Converting chain link to wood fence.

So I have an existing chain link fence around my whole yard I am looking to remove the chain link but still use the post and put up wood paneling my current post are only one inch and 5/8 I'm looking for a post that I could slip over to turn it into a 6-foot post where I can use the brackets 4 metal post with wood fencing any recommendations? The smallest I could find at a local store is two and three eighths inch also what thickness should I be looking for we will be selling a house in a couple years but we want the privacy fence for our dogs because of our neighbors

 

The chain link looks terrible and is an eye sore for when we sell the house in a couple years. I will be building the panels because they are only sold in 8 foot sections and my posts are 9 ft apart. Already found the metal bracketsand lumber. Just looking for the closest size to 1-5/8 so I can slip them over the existing and I will probably put a couple screws to fasten them to existing posts

 

Depending on where you are located and the winds you receive the chain link posts may not be strong enough to support a 6ft high wood fence. The wind can blow right through a chain link fence but a wood one, especially if it's a solid privacy fence acts like a big sail and needs more support.

What do you mean by "the brackets 4 metal post"??? What did you find that was 2 3/8"? A wood or metal post, or a bracket?

 

That was my though also, chain link posts are not usually that deep and may not even have concrete.

You may want to dig one up to see what your working with.

 

They sell brackets that are U shaped that go around metal posts and screw into 2x4s for wood fence. I would use 3- 2x4s horizontalike then fasten pickets to 2x4s. There are pictures all over the Internet using this method. I can't figure out how to post picrures. When I said 2-3/8 that is the outside diameter of the galvanized posts sold locally at home depot etc.

 

https://goo.gl/images/74Wa7i

 

GregsFence I was trying to find a at to instant message you but it wouldn't let me. I know this is an old post but I am trying to do this same thing. I currently have a 4 foot chain link fence that looks terrible. I would like to turn it into a 6 foot wood privacy fence. My two dogs go crazy with the neighbors and their pets, not to mention the neighbors are kind of trashy lol. My current posts are only 1-5/8" diameter. What size would you recommend I use to slip over these posts? My local stores only carry 2-3/8". I was going to order the brackets but I'd imagine if I had to order smaller diameter posts (I need 20 total) then the shipping would most likely be way too much. Or would 2-3/8" be ok over 1-5/8" existing posts?
I plan to use three 2x4s horizontal and then dog ear pickets. It is not worth it to me to install wood posts and concrete because we plan on selling the house in 2-3 years. So I'm looking for the easiest and quickest way so my dogs still have their fenced in yard which they definitely need. Thanks for any help, I know this is an old thread but hopefully you see it

 

Threads merged. We try to keep the same topic in the same thread to eliminate duplicate questions.

Send Greg a PM and ask him to address this thread. You can click on the following link.
http://www.doityourself.com/forum/pr...newpm&u=301019

 

Try looking into fencing companies/suppliers. You may not find a metal post that slips nicely over your existing posts but you might find a swaged (necked down) post that could be inserted into your existing ones. It's how pipes are connected when there is a horizontal running along the top of the fence.

 

Thank you for the reply, I actually was searching last night and found these sleeves. I'm going to order one and see how it fits. That will also save myself about $3-$400.

 

Ahh... I did receive your message ... responded to that...odd was that I logged into my personal messages first before checking the onsite questions... and then I asked if we can post your question and you had already done that... So, as promised I am responding here, with the same basic message... with a little bit more as my words are not limited to 3000 per email...

Let me begin by saying thank you for posting in the Forums... This scenario is one that comes up often, but it really is a scenario that is installed quite often.
So, here it goes... an even more detailed answer...


Okay, Here it goes..

The answer to your question is 2 INCH diameter posts..

Yes,... 2 inch posts would be the best diameter post purchased for your specific fence project.
You would likely need to go to a fence supply store for that dimension post though.
I would suggest finding a wholesaler near you, and walk right into the wholesale department rather then going into the retail section of the store and getting hit with additional costs for no reason.

Right now is an off season for fencing so they would likely have no issues with a homeowner walking and without having a contractors license. You might get lucky and receive a discount too...

But, I would suggest buying 2 inch diameter galvanized steel posts. They will slide right over your existing posts and they would have minimal spacing between the two posts. This minimal spacing is very important because if you were to use the so called 2 3/8" or other wise referred to as a 2-1/2" post there would be too much room inside the post, between the 1-5/8" and the inside of the 2-1/2".... That extra space would give the fence wiggle room on a windy day... And that wiggle room would damage your fence beyond belief.... The wood would begin to fall apart over time and who knows the damage that can occur.
Plus, it would sound like tin cans being dragged down the street... And who needs that at 2 am while trying to sleep?

