TIL those cheap fence post spikes from the hardware store are a total scam

Lost $120 on 8 of them after the first storm because they don't grip anything in loose soil, has anyone tried pouring concrete around them instead just setting the post in the ground?

2 comments

2 Comments

tessa3681mo ago

My neighbor tried that concrete idea and ended up with a giant mess because the spikes just floated up while the concrete was still wet. He had to dig them all out and start over with actual post holes. Personally I just use the old school method of digging a hole, setting the post, and tamping down gravel around it. Takes more work but my fence is still standing after three winters.

mary_patel591mo ago

Haven't you heard that concrete actually rots wood posts faster than just dirt? The moisture gets trapped against the wood and can't drain away, so your fence will fail from the bottom up in a few years. Gravel is the way to go for drainage, but you still need to dig below the frost line or the ground heaving will push everything up anyway. Those spikes are terrible in anything but the most perfect clay soil, and even then they're basically just glorified tent stakes. Pouring concrete around them sounds like a recipe for pulling your hair out when the alignment goes wrong, which it almost always does.