How to Fix a Leaning Fence Post
Straighten and permanently reinforce a rotting or leaning timber fence post using a heavy-duty steel repair spur, diagonal bracing, and fast-setting post concrete.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Post hole spade or trenching shovel
- ✓ Spirit level (at least 600mm)
- ✓ Cordless drill / impact driver
- ✓ Sledgehammer or club hammer
- ✓ Socket wrench set
- ✓ Wood chisel and claw hammer
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Heavy-duty steel fence post repair spur (bolt-down or wedge style)
- ✓ 2 bags fast-setting post concrete
- ✓ M10 coach screws or through-bolts with washers
- ✓ 2x4 timber offcuts for temporary bracing
- ✓ Wood screws (for braces)
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Call local utility locators before digging deeper than 12 inches near property boundaries.
- • Wear heavy work gloves and steel-toe boots to protect against falling posts and hammer strikes.
- • Wear eye protection when hammering steel spikes or drilling into timber and old concrete.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Excavate the Base of the Leaning Post
Dig out soil and broken concrete from around the leaning side and base of the post down at least 30 to 45 cm. Clear all loose debris away from the wood so the sound timber below ground level is fully exposed.
- • A clear 30-45 cm deep trench around the post base with bare wood exposed.
- • Soil and broken concrete cleared into a neat spoil pile away from the hole.
- • Digging too shallow, leaving decayed wood buried under dirt.
Plumb and Temporarily Brace the Post
Push the fence post back until it is vertical in both planes, checking with a spirit level on adjacent faces. Screw two 2x4 timber props diagonally from the upper post down into secure ground stakes to lock it firmly in place.
- • Level bubble perfectly centered on two perpendicular post faces.
- • Two timber braces rigidly anchored between the post and ground forming solid triangles.
- • Plumbing only one axis, leaving the fence leaning along the fence line.
Position and Drive the Steel Repair Spur
Position the steel repair spur tightly against the post base on the side opposite the original lean or along the strongest face. Drive the spur spike firmly into the ground using a sledgehammer, protecting the top of the spur with a sacrificial wood block.
- • Steel spur driven deeply into the base trench, flush against the wooden post face.
- • Spur bracket collar sitting snug around the lower post above ground level.
- • Striking the steel spur directly with a sledgehammer, mushrooming or bending the collar.
Bolt the Repair Spur to the Post
Drill pilot holes through the pre-drilled holes in the repair spur into the solid post timber. Drive heavy-duty coach screws with washers through the spur holes into the post and tighten securely with a socket wrench.
- • Coach screw heads cinched tight against washers and steel spur plate.
- • Zero gap between the timber post surface and the steel spur sleeve.
- • Skipping pilot holes, causing the dry post timber to split.
Fill with Concrete and Slope the Crown
Fill the excavated hole around the spur and post base halfway with water, then pour in fast-setting concrete mix, tamping with a stick to remove air pockets. Shape the top surface into a 45-degree watershed slope away from the wood base.
- • Concrete filled level with the surrounding ground grade.
- • Smooth concrete collar sloping downwards away from the post base on all four sides.
- • Leaving a flat or cupped concrete top that traps pooled rainwater against the timber.
Allow Cure and Remove Bracing
Leave the fast-setting concrete to cure undisturbed for at least 30 to 45 minutes until rock hard. Back out the screws securing the diagonal 2x4 braces and remove the supports from the lawn.
- • All temporary timber braces and ground stakes removed.
- • Fence post standing perfectly plumb and rigid with no flex under manual push testing.
- • Removing braces before the concrete has reached structural hardness.
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Proper DIY — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Steel repair spur? Concrete repair spur sistered with two M10 galvanised carriage bolts
- No Socket wrench set? Adjustable crescent wrench
- No Fast-setting post concrete? Standard 1:2:4 sand-gravel-cement mix (requires 24-48 hr cure time before brace removal)