The brackets would also be found in the fence supply store... you would be purchasing 2 inch steel to wood brackets... the cost vary , but it would be a savings compared to your typical HD or L's pricing.

If you are fencing around corners I would suggest using 2 inch tension bands for the corners...
If you are planning to use 3 brackets for a 6 foot high fence I would say 2 are enough.
But if you are set on connecting all 3 rails of the fence to the post I would say the better bet would be to go with the brackets for the top and bottom and the tension bands for savings and versatility in the center rail area.


Note... Please inspect each existing post to make sure it has the strength to support a much heavier fence. Chain line fence does not usually have to withstand the blows of wind... Solid stockade fence on the other hand is a giant sail in the wind. So , if you are going to sleeve over one post with another, lets make sure the fence post in the ground is very secure. If it is not, you can just replace that one post and not the whole line.

Also... If you are buying prefab sections that are already framed out in a 6 x 8 size...This idea is only going to work if the existing fence posts are 8 foot on center, one post to the next.
If they are less than 8 feet apart that is not horrible, but you would likely have to loose materials as you cut back the sections to match... But if those old chain link posts are spaced further than 8 feet apart this project will not work out as planned.
Of course, if you are building your fence from scratch then I guess your back rails would have to be cut to the lengths of the center of the posts...
Some guys out there space their chain link fence posts 9, 10, and even 11 or 12 feet apart... if that is the case I would suggest adding posts within the line because 2 posts are not enough to support the weight of a fence that is 10 or 12 feet wide. It would not take too much for the fence to be blown down in a gusty wind.

Best of luck to you... I hope it all works out well.

Greg's Fence NJ....

 

Thank you for the help GregsFence

 

Sorry I was at work , 2nd shift. Yes the posts are spaced 9 ft apart, none of the posts are too loose at the base. That definitely concerns me though, I live about a 1/4 mile from Lake Erie and we tend to have quite a bit of wind, some pretty strong winds sometimes upwards of 50mph gusts. The 1-5/8" existing posts are making me second guess the whole thing. What do you think?

Another option i have thought of is doing the rear width of my backyard as a 6ft privacy and both side lengths 4 ft privacy. My rear neighbors are the ones we'd mainly like to block out. My wife isn't really going for that idea though, she wants 6 ft all around. If it were possible for me to dig all the holes without removing the existing fence first, then I would probably just start fresh with wood posts and pre-made 8 ft panels. It's actually cheaper that way.

One last question. I've found 1-5/8" ID sleeves that would extend the current posts, would this have the same effect as using 2" posts over the 1-5/8"?? In the end it is still that 1-5/8" post that is holding up that 2" post correct or no?? Thanks again

 

I sense a disaster in the making, you really need to look at the existing fence to determine if it is up to the task!

 

I wouldn't be doing this until spring anyway, I'll have to wait until then to check each post. The ground is somewhat frozen here in buffalo so I can't accurately check each post. I was just hoping to start ordering all the material now.

I hear what your saying though lol. I'm afraid it could turn out to be a disaster or maybe I'm over thinking it like I do EVERY SINGLE project I do lol.

 

Use of the 1-5/8" swedge end rails to be inserted just 4-6 inches inside rather than sleeving over the post with a 2 inch post is a really BAD idea.

The 1 5/8 rail inserting into the top of a 4 foot high post will bend over on the first big wind. Nothing will stop it. Nothing.

In my previous answer I was kind of hopeful that your fence posts were 8 foot on center... But that is very rare for a chain link fence to have a measurement dead on 8 feet because there is no reason to keep a measurement dead on any real measurement while installing a chain link fence. I mean, while digging the installer would measure out roughly, mark the point to dig with his foot or spray painting the mark on the ground... But he would not likely measure post to post unless he is intentionally doing so to install a gate post( That of which needs a more exact measurement for a pre-fab gate already obtained.

Now, I really do understand that you are looking for the cheapest way out of this, but the cheaper you go, the more likely you are going to install a fence that will eventually come down due to pure failure or just plain old Mother Nature.

With your claims about the wind you experience on any typical day I worry that this whole idea just won't work out as planned.
Your posts being spaced 9 feet apart is the first issue.You could sleeve over the first one, tying all the others together by using 3 back rails added to the existing back rails of a prefab fence.... But this idea would look like real Poop for the backside of the fence. And I understand needing a fence, but in this particular case you are going to look at real ugly for however long it takes before you move... If you move... Because which new homeowner would buy a home if the fence looks horrifying to the inside view?

