How to fix loose fence palings so they stay put
Why a paling works loose in the first place
A loose paling is one of those things you walk past for months without doing anything about, and then one windy night it lets go properly and takes the two beside it with it, so it's worth getting to before the weather makes the decision for you. Almost every time I look at one, the timber is fine and the fixing is the problem, because a nail holds beautifully on the day it goes in and then the timber swells through a wet winter and shrinks back through a dry summer, and every one of those little movements backs the nail out by a fraction until there's nothing much gripping at all.
There's a couple of other things that speed it up. If the paling was fixed near the end grain it'll split and let go sooner, and if the fence has a shrub leaning on it or a dog that uses it as a door, the fixings are taking a load they were never meant to take.
What you need before you start
It's a small job and you don't need much, which is the good news, and most of it is probably already in the shed.
- A cordless drill or a claw hammer, depending on whether you're going to screw it or nail it
- Outdoor-rated screws, either C3 treated pine screws or galvanised batten screws
- A level, so the new one sits in line with the ones either side
- A replacement paling if the old one is split or gone soft
- Gloves and eye protection
The one thing I'd spend a bit of thought on is the screw. A plain zinc screw looks the same in the packet and it'll rust out in a couple of seasons on an exposed fence, so get a C3 or a galvanised one rated for outside and you won't be back doing this again.
Fixing it, step by step
1. Work out whether the paling is worth saving
Push on it and have a proper look at the back where it meets the rail. If it's split through the fixing holes, or the bottom has gone soft and dark where it's been sitting in wet soil, replace it, because you'll only be doing the same job again in a year.
2. Take the old fixings out rather than working around them
It's tempting to just drive a new screw in beside the old nail and walk away, and it does hold for a while, but you end up with a paling hanging off two fixings that are both in the same tired patch of timber. Pull the old nails, and put the new fixing 15mm or so away from the old hole so it's biting into wood that hasn't been chewed up.
3. Screw rather than nail, if you have the choice
Screws grip on thread rather than friction, so they don't work their way out the way nails do when the timber moves. Two per rail is plenty on a standard paling, and you want the screw long enough to get properly into the rail behind, which usually means 50mm to 65mm depending on how thick your paling is.
4. Line it up before you tighten everything
Hold the level against the paling and get it sitting square with its neighbours before you drive the second screw home, because once it's tight you're drilling fresh holes to fix it and that's the bit that turns a 10 minute job into an afternoon.
5. Have a look along the rest of the fence while you're there
If one paling has let go, the ones either side are usually not far behind, and it costs you nothing to walk the length of it pushing on each one while you've got the drill in your hand.
Keeping the rest of them tight
- Walk the fence a couple of times a year and push on the palings, which takes 5 minutes and catches most of it
- Cut back anything leaning on the fence, because a shrub against timber holds moisture and adds weight
- Oil or paint the timber every few years so it moves less with the weather
- Keep soil and mulch off the bottom of the palings, since that's where rot starts
- Buy the outdoor-rated fixing the first time instead of the cheap one
If you've never done one before
Honestly, this is a good first job. I'm self taught on most of what I know about this stuff and I got there by having a go and asking the bloke standing next to me, and a fence paling is about as forgiving as it gets, because it's outside, it's not structural, and if you get it slightly wrong the worst outcome is that you take the screw out and do it again. It isn't hard, it's just unfamiliar, and those are two different problems.
Shop related products
- Macsim 10-10 x 65mm Treated Pine Screws C3. Outdoor-rated, and the length that suits most palings into a rail.
- Macsim 10-10 x 75mm Treated Pine Screws C3. For a thicker paling or where you want more bite.
- Claw Hammer, Hickory Handle, 560g. For pulling the old nails out cleanly.
- Supercraft Anodised Box Level, 600mm. Long enough to span a paling and its neighbours.
Did you know we also carry galvanised batten screws in 50mm, 75mm, 100mm, 125mm and 150mm, treated pine palings in 1.5m, 1.8m and 2.4m lengths, CCA palings cut by the metre, and Soudal water-resistant PVA glue. Not all of that is on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's on the shelf.
Getting it to you
Palings are the awkward sort of thing that never fits in the car, so if you're replacing a run of them we deliver into Strathalbyn for $5 and across the regional run for $10, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Details are on the local delivery page.
Keep reading
Still checking the level twice, because my eye is not to be trusted on anything longer than a ruler.
Cheers,
Candeece
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