How to properly install wooden poles in the ground. How to protect wooden poles from rotting

There is no more traditional material for building a fence than a wooden beam. And even today, in the time of new building materials and construction methods, every third fence is built on wooden poles and slats. There are many reasons for such popularity, first of all, a very attractive appearance and relatively easy to process and install material. Wooden fence posts allow you to reduce the time of erecting a fence and at the same time make it much cheaper, which is important for owners of summer cottages and suburban areas.

Advantages and disadvantages of a fence on wooden poles

In a series of building materials, wood stands apart, is in a privileged position:

The use of special mastics and protective impregnations allows you to show a beautiful texture of wood;
Wooden posts, with the right choice of the cross section of the supports and the installation performed, are able to provide high strength of the fence at a relatively low cost;
Wooden poles are easily assembled with metal, profiled sheet, wooden lath and any other material for lining the fence.

Wooden poles, unlike concrete or steel poles, are quite capable of being installed by hand, while the light weight and good machinability of the tree make it possible to manufacture and process the poles almost at home.

Important! Racks made of wood are extremely sensitive to excess moisture and putrefactive microflora, therefore, how long the pillars will stand in the ground depends on the quality of the processing of the material.

There are a lot of ways to process the material, but not all recipes give a stable and lasting effect, so the method of applying a protective coating must be selected in accordance with the composition of the soil and the type of wood.

How to protect wooden fence posts from rotting

The durability of a wooden support depends primarily on the type of wood. The wood of larch, oak, walnut is considered the most resistant to rotting. Pine, spruce, and fir withstand the putrefactive environment worse. Poplar, birch, aspen are considered unsuitable for use as poles. Experts recommend, before installing the pillars, to provide protection against the development of putrefactive microflora by the following means:

Impregnation in two or three doses with antiseptics based on organic solvents;
Treatment with salts of iron, copper, chromium, nickel, lead, creosote;
Coating with protective waterproof compounds, for example, epoxy or pentaphthalic varnishes.

Advice! Processing is carried out, as a rule, in several steps, with drying of each layer. To install wooden poles in the most aggressive peaty soils, the bottom of the pole can be wrapped in sealed plastic bags.

All kinds of drying oils, organic oils, impregnation with used engine oil, kerosene, diesel fuel are considered ineffective for protection.

Installation of wooden fence posts

Any construction of wooden fences begins with the installation of supporting elements. For fencing up to 2 meters high, a square or round beam with a maximum transverse dimension of 90-100 mm is used. Higher fences of 2.5-3.0 m must be installed with concreting of the base, the cross section of supporting elements for blind fences should be proportionally increased by 25-30%.

For fencing a cottage or country house most often use the following schemes for installing pillars:

Concreting in a well drilled with an auger drill to the installation depth;
Fixing wooden poles by backfilling the well with crushed stone, rubble, broken bricks, gravel screenings;
Hammering a wooden support into the ground. Such schemes are often used as temporary, with subsequent replacement with metal or concrete supports;
By installing a wooden beam inside a steel cup or a piece of pipe hammered into the ground.

Note! The small specific gravity of wood makes it relatively easy to install wooden poles even alone, it is much more difficult to solve the question of how to align the supports in one plane without resorting to the help of neighbors.

We install wooden poles for the fence in concrete with our own hands

If you have to install wooden supports with your own hands, without assistants, then the easiest way would be concreting or backfilling with rubble stone. This method makes it easy to align the posts with a marking cord and a pair of building levels.

According to the marked contour of the fence, it will be necessary to drill the required number of wells, with a diameter of 10-15 cm more than the maximum size in the cross section of the support. The easiest way is to use a garden auger drill with a diameter of 15-20 cm. Before drilling, a steel or paper non-stretching rope or twine is pulled, pegs 20-25 cm high are hammered. After drilling, the bottom of the well is covered with fine gravel screenings, the layer thickness is 5-7 cm. The screenings must be well tamped and leveled to get a flat bottom. Next, install the corner or extreme fence posts.