Because your existing chain link fence is only 4 foot high and you are planning to install a 6 foot high you could do this:

Its just an idea... I have done this before, but it was done with a 5 foot high chain link fence and a 6 foot high wood stockade fence.
The two are still standing, and it has been about 6 yrs now.
But this area does not get 50 mile hour winds... not at all.'

But in this idea you would be using the top rail and the existing posts and even the chain link wire mesh to help hold up your new fence. Because of the over 8 foot spacing the posts really do not have much to do with the fence standing up... Instead its more the wire mesh and the top rail and the posts combined having all to do with the fence standing.
Plus the fence itself needs to be tied together with 2 x 3 or 2 x 4's.... using the new 2 x 3 or 2 x 4 as the bridge between sections..
You could either cut the 2 x 3's in half, using 4 feet of wood, 2 foot on one section and 2 feet into the neighboring section.. drilling through the face of the picket, into the extended backrail... or you could use full length 2 x 3's to join each section... Starting from the first section off center, section one with 6 feet of the new back rail on the first section and 2 feet sticking out to help support the neighboring section.
Bringing those sections together as tight as possible... screwing through the face picket into and through the picket and into the back rail.Using the back rail to bridge the two sections... With the two sections bridged you would now affix the sections to the existing chain link fence with tension bands... Lag bolts and or screws.
Go out and buy heavy duty 1 1/2 inch galvanized staples... you would staple through the chain link fence mesh into the picket... trying to hit the top rails every so often.

This can work but costs are going to go wild... Now you are using wood instead of steel.. Its not like the steel would be all that cheaper or more expensive,,,, but in using the wood to tie the sections together you are also using screws, drills and you would need more than just one person to do the job.
Two helpers would be better suited for this type of job... One to help push the sections into place the other to help screw, or lift each section to the height of the neighboring section before screwing them together.
Doing this type of installation it would be best to have one person on the outside of the chain link fence just as you would have another on the inside.

Per doing a rough estimate, as per the way I would install this type of fence project I think your job would cost about $12.00-$14.00 per section joined to the other. That's just a rough... All lumber costs are different in different areas.. screws are pretty standard plus the cost of using tension bands and lag bolts...Buy longer lag bolts... do not bother using a 1 1/2 inch as the wire mesh will hold you away from the fence... 2 inch or longer would be best.
If you will be looking at the inside of the fence you would likely go with just overlapping the inside rails... this way when you look at the back rails of the fence they will remain constant...

In doing that, you would need to assume 3 rails for every other section plus two pairs of the three for the first and last sections of the line.

The tension bands would be very helpful... They are much stronger than staples driven through the wire mesh and the top rail and posts of the existing chain link fence are much more supportive of the fence than the wire mesh that blows around in the wind.

If you feel while installing your fence there is too much flexibility in the fence line, every so often it would not be a bad idea to install an foot long steel post set in concrete, with the post at least 2 feet in the ground with a concrete base.
This post would help keep the top of the new fence aligned... each post would likely support two neighboring sections....

Do not screw or nail your wood fence into the trees ...

Please keep in mind, if your chain link fence is not totally secure, none of this will work.


So, steel posts or wood... one is not really cheaper than the other.
In the steel post idea you have the cost of the posts, the brackets and the lag bolts.

In the wood extension on the back rail idea you have the cost of 3 rails per 2 sections about a million vinyl coated screws , tension bands, Staples and lag bolts.

Do not attempt to simply use a nail gun on the back rails... They will not hold the sections together.... Not unless you are able to really get a good hold with tension bands and staples.

Good luck with your fence project... its gonna be a lot of work. Not hard work, but a good couple of days.... Once you start up, in two or three sections you would be a pro at it.

No, you do not need to use pressure treated wood for this. In fact, pressure treated wood would be a pain to work with because its harder to screw into. Plus its almost always wet wood.... just waiting to bend and bow into a banana when it dries out.

Greg's Fence NJ.... Best of luck to you~

 

No, your asking questions, I just have reservations about a set of posts from a chain link fence being able to support a wood fence!

Just trying to point out and avoid potential issues.

 

Again thank you for the replies....very much appreciated. I guess I will need to hold off until spring so that way I can really take a good look at each post. I will also dig around one to see if cement was even used.