pieces of boarding. Each lengthoverlaps thepreviousonebyaminimumof19mm.Startbysecuringthefirstlengthwithitsthickedgeagainstthepostatoneendofthesection.Use38mmgalvanisedwirenailsandensurethattheygointothecentreofthearrisrail.

Since it can be difficult to space out thelengths with equal overlaps and achieve aperfectfitattheoppositeenditissuggestedthatalltheremainingpiecesareinitiallyonlylightlypinnedtothetoparrisrail.Adjustmentscan then be made before the lengths arefinallyfixed.

At overlaps the nails should be driven inthroughthethickfeather-boardedgetomissthe thin edge of the board behind, whichcouldsplit.SeeFIG. 9.

To make the fence more attractive there isno reason why alternate panels should nothave the thick edges of the featherboardingfacing in opposite directions. This createsno construction problems, and merely meansfixing theboardsstartingatadifferentend foreachpanel.Completethefencingbyfittingpostcappings.

Stockade FencingThis type of fencing is basically constructed inthesamewayas featheredge fencingwith theframework of posts and arris rails being builtfirst.

The 19 x 100mm fenceboards are packed inbundles of five, or sold separately in 1.8 and2.4mlengthsapprox.

As mentioned previously the gap betweenboardscanbevariedtosuityourrequirementsbutasaguidetospacingsandboardsrequiredthe followingmaybeausefulguidebasedonthe100mmboardwidth:

Using 2.4 metre arris rails you will require 20boardstoleaveagapbetweenboardsofabout19mm,18boardstoleavegapsofabout32mm,and16boardstoleavespacesofabout47mm.Thisassumesthattheendboardsarenotdirectlyadjacenttothepostsandthegapsbetweenthepostsandboardsarealsoasabove.

Ifusing1.8metre lengthsofarris railcut from2.4mpieces,youwouldneed15boardstoleaveabout19mmgapsand12boardstoleaveabout46mm spaces. If wider spaces are required,reducethenumberofboardsaccordingly.

For fences1.5 to1.8mhigh fences, fourarrisrails are required and for a 2.4m high fencefive,butonlythreeforlowerfencesunlesstheyareinveryexposedlocations.Thefencepostsshouldbetallenoughtocopewiththeheightofthegravelboard(150mm)andthefeatheredgeboarding.Theseshouldbe100x100mmandneedtoset600mmintotheground.

Asexplainedwiththeoverlappingoffeatheredgeboardsitcanhelptolightlypintheboardsfirsttothetoparrisrailtoensureevenspacing.

Analternativewaytoconstructthistypeoffenceis to fit the arris rails so that they finish flushwith the front edge of the posts. The boards,includingthegravelboard,canthenbefittedtothefaceoftheframeworkalongtheentireruncoveringthepostaswell.SeeFIG. 10.

Finishthefencewithcappingsonallpostsandtreatasdescribedforpanelfencingifadifferentcolourshadeiswanted.Allthepostsshouldbefittedwithacapping.Our fencing products are listed overleaf.Use the list to create your own ‘Picking List’In-Store.NotethatimperialmeasurementsaregivenwherenecessarytomatchsizesquotedinourCatalogue.

FIG. 8

FRAMEDPANELFENCECLIPFIXING

FIG. 9

FIG. 10

FENCEBOARDSITSONFRONT

OFPOST

GRAVELBOARDSMEETHALFWAYACROSSPOST(NOTSHOWN)

ARRISRAILFLUSHWITH

FRONTOFPOST

FIG. 7

GRAVELBOARDPOSTSOCKET

FIG. 6

SLEEVEANCHOR

ACTUALSHAPESANDFIXINGMETHODS

MAYVARY

600m

m

Whilsteverycarehasbeentakentoensurethattheproductdesign,descriptions,specificationsandtechniquesofconstructingtheproductsareaccurateatthedateofprinting.Wickesproductswillinevitablychangefromtimetotimeandthecustomerisadvisedtocheckthatthedesign,descriptions,specificationsandtechniquesof

constructinganyoftheproductsdescribedinthisleafletarestillvalidatthetimeofpurchaseorplacinganorder.©WickesBuildingSuppliesLimited2011

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybeproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeanselectronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingorotherwiseorstoredinanyretrievalsystemofanynaturewithoutthewrittenpermissionofthecopyrightholderandthepublisher.

PROJECT SHOPPING LISTProduct Size Code QTY

Overlap Panels 6x3’ 540-050 6x4’ 540-051 6x5’ 540-052 6x6’ 540-053Board Panel 6x6’ 187-786Solway Panel 6x6’ 187-787Lap Gate 6x3’ 540-049

Pre-Treated Timber Fence Posts

75 x 75mm (Nominal) x1.5m 542-000 x1.8m 542-001 x2.1m 542-002 x2.4m 542-003 x2.7m 540-990100 x 100mm (Nominal) x2.1m 548-024

x2.4m 540-991

x2.7m 548-025

Fencing AccessoriesFence Post Cap single 540-054Metel Newel Slipover Cap single 154-330Concrete Repair Spur 542-503Metal Repair Spike 542-505Slotted Concrete Fence Post 19 x 100mm (Nominal) 2.4m 540-0636” Concrete Gravel Board 1.8m 540-064

Fenceboard / Gravelboard19 x 100mm (Nominal) Packof5 1.8m 107-062 Single 1.8m 107-063 Packof5 2.4m 107-064 Single 2.4m 107-06519 x 150mm (Nominal) Packof5 1.83m 107-140 Single 1.83m 107-141 Packof5 2.4m 107-142 Single 2.4m 107-143

Featheredge Fencing - 11 x 100mm (Nominal)

Packof10 1.5m 107-082 Single 1.5m 107-083 Packof10 1.8m 107-084 Single 1.8m 107-085 Packof10 2.4m 107-086 Single 2.4m 107-087

Featheredge AccessoriesArris rail - 37 x 75 mm (Nominal) Packof4 2.4m 543-317 Single 2.4m 543-318Arris rail brackets 541-397Fence clips 541-399

Metal Post Sockets 24”PostSpike 542-500 Dolly/DriveinTool 542-502

BoltDown/ElectaPlate 542-501 SleeveAnchorsM10x100mm 510-235Postcrete 20kg 221-100

Heavy Duty Trellis 6x1’ 541-001 6x2’ 541-000 6x3’ 541-002 6x6’ 541-004

Decorative Trellis Diamond 6x1’ 540-059 Archtop 6x1’6” 540-016

Things you may need - The following tools may be required for this job:• Gloves • String or Twine • Sledge Hammer • Spade • Spirit Level • Tape Measure • Saw • Hammer • Screwdriver • Spanner Wickes stocks a wide variety of the above. See In-Store or online at wickes.co.uk for details.