Before concreting the well, the extreme supports must be carefully aligned, since all the other pillars of the wooden fence will have to be placed along them. To align the position of the support, three main parameters are used:

The distance from the marking cord to the head of the pole, so that there are no errors in height, the stretched thread must be leveled horizontally using the building level;
Indications of two building levels in mutually perpendicular planes.

If possible, it is better to use the device shown in the photo. In its absence, you can take two building levels and fix them on the planes of a square bar with an elastic band. After leveling the pillars, the position is fixed with wooden spacers or pieces of building material. Concrete is poured into the well in small portions so that the mass does not hit the wooden beam of the support.

In the same way, leveling is performed when using a layer of gravel or rubble material instead of concrete. The fixing mass is poured and rammed in small portions, 5-6 kg each.

How to hammer and level a wooden post

For low wooden fences, it is easier to hammer the supports into the ground than to fool around with drilling and concreting. When using oak beams, you only need to sharpen the lower end with a symmetrical bevel, and you can hammer. In order not to break or split the top of the support, it is necessary to strengthen a board made of soft wood, linden or poplar on the head.

As the timber is hammered and settled, the position of the support must be periodically monitored using the building level. As long as the fence post is not buried in the ground by more than a third, the slope can be corrected by simply knocking out the side surface, at the end the soil around the post is rammed with sledgehammer blows.

Larch wooden poles cannot be hammered directly like oak poles due to the wood's high tendency to chip. In this case, a steel pipe or scrap is pre-hammered into the ground, and thus a thin guide hole is obtained, after which it is possible to install and hammer a larch fence post.

Conclusion

For heavy and dense loamy soils, before drilling or driving wooden supports, the soil has to be artificially “soaked”. In this case, a hole is punched to a depth of 30-40 cm and periodically filled with water. After about a day, you can drill a well with your hands or clog wooden bars in the order described above.

Wooden poles in suburban areas are still very popular. If we are talking about a capital monster fence, from metal profile with a claim "for centuries", which should intimidate a potential intruder by its very appearance, of course it is better to use concrete or metal poles-pipes. But when it is necessary to enclose a front garden with flowers, to protect the garden from the penetration of domestic animals, and in general, only to designate a decorative fence, it is better to use cheap wooden poles. But wooden poles, unfortunately, have a very low durability, since the tree rots very quickly when in contact with constantly wet ground. Even oak and larch, which in water, without contact with atmospheric oxygen, stand for centuries, being buried in the ground will not last even two decades. But there are quite simple ways protection of wooden poles from decay.

First of all, consider the causes of decay. Wood rots in the constant presence of moisture and oxygen. Such conditions are created at the border of earth and air, in the place where the pillar sticks out of the ground. In this place, decay occurs most intensively. Above this place, the wood is well ventilated and does not rot so intensively. Below - on the contrary, oxygen is not enough for active decay and decay there also slows down. This means that we need to take some measures to protect the tree at the point where the wooden post leaves the ground.

The second point is the typical mistakes of summer residents when using wooden poles and supports. Firstly, in most cases they bury the pole on the wrong side. Wood raises its juices along the trunk due to osmosis. Osmosis is the upward movement of fluid through the finest capillaries. And if you bury a log in the same way as it grew (with a butt below), then it will continue to draw moisture from the ground into the trunk. If you bury it upside down, the suction of moisture along the trunk will decrease significantly.

Secondly, to protect the tree, its underground part is often smeared with molten bitumen, wrapped with roofing material. In this case, a kind of "glass" is formed. Moisture, having got into it once, can no longer leave it, and the tree constantly has its own supply of moisture.

Thirdly, completely unprepared untreated wood is used, based on temporary use, cheap, “replace at any time”. But there is nothing more permanent than temporary buildings. Over time, they are overgrown with infrastructure, they get used to them, and sometimes it’s not all of a sudden to get close to a rotten pole, let alone replace it. And the props and pegs begin to go. The fence takes on a dilapidated appearance.

