DIY “wooden” fence made of metal picket fence

Recommendation points

• Arguments in favor of a metal picket fence
• Selection and purchase of materials
• Installation of vertical supports
• Carrier frame device
• Fence cladding with metal picket fence

Increasingly, you can hear about such material for the construction of a fence as a metal picket fence. If you want to arrange a neat and light fence for the site, study this article, which describes in detail the features of the choice of material and the rules for self-installation..

Arguments in favor of a metal picket fence

The main advantages of the euro shtaketnik can be called a high service life and the absence of any maintenance during operation. With its functionality and appearance, such a fence completely repeats a rustic wooden fence, however, it has a number of positive features, many of which are associated with ease of installation..

Mounting a wooden picket fence requires some training. Lumber must be selected and processed correctly: each plank must be planed and painted, and ready-made pickets will cost much more. There are also specific difficulties in attaching wooden cross-members to metal posts. The service life of a wooden fence is about 10 years, during this period it will be necessary to carry out 3-4 painting. And even in spite of the efforts made, the appearance with a high probability will be spoiled: the tree tends to shrink and curl.

The metal picket fence is relieved of these shortcomings, besides, it has a service life of about three times longer: hot-dip galvanized and polymer coating reliably protect against corrosion, the paint almost does not fade in the sun. The cost of such a fence is only slightly higher than a wooden one: the price of components for a 2×2 meter section is about 2,800 rubles versus 1,700 rubles for a wooden fence, excluding painting.

Selection and purchase of materials

The metal picket fence has about 6 types of profiles and 4 forms of trimming the upper end, this variety makes the combination of the appearance of the fence, the facade of the building and landscape design as harmonious as possible. In addition to the shape, the buyer can choose one of one and a half hundred monochrome colors, or give preference to a more expensive coating with a print of wood grain or natural stone.

The shape of the profile determines both the resistance to wind loads and the overall rigidity, as well as the appearance of the fence. There are M-shaped, U-shaped and rounded profiles, each of which has a reinforced version with two or three stamped stiffeners. The upper end can be flat, with cut corners or rounded. There are also pickets with a sharp angle or bent petals, they are attached at a height of the fence over 180 cm and provide additional security against penetration. Fences made of metal picket fence can be 1.5-2 meters high.

Installation of vertical supports

Before starting work along the line of installing the fence, you should organize a clean strip about a meter wide, mow grass on it and cut out bushes.

On the prepared terrain, markings are performed. Each straight section of the fence must be defined by a nylon cord stretched strictly horizontally between two stakes, 1.5–2 meters apart from the corners and turns of the fence. It is advisable to adhere to one horizontal level; on sloping sections, you just need to set a general slope: the picket fence will be aligned with a “ladder” along the upper upper corner relative to the cord.

The length of the sections for fences made of euro shtaketnik is 1.5–2.5 meters, depending on the required stiffness of the fence and the strength of individual elements of the supporting frame. Dividing the spans of the fence into sections, you should dig out pits with a depth of 35% of the height of the fence, but not more than the depth of soil freezing. If the soil is dense enough and the supports do not require concreting or shoveling, they are simply driven into 80–100% of the fence height. The posts are aligned horizontally and lowered 20-30 cm below the top edge of the picket fence. It is optimal to use a 60×60 mm profile pipe for pillars (as well as for cross members), to the bottom of which support arms are welded from 12 mm reinforcement. After installing the supports, their upper ends are closed with plastic plugs.

Carrier frame device

It is better to fasten horizontal crossbeams to posts by welding. For sheathing the fence with a picket fence, at least two horizontal beams are required. The upper one is laid on top of the posts and welded, then the welding seam is leveled with a grinder. In this case, there is no need to jam the ends of the vertical supports. For the device of the lower crossbars, the profile pipe is cut into sections equal to the distance between the posts, and welded to the end, placing it strictly horizontally. The lower crossbar is located 20–30 cm from the edge of the pickets. With this fastening, the thickness of the fence remains minimal and it remains possible to make the fence double-sided.

With a lack of experience in working with metal structures, it is possible to simplify the task and fix horizontal beams by applying them from the outside of the fence. This reduces the likelihood of curvature of the plane of the supporting frame, but the thickness of the fence will also be greater. With this method of installation, it is advisable to place the joints of the crossbeams on the posts, however, in order to save material, they can also be welded anywhere in the span along all four edges, and then smooth the weld.

In the absence of a welding machine, the pillars and crossbars are bolted using a special connecting cross from a perforated channel. This method of fastening is no less reliable, but takes a little more time..

Fence cladding with metal picket fence

Self-tapping screws for corrugated board with a hex head are often used to fasten the strips of the picket fence, which somewhat spoils the appearance of the fence. Special self-tapping screws for the Euroshtaketnik have a round head with a cross recess, but it is not always possible to find such fasteners. There are also so-called anti-vandal self-tapping screws. The cap in them can either break off when tightened, or have a special slot, to which it is difficult to find a tool.

The picket fence on the fence is spaced 5–7 cm from the ground, while the marking cord should be pulled loosely at a height of 3–4 cm from the top edge of the fence. It is advisable to make a template in advance from a wooden block with a slot to determine the installation height of the plank. After attaching the next picket fence, the template is removed from it, so the cord will sag freely and will not catch on the fixed strips.

Installation of pickets begins from the corners, combining the extreme strips of different spans with a minimum offset and strictly adjusting the vertical level of the installation. Subsequent planks are fixed with a clearance of 3-5 cm, for which it is also convenient to use a wooden template. After the side and top offsets are set, the bar is attached to the top crossbar, then the vertical level is checked and adjusted if necessary. Next, you need to tighten the rest of the screws and move on to the next picket.

In most cases, installation does not require trimming the strips, but if necessary, it is performed with a grinder and the cut is covered with bitumen mastic to match the color of the coating. If the fence has an even upper cut, the fence is covered with a horizontal bar, which is attached with tinted self-tapping screws to every fifth picket.