Installation Advice

    DOWNLOAD INSTALLATION GUIDES

    Some helpful tips installing your picket fence.

    Fencing: Getting in Straight.

    We realise that many properties are not perfectly level, often they are on a steep or undulating slope. When ordering your fence, you can provide us with the gradient, or step down. Our fabrication team can then customise your panel to suit your individual situation. This will ensure no time-wasting with less time cutting and fabricating on site. We will take the guesswork out of building your fence. Saving you time and money.

    Our picket fence panels are made in standard lengths of 2340mm or 2400mm depending on the style. When you order your fence, we will round up the number of panels supplied, so that you will never run short on site. Therefore, if during installation you find that a planned post is situated above a service such as a water main or power cable, you can cut one of the panels short to avoid the service.

    And that is our unique way of Thinking about solving any contingencies before they arise.

    In fact, that is Think Fencing, straight talk!

    Tools Required.

    What you may need to get the job done, each installation guide  (downlowdable below) contains a list of tools required for the different fence types.

    Shovel
    Tape Measure
    Rasp
    Wet Mix Concrete
    Line Marking Paint
    Spirit Level
    Silicon Gun
    Safety Glasses
    Grimpers
    String Line
    Set Square
    Rachet
    Grinder
    Wire Cutters
    Scissors
    Drill
    Masking Tape
    Clamp
    Pencil
    Spanner

    Installation Guides

    Click on an image below to download the installation guide PDF you require.

    Residential Fencing Picket Fence Guide
    Timberline Fencing Post & Rail Installation Guide
    Bellbrae Fencing Semi Privacy Screening Guide
    Mystique Fencing Privacy Screening Guide
    Residential and Rural Fencing Base Plates Guide
    Residential and Rural Fencing Gate Installation Guide
    Sliding Gate Double Bridge Guide
    Sliding Gate Single Bridge Guide
    Equirail Installation Guide
    Zappa Rail Guide

    Installation Overview

    Like building anything, careful planning and preparation is the key to a quality job.

    You are reading this for one of two reasons, reason one is you have just purchased a beautiful new fence and are excited to work out how to put it together correctly. Or you are considering a new Think Fencing fence and want to see how it goes together.

    Step 1: Site Preparation

    If you need to remove an old fence or clean up the area, do this before you start marking out your new fence. Trim trees or bushes to not only allow a clear area for the fence but don’t forget to give yourself room to manoeuvre around the fence during construction.

    Step 2: Unpacking and Layout

    When your fence arrives you will have a pack of posts, rails, pickets, caps, Gates and other hardware.

    It is important to lay all of your components and position them in roughly the correct spot along the fence line. By doing this, you can visually identify where everything goes.

    Step 3: How it fits together

    You can see how the posts have slots to slide the rails into. Before you slot the rails into the posts you must crimp the ends of the rails with the crimper supplied. 4 crimps per rail (2 crimps per end). The crimps lock the rails into the posts.

    Step 4: Cutting to Size

    All Think Fencing rails are supplied in either 2340mm or 2400mm. We always round up with our panels, making sure you always have extra length. This gives you the flexibility to cut the rails to size in between your posts.

    This is important if you find yourself with a planned post position right above a service such as a water main. You can cut the rails and move the post position to make this panel shorter and avoid the obstacle.

    You also have the flexibility to adjust the panels so that they are all the same length, ie an even post spacing across your fencing run. Rather than a short panel at one end.

    Step 5: Marking Out

    Now you have worked out where your fence is going to go and how it’s going to fit together you can start to mark out where your post holes are going to be.

    Always work on centre of post measurement.

    Helpful hint: After you have calculated the center of post spacing simply cut a piece of plastic or timber 127mm shorter than the calculated length and that spacer should fit perfectly in between your posts.
    If you have a gate opening of 1200mm you will need to set the posts 1327mm center to center. And the gate required to fit this 1200mm opening will be less 25mm for the hinge and 30mm for the latch. So overall gate size will be 1145mm for a 1200mm opening.

    Step 6: Digging holes and setting posts

    Using an auger or shovel you need to dig the hole at least 300mm wide and 650mm deep. The post will only sit 600mm into the hole with a 50mm solid foundation of concrete below.
    Note: 25Mpa concrete recommended.
    In soft sandy areas it may be necessary to dig the hole deeper to achieve a solid footing for your post. You must always have at least 500mm of the post set into the concrete footing to ensure the post will not move in the footing.