In the meantime, it is enough to carry out simple preparations, which will take a little time and your fence will be like new for many, many years, even with wooden posts. These rules are quite simple.

1. Initially use only healthy wood, dried, with no signs of rot. If it is not edged lumber, and the log is a pod, be sure to sand it and let it weather a little. And it’s better in general - to dry out under a canopy for a year.

2. Soak the part that is planned for deepening, plus 30-50 cm above (remember that this is the apical part, not the butt), soak with a penetrating antiseptic. Better - by immersion for a day - two. Copper or iron vitriol has proven itself perfectly. A tree impregnated with a 5-7% solution of vitriol does not rot in the ground for 15-20 years.

3. So that the impregnation does not wash out, put on some kind of cap on the upper end of the column, nail a tin cover. Moisture is very intensively absorbed into the butt of the tree. And the cover not only protects the tree from moisture, but can also serve as a decorative decoration.

4. When installing the post, dig (drill) a hole 2-3 times wider than the diameter of the post. First, throw some large gravel at the bottom of the hole. Then, having installed a post, fill the hole with large gravel as well, and not with earth. Thus, you will ensure excellent drainage of the underground part of the column and its relative ventilation. It will be even better if you first insert a "glass" without a bottom into the hole made of non-woven material such as "Agrotex", "Geotextile", etc. It will not allow the drainage to become clogged with earth.

5. Be sure to paint the column itself. This will not only improve its appearance, but also protect it from moisture. But it is recommended to paint only well-dried wood.

6. If you want to really solve the issue with the columns completely, then you can use metal sleeves - pipe trimmings. They are buried in the ground so that they rise 10-15 cm above the ground. And wooden posts are inserted into them. So you can save a lot on columns, because. wood is much cheaper than metal, and one post will only take about 1/3 of the pipe you would have to use, make the posts all metal. Yes, and the wooden posts look prettier. So that the column does not fall into the sleeve, the diameter of the latter is taken somewhat smaller than the size of the column, and the column itself is hemmed to the required size.

As you can see, the activities are not at all complicated, but they will make your wooden posts practically “eternal”.

Konstantin Timoshenko

Wooden fences are a traditional type of private territory fencing in Russia, which is still popular today. Supports for construction are often chosen wooden. True, in order for the structure to last for a long time, it is important to take into account the characteristics of the material and properly prepare the beam or log for installation.

Benefits of installing wooden poles

Wooden fence posts are suitable as a supporting structure for wooden and metal picket fence, corrugated board. Along with reinforced concrete and metal supports, wooden ones are still often chosen. Why:

Low cost is one of the key reasons. Even a processed log will cost much less than products made from other materials;
Availability of products is also an important advantage. Pillars can be bought ready-made or made by yourself;
The ease of installation of the pillars eliminates the need for lifting equipment, the process is available to any inexperienced developer;
Environmental friendliness and aesthetics natural wood need no introduction. A log can be given any shape and any carved ornament can be sculpted on it.

What to pay attention to

Others will call these disadvantages, but we will rephrase them into features that need to be considered when choosing wooden poles for effective and long-term results:

Wood is sensitive to moisture, both from the ground and from rain, fog, and melting snow. In order for the product to retain its shape and characteristics, it is necessary to treat it with waterproofing compounds.
Protection of wooden poles from decay in the ground is ensured by applying antiseptic impregnations to the lower part of the product and its additional waterproofing.
The service life of wood is short compared to concrete and metal, but it can be extended with proper care and timely processing of the product.
Wooden supports are able to withstand only lightweight fencing structures, for forged and concrete structures they don't fit.

How to make a pole with your own hands

Buying ready-made supports will cost much more than products own production. To make fence posts yourself, you will need deciduous tree trunks:

Birch;
Larch;
Hazel.

