How to Install a Chain Link Fence
Map your layout, dig and set terminal and line posts in concrete, assemble the top rail frame, and stretch wire mesh tightly across the posts.
- Read the tools, materials, safety notes, and steps below for free.
- Tap Start Camera Coach when you want hands-free voice help.
- Allow camera and microphone. Point your phone at the work; the coach watches your progress and tells you the next step.
🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Post hole digger or auger
- ✓ Torpedo level and post level
- ✓ Fence stretcher with come-along winch
- ✓ Socket wrench set and pliers
- ✓ Hacksaw or pipe cutter
- ✓ Masonry string line and stakes
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Terminal and corner posts (larger diameter)
- ✓ Line posts (smaller diameter)
- ✓ Top rail pipes and sleeve connectors
- ✓ Chain link fabric roll
- ✓ Tension bands, brace bands, and tension bars
- ✓ Post caps, eye tops, and rail ends
- ✓ Quick-setting concrete mix
- ✓ Aluminum tie wires
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Call 811 to locate underground utility lines before digging any post holes.
- • Wear heavy leather work gloves to prevent lacerations from sharp wire ends and burred steel pipes.
- • Wear safety glasses when stretching wire fabric under tension to protect against snapping cables or flying hardware.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Layout Perimeter and Dig Terminal Post Holes
Drive wooden stakes at all corners, gate openings, and fence ends. Tie a tight masonry string line between stakes to define the exact fence boundary. Dig terminal post holes 8 to 10 inches wide and 30 inches deep (or below the local frost line).
- • Taut string line hovering 4 inches off the ground defining the perimeter
- • Neat, vertical 30-inch-deep holes positioned at all corners and ends
- • Digging holes too shallow, causing the fence to heave during winter freezes
- • Digging on or over the property boundary line
Set Terminal Posts in Concrete
Place terminal and corner posts into the holes, ensuring they extend 2 inches higher than the chain link fabric height. Fill each hole with quick-setting concrete mix and water, checking both faces with a post level. Hold plumb until the concrete sets firm.
- • Posts stand independently perfectly perpendicular to the ground
- • Concrete crowned slightly above ground level around post base to shed water
- • Failing to crown concrete, letting rainwater pool and rust the post base
- • Setting terminal posts at line-post height instead of 2 inches taller than fabric
Space, Dig, and Set Line Posts
Measure evenly spaced intervals no greater than 10 feet apart along the string line for line posts. Dig 6-inch-wide by 24-inch-deep holes at each mark. Set line posts in concrete, positioning their tops exactly 2 inches below the terminal posts and 1/4 inch away from the string line.
- • Evenly spaced line posts with tops forming a straight visual plane
- • Consistent 1/4-inch clearance between each post and the string line
- • Letting line posts touch the string line, which knocks the entire straight reference out of alignment
- • Exceeding 10-foot spans between posts
Install Fittings and Assemble Top Rail
Slide tension bands and brace bands onto terminal posts, then tap loop caps (eye tops) onto line posts facing outward. Slide rail ends into brace bands on terminal posts and tighten carriage bolts. Feed top rail sections through line post eye tops, interlocking swagged pipe ends, and cut the final section to fit tightly into the terminal rail end.
- • A continuous, rigid horizontal pipe running across all post tops
- • Carriage bolt heads facing toward the outside of the fence for security
- • Forgetting to slide tension bands onto terminal posts before attaching top rail fittings
- • Cutting the top rail pipe too short to seat inside the rail end cup
Unroll and Stretch Chain Link Fabric
Unroll the mesh along the fence line outside the posts. Slide a vertical tension bar through the first diamond row of the mesh and hook it into the terminal post tension bands. Attach a fence stretcher bar with a come-along winch 3 feet from the opposite terminal post, winching until the fabric deflects no more than 1/4 inch under firm hand pressure.
- • Mesh stands taut and vertically flat against the fence posts without sagging pockets
- • Diamonds are uniform in shape across the full span
- • Overtensioning the fabric, which bends line posts inward
- • Stretching by hand instead of using a mechanical puller, resulting in a loose, baggy fence
Fasten Mesh to Rails and Posts
Insert a tension bar into the far end of the mesh and secure it to the end post tension bands, then release the winch. Attach aluminum tie wires every 24 inches along the top rail and every 12 inches down each line post. Use pliers to twist tie ends tightly around the pipe and fold excess wire flat.
- • Tie wires clipped snug against pipes with ends turned down to prevent snags
- • Top of mesh sits exactly 1/2 inch above the top rail
- • Leaving tie wire pig tails sticking out where clothing or skin can catch
- • Spacing ties too far apart, causing mesh to push out when bumped
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Lowe's Home Improvement — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Fence stretcher with come-along winch? Heavy-duty ratchet tie-down straps anchored to a 2x4 clamped across the mesh
- No Hacksaw or pipe cutter? Angle grinder fitted with a metal cutoff wheel or reciprocating saw with metal blade