Though still sturdy, the old chain-link fence doesn’t look the prettiest way to keep pets and children inside while keeping neighbors away.
It provides much-needed privacy with a sturdy wood barrier when you convert a chain-link fence to a wood fence. To ensure a satisfactory result, you need to plan carefully before changing your fence.
Planning Your Fence Conversion
Ensure that you are familiar with the local building codes and homeowner’s association rules before you begin the project.
If you plan to build a fence, you will need to comply with specific height requirements and the approval process.
Ensure that the fence on your property line belongs to you; you cannot remove or change a fence on a neighbor’s property without their permission.
Take a measurement of the distance between the metal posts. A chain-link fence may have posts spaced 10 feet apart, whereas most fences have posts spaced 6 to 8 feet apart.
Consider adding extra metal posts between the originals, so that there is one every five feet, which increases the strength of the fence.
You can also use 10-foot-long rails from the lumberyard if you’re building your own fence panels. You must also consider the additional weight and pressure that strong winds will put on metal posts and a solid fence.
Prepare a diagram that shows the locations of the posts and gates and decide how wide and how far apart the boards or pickets should be.
After that, use an online fencing calculator to determine the number of boards and rails you’ll need.
Your fence style will determine your costs; a solid 6-foot-tall fence is significantly more expensive than a picket fence that is 3 1/2 to 4 feet tall.
Turning A Four-Foot Chainlink Fence Into A Six-Foot Wood Fence
Chainlink fences are pretty easy to convert to wood fences so long as the metal posts are solidly embedded in the ground.
I had two additional issues to address.
- As opposed to the standard spacing of 8’0″ for chainlink fence posts, my fence had posts spaced 8’9″ apart.
- My existing chainlink fence was only 4 feet tall, and I wanted a 6-foot fence.
I would not be able to connect my 8′ wood fence panels with Oz-Post brackets because they aren’t long enough to reach the steel posts.
Moreover, the 6′ tall fence was not adequately supported by the steel posts. My idea was to use a few extra pickets to bridge the gap between the panels.
Equipment and supplies:
- Shadow Box Fence Panels
- Oz-Post Steel 2 Wood Fence Bracket WAP-OZ
- 4 – 2 3/8″ End Posts
- 1 – 1 5/8″ Line Post
- Foam Sealant
- Post Caps
- Tension Bands
- Bolts, Washers, Nuts
- Drill and Bits
Step 1
Make sure that you remove the top rail and all of the chainlink fencing that connects to the steel posts. Once your chainlink is rolled up, sell it for $10 to your dad.
Step 2
Those of you with chainlink fences that are already 6 feet high can skip this step. By creating a sleeve with a different width fence post, you can add height to steel fence posts.
There were three different widths of my existing steel fence posts:
- At the front, near the gate, there was a 2 3/8″ end post,
- In the middle are two 1 5/8″ line posts,
- In the back, there is a post of nonstandard width.
Line Posts: Adding Height
The middle line posts should be covered like a sleeve with new 6′ end posts. It should be easy to slide the end posts over your four-foot line posts to provide the six-foot support you need.
Rather than having the posts rattling, I squirted some spray foam inside them to keep everything in place.
Because the 2 3/8′′ end post fit over the nonstandard size post at the back, I also used this method.
Adding Height To End Posts
Due to the diameter of the steel fence posts not being large enough to easily sleeve over the existing end posts, the project was a little more challenging.
As a result, I created an inner sleeve by using a 6′ tall, 1 5/8′′ line post. You don’t want to make the same mistake I did by dropping the line post at the end of your post.
Your chainlink fence installer should have dug a hole 2′ deep to set the posts, assuming your fence was properly installed.
Your 6 feet inner sleeve will fall all the way into your end post, so you’ll have trouble getting it out again.
Try holding the 1 5/8″ sleeve post inside the end post and feeling the bottom of the hole before dropping it in.
You can test your inner post by throwing some rocks or pebbles into it and keeping testing until you feel it connects with them.
In order to complete your 6′ height, you will need an end post with a 2 3/8′′ diameter, which you can cut from a 2 3/8′′ diameter piece of wood.
With your existing 4′ end posts sitting on top of a 2′ section with your 6′ inner sleeves holding everything together, you will have your 4′ end posts and 2′ sections.
For more stability, I pressed a few pieces of JD Weld Steel Stick around the connection of the two sections of the end post.
Step 3
Alternatively, you can skip this step if the chainlink fence posts are spaced correctly at 8′ apart. Use the extra Home Depot shadowbox fence panel for individual parts by tearing it apart.
The pickets must be completely removed, and the cross pieces should be carefully removed since you basically just spent $50 on three 2x4s that are not standard.
My diagram shows that six equal sections of cross pieces (the green bars) must span across the two middle posts, so I cut the panels in half.
Step 4
As you work your way forward, attach three tension bands to your steel posts and line them up with the fence panel cross pieces.
Drill a hole large enough for the bolt to pass through the tension band hole on the cross pieces. The tension bands should be secured with a bolt, washer, and nut on one end of the fence panel.
As long as one end of the fence panel remains free, you should be able to attach the other end. When you use WAP-OZ brackets for Step Six, your panels should line up and meet at the middle post if you used 8′ steel posts.
In Step Three, I cut the cross pieces that would bridge the gap.
Step 5
You will need several people to do this job: have one person hold your second fence panel upright at the center of your middle steel posts, while another person slides the 4′ cross pieces on top of the existing cross pieces of both fence panels.
In some cases, you may need to force the wood into position with a rubber mallet. The third fence panel is connected by adding the remaining three cross pieces to the end of the middle panel.
The tension band method is used from Step Four to connect the fence panel to the steel post once it is lined up with the last steel post.
Using the extended cross pieces, you should now be able to move the middle panel as it moves along the end posts.
The middle panel should be centered between the fence posts for symmetry, and the new cross pieces should be shifted evenly between the fence panels to ensure that they are evenly spaced.
Step 6
Install the WAP-OZ brackets on each steel post and connect the three cross pieces. It was easier to take out all the screws by loosening the brackets enough to slip over the top of the post and then dropping all three on instead of taking them all out before starting.
However, you can use these brackets in any way you like. You would save a lot of time by using a socket bit for your drill instead of manually ratcheting all the bolts down.
Those of you with posts spaced 8 feet apart will use brackets to connect your fence panels together, but those of you with posts placed at a shorter distance will use gap-bridging cross pieces. The bracket will hold the panels together.
Step 7
Put post caps on the tops of your steel posts now that you’ve installed brackets. This will prevent water from getting into your posts.
The pickets needed to be aligned evenly and attached with a nail gun to fill in the gaps between the panels.
Step 8
Lastly, the steel posts need to be covered up or camouflaged. Several ways can be used to cover posts, but I decided to wrap each post in a triangle box made from two pickets laying around.
After they were stained, they blended in nicely over the brackets and post. My next step will be to figure out how I will disguise the posts from my side of the fence.
Step 9
Give it a stain.
Update:
Listen to what I have to say. Invest in an angle grinder. Make sure metal posts are cut at dirt level. Get rid of the old fence.
Invest the same amount in digging new holes to support new posts and building a normal wooden fence. Besides saving time, it looks better as well. The cost of a posthole digger is $30.
The Problems and Solutions of Attaching a Wood Fence to Existing Chain Link Fence Posts
There are many homeowners who would like to convert their chain link fence to a wooden fence. There are some difficulties involved in converting chain link fences to wood fences.
There are many factors that are working against you in practice, even if it is theoretically possible.
Issue #1
When you install a privacy fence, you are most likely going to replace a 4-foot chain link fence with a 5 or 6 foot wood fence. You may have a problem with your existing posts not being long enough for the taller fence if this is the case.
Solution #1
You can install chain link fence post extensions if you need more height for your posts. In addition to the common diameters, these extensions are available in 2′ and 1′ lengths.
These are a great way to extend the height of chain link fence posts, provided you have adequate footers.
Issue #2
Fence post footers for chain link fences have a smaller diameter and depth than fence post footers for wood fences. Taking into account a wood fence’s additional weight and wind load is essential.
Solution #2
In theory, you could reuse the posts if you know the footers are sufficient.
As a minimum, ensure that the posts are sturdy and plumb if you are uncertain. You might be able to reuse the posts if they are in good shape.
It may be necessary to set new posts if your current posts are not sufficient, either with concrete or through the alternative method outlined here.
Issue #3
For chain link fences to become privacy fences, the posts must be strong enough to handle more weight and wind.
The most common framework used for chain link fences in residential areas is 16 gauge or less. In order to support a solid privacy fence, this light duty tubing would not be sufficient.
Solution #3
We recommend you purchase new posts if your posts have a thin wall tubing. It would be ideal to use HF40 for these applications, but we recommend HF20 as a minimum.
Please check the wall thickness to ensure you don’t have heavier framework.
To measure the diameter of the post and loop caps, remove the caps and measure the outside diameter. In the next step, you will measure the diameter on the inside.
Using the smaller measurement (ID) as the starting point, subtract the larger measurement (OD) from the smaller measurement (ID), then divide by 2. You will then know how thick the wall is. Please continue on if you have suitable posts.
You should instead purchase new HF20 or HF40 fence posts that can be installed with concrete or OZCO Post Anchors, which can be driven using a sledge or jack hammer if you come across anything thinner than 0.085″ (2.16 mm).
Issue #4
There is usually around a 10′ space between each post on a chain link fence. It is common for wood fence panels and common components to be only 8′ wide +/-.
There is a possibility of strength problems arising from spacing posts more than 8 feet apart.
Solution #4
Your stringers may be available in 10′ and 12′ lengths if you stick-build your fence. Compared to replacing existing posts, it may prove more cost-effective.
Use any of our high-quality wood fence brackets for steel posts when installing a wood fence with metal posts.
Final Word
Using wood fence brackets for steel posts offers several benefits. Firstly, it provides a durable and sturdy connection between the wood fence panels and the steel posts, ensuring the stability and longevity of the fence.
Additionally, it allows for easy installation and adjustment of the wood panels, making the overall construction process more efficient.
Lastly, the combination of wood and steel creates an aesthetically pleasing look that can enhance the overall appearance of the fence.