The minimum diameter of the support should be 15 mm, if possible more.

To make a pillar, you need to take a pillar of stable thickness and remove the bark from it. If desired, the surface can be leveled with a planer and make a carved pattern, give the log a shape.

After manufacturing, the product must be coated with antiseptics, which will prevent the column from getting wet and protect it from decay. It will not be superfluous to cover in 2 layers, Special attention give the ends of the support, which perceive the most significant load and are least protected from water penetration.

How to process wooden poles before digging into the ground

One coating with antiseptics is not enough to protect the underground part of the pillar. It must be treated with waterproofing compounds. Suitable for this:

Liquid molten bitumen;
Polymeric special mastic coating;
Tar;
Technical development.

For waterproofing the underground part of the column, it is precisely a liquid coating that is needed. It adheres tightly to the material and creates reliable protection. Roll wraps in this case are ineffective.

Wooden fence installation

The principle of installation of wood poles for fences is as follows:

The installation site is cleared of the fruitful layer, the rhizomes of plants are removed for the convenience of work;
They dig a hole with a garden drill of a suitable diameter or call for special equipment;
A pillow of crushed stone and sand is poured to the bottom;
Lower the support into the pit;
The soil is backfilled and compacted thoroughly.

Based on this principle, several methods for convenient installation of supports and fences are based.

Method 1. Working with finished products

The first method involves the use of finished poles as a support. It is necessary to purchase a set of cut wooden logs, treat the underground part with an antiseptic and waterproofing, and immerse the pillar in the ground in a hole prepared according to the main method.

Quick installation and no labor required to manufacture the poles saves time, but not money.

Method 2. Installing supports in the standard way

This installation method is good because it repeats the algorithm of the main plan, but has several distinctive features:

The use of geotextiles to filter water and stabilize the soil layer. By the way, this is one of the ways to dig a wooden pole into the ground so that it does not rot;
Backfilling of the pit can be done not with soil, but with rubble or large gravel. Such a support is more reliable than ground support, besides, it drains the soil from groundwater. When the soil is heaving, the column will not be forced out of the pit due to the work of large particles.

Method 3. We exclude rotting

Another way to protect wooden poles in the ground from rotting is by concreting. They replace the backfill of the soil. How to carry out the process:

The pit is prepared in the usual way: drilling, sand and gravel cushion.
The walls of the pit must be laid with 1-2 layers of roofing material. It will protect concrete from water, perform the function of formwork for mortar.
The processed log is inserted into the pit, fixed with a wire harness in a strictly vertical position.
The concrete solution is poured and compacted with a submersible vibrator.

This method of mounting wooden poles has several advantages:

The absence of contact between wood and soil eliminates the decay of the latter;
Supports significantly increase their service life compared to conventional buried ones. Heavier fences can be installed on the poles;
Such a foundation does not require maintenance; with proper observance of the device technology, the pillars practically do not change their position.

Method 4. Combined poles

This method differs from others by the participation of another component - a metal or asbestos-cement pipe. It will work as an insulator of the log from the ground, all with the same purpose - the exclusion of direct contact between the earth and wood to maintain the strength of the support. How to install:

1) A pipe with a length of at least 1 meter is buried in such a way that about 15 cm remains above the ground.
2) The soil is poured back into the pit along the outer diameter of the pipe and it is carefully compacted.
3) The log is selected so that its diameter is slightly larger than the diameter of the pipe. At the base of the pillar, a cut is made 30-40 cm long, cutting out a diameter that is 5-10 mm smaller than that of the pipe. The work requires high precision and accuracy. The result is a support with a lower base narrowed to the inner diameter of the pipe.
4) The cut area is impregnated with an antiseptic or drying oil and allowed to dry.
5) After the drying oil has dried, the end of the column is covered with hot tar and brought into the pipe. If gaps remain, they are also filled with this polymer.

The connection of the pipe and the column can be carried out even before instillation, there is not much difference, it's about the convenience of implementing actions.

Additional protective measures

Treatment of wood with an antiseptic and waterproofing before deepening into the ground does not guarantee the safety of the post during its service life. A few simple tips will help increase the service life:

It is recommended to paint the aerial part of the support every 3-5 years in order to renew the peeling paint;
Antiseptics can be replaced with ordinary oil paint, which leaves no chance for microflora;
Before applying paint to the surface of the wood, it is desirable to re-prime the base. This will help create a long-lasting coating effect with additional wood impregnation.
If the pillars are not concreted, it is advisable to carry out their diagnostics every 5-7 years in order to identify the processes of decay and marriage in work. It is often cheaper to fix a malfunction than to change structural elements.
The most unprotected and water-absorbing part of the column is the top. There are a large number of wood channels on the cut, so water and moisture are intensively absorbed into them. Experts recommend purchasing special metal covers for each support. They are made in different options, you can choose products suitable for your site or facade of the house.

The manufacture and installation of wooden fence posts is available to every developer, regardless of their experience in the construction business. It is enough to have the necessary set of tools in the arsenal and you can proceed to self assembly wooden fence.

The tree is one of available materials for construction work, it is often chosen for supports in the construction of fences. Even an ordinary wattle fence or picket fence on suburban area will have to be in place and decorate the surrounding landscape with its presence. However, all this beauty, unprotected from pests and the negative impact of nature, can quickly become unusable. Particularly susceptible to decay are wood parts located in shaded areas of the site. To maintain the integrity of the fence for as long as possible, it is necessary to process wood parts with special compounds.

The main mistakes in installing wooden supports

Methods for processing wooden fence posts depend on the reasons that affect their integrity. First of all, it is high humidity and the possibility of infection with mold bacteria and pest bugs. And if the part of the pillar, located above the ground, has time to dry out under the influence of the sun and wind, then this does not happen underground. Putrefactive processes develop slowly, but inevitably.

To prevent this process, the post is treated with antiseptics, covered with protective waterproofing in the lower part. Usually summer residents do not pay enough attention to the installation of wooden poles, especially the importance right choice material for the support and their high-quality processing before installation.

When buying supports, you need to pay attention to the quality of the wood. On the outside there should be no foci of damage by rot and beetles. Maximum humidity wood should not be more than 15%. Purchased logs must be freed from the bark and dried a little. Only after that you can start processing with protective compounds.

Having marked the location of the butt, set the log so that it is at the top. This will make it impossible for water to flow through open capillaries. It is better to refuse to wrap the buried end with roofing material. If water gets inside such a cocoon, then it will not be able to evaporate and as a result, rotting will begin.

What and how to protect wooden poles?

For the processing of wooden supports, you can use both classic professional and folk remedies.

Among the folk stand out the following:

Treatment with birch tar or spruce resin.
Sometimes ordinary car oil is used as a protective agent. It is slightly warmed up and applied in several layers to the surface of the support. The composition repels water well and kills pests.
An effective method of protection is firing with hot bitumen at the deepened end of the log. The wood is fired with a gas burner, and then covered with bitumen. Applied protective covering in two layers. Each of them must be completely dry and hardened. It usually takes days. The bituminous mixture has an ugly black tint, so it is better to use it for the buried part of the support, which will not be visible underground. It is also important in what weather you impregnate the wood with bituminous mixture. It is not recommended to do this in fog or rain.

Currently the most different formulations for processing wooden surfaces. It can be mastics, pastes and other materials for reliable waterproofing. structural elements including fence posts. These include mixtures based on bitumen - Biom-2, which are processed in several layers. A special thin mesh or film should be laid between them; such a coating will last up to fifteen years. The price of the material is quite low.

Another effective protective agent is Neomid 430. This antiseptic is able to create high-quality protection against pests and excessive moisture. In addition, it protects the tree from the damaging effects of fungal spores, insects and even mosses. Manufacturers claim that the treatment will protect the wood coating for more than thirty years.

Processing during installation

To properly install the fence post, you need to determine the butt and make a note that this is the top of the future support. Then you can proceed to the processing of the lower third of the workpiece. As a rule, about one and a half meters is covered with an antiseptic composition. You can lower the support into a solution of vitriol for two days, or use potassium bichromate dissolved in sulfuric acid. Both components are 5% content.

The rest of the solution is poured into the ground around the support. This will increase the protection of the coating against fungal spores. After waiting for the impregnation to dry, the lower end of the log must be treated with a waterproofing compound. It can be a solution of bitumen, mastic or other substance.

The installation of supports can be done in several ways, each of which provides protection for the structure from contact with wet ground and groundwater. The first of these consists in simply digging the treated end of the support into the ground. The place around the installed post is well compacted. This is the most cheap way installation. However, you will have to check every two years to see if the coating has been damaged, that is, you will need to dig and re-bury the hole.

In the second method, the prepared hole should be twice as wide as the diameter of the column. A mixture of sand and gravel is poured into the bottom of the trench, then a mold is made from a non-woven material such as geotextile. It will protect the gravel layer from hitting the ground. The entire space around the post is covered with gravel and carefully rammed.

Installation using pipes

This type of installation, in addition to additional financial costs, requires a lot of time.

Consists of the following steps:

A pre-prepared wooden pole is inserted into a hollow pipe made of metal or asbestos cement. The height of this sleeve above the ground is only 10 cm. As a result, the tree will be protected from contact with the ground and, therefore, from decay. To prevent the support from falling out of the pipe, the diameter of the latter should be slightly smaller than the log itself.
Then the wooden blank is sawn through shallowly at a height of 40 cm and a layer is carefully removed with an ax, which will allow the log to freely enter the cylinder.
I cover the lower part of the column with a layer of drying oil. It must dry for several days before the tar is applied. It is melted to a liquid state and the post is inserted into the pipe immediately after processing. The gap between the log and the pipe is also covered with a mixture of tar.
On the last step the ground part of the support is impregnated with a protective compound and paint or varnish is applied as a finishing layer.

For additional protection, the top of the support is closed with a special cap.

Protective equipment for the main body

Not only the lower part of the post requires special protection. The main support, which is located on top of the ground, must also be protected from negative impact environment. This applies to antiseptics and dyes.

To choose the right cover for the pillars, you need to decide what exactly you want to get in the end. If you want to preserve the natural beauty of wood, then choose substances from the collection of Pinotex, Belinka or AVIS varnish. If you need to get a bright and stable color palette, pay attention to domestic oil paints using zinc white.

Before staining wooden surfaces needs to be primed. A pillar with reliable protection will last a long time. And the fence will delight you for several decades.

Wood remains the most common building material who owns country houses and cottages are used for the construction of various fences on the site. The wattle fence between the recreation area and the beds near the cottage, a beautiful wooden fence around a country house or a low wooden picket fence around flower beds in the yard will look harmonious. But unprotected wood is subject to rapid deterioration due to constant interaction with rain, wind, snow, and the sun.

In shaded areas in the yards of cottages, in places with high humidity boards quickly lose their original appearance and become moldy or affected by fungus. How to process fence posts and the plank fence of a country house itself so that they retain their attractive appearance for more than one year? There are many available ways wood processing, although, for example, fence posts require the use of different protective equipment for the outer part and the one that is buried in the ground.

Common mistakes when installing wooden poles

Initially, it is important to understand the reasons why the support posts for the fence become unusable and how they need to be processed. This happens, first of all, under the influence of moisture, which, by impregnating the wood, creates “good” conditions for the development of all kinds of bacteria. And if the top of the pillar has time to dry out under the sun and wind, then at the point of contact with the damp earth, the process becomes irreversible. The tree begins to rot, becomes covered with mold, insect pests start up there. The processes of decay in the lower part of the column are somewhat slower, but inevitable. Not better way to prevent this process than to treat the fence posts with antiseptics and waterproof their lower part.

To common mistakes summer residents when installing wooden poles should include the wrong choice and installation of a log, as well as non-compliance with the rules for processing the underground part.

When choosing columns, pay attention to general state wood - no signs of rot, blue color, pests. The moisture content of wood should not exceed 15%. Logs must be sanded and dried before treatment with antiseptics.

It is important to determine where the log has the top and where the bottom is, since the pole must always be dug up with the butt up. This prevents "sucking" of water through the capillaries.
In no case do not wrap the treated end of the tree with roofing material, since when moisture enters such a “glass”, it remains there forever, creating conditions for decay.

The treatment of wooden poles is necessary with preparations that have antiseptic, moisture-proof and fire-retardant properties.

Compositions for processing the underground part of the pillars

There are many folk methods how and with what to process fence posts.

Here are a few of them:

Coating with birch tar or spruce resin (the oldest and most proven method).
Processing with used car oil (the cheapest way). The oil is applied in several layers in a heated state, thoroughly soaking all the ends and cracks. 90% of the mining composition is mineral oil - a good water-repellent antiseptic. The acid salts contained in the mining kill any fungus in the wood.
Roasting and processing with bitumen. That part of the log that will be buried in the ground can be burned either at the stake, or gas burner, creating a charred layer of several millimeters. The burnt part is treated with molten tar or bitumen.

The protective layer is applied in two stages, so that each layer of bituminous impregnation can harden, it is necessary to withstand the drying period of the first layer for about a day. Bituminous impregnation is correspondingly black, so only treat the part of the wooden fence post that will be hidden in the ground with it.

It is not recommended to apply bituminous impregnation on wooden poles during fog or rain.

The construction market also offers all kinds of synthetic waterproofing compounds - mastics, pastes, etc. For example, Biom-2 or Izhora bituminous mixtures, several layers of which, in combination with a fiberglass mesh and a protective film, create excellent waterproofing with high protective properties, designed for 10-15 years of operation. Moreover, a 15-kilogram bucket of such a mixture costs only 450 rubles.

Neomid 430 eco is a preservative, indelible antiseptic for external use, which provides maximum protection for wood during prolonged contact with soil and moisture. Protects against damage by wood-destroying and wood-coloring mold fungi, algae, mosses, as well as wood-boring insects for up to 35 years.

Installing unfinished poles is strongly discouraged.

Step-by-step instructions for installing and protecting support poles

Step one.

We determine where the butt of the log is and mark that this will be the top of the pillar. Before proceeding with the installation of fence posts, its lower part should be treated with a penetrating antiseptic to a height of 1.5 meters. Better by immersion for two days in a 5% solution of copper or iron sulphate. You can also apply a 5% solution of potassium bichromate in 5% sulfuric acid, the remaining solution will need to soak the soil around the dug-in post. This will provide antifungal protection for 15-20 years.

Step two.

After impregnation with an antiseptic, the buried part is treated with one of the types of waterproofing (bitumen, tar, mastic, mining, etc.).

Step three.

We are in the process of installing the pole. There are several various ways, some of which include additional protection pillar from interaction with wet soil.

Option one (cheapest). The processed end of the column is buried in the ground and carefully rammed. After a few years, it is imperative to check its base for the appearance of fungus or rot.

Option two. Prepare a hole a little over a meter deep and twice as wide as the diameter of the column. The bottom is covered with gravel, then a “glass” without a bottom is made of geotextile or other non-woven material around the perimeter, which will protect the gravel backfill from clogging with earth. The entire space is covered not with soil, but with gravel or rubble, carefully tamped and spilled with mining.

Option three (the most expensive, since the purchase of pipes is added to the costs). Using a sleeve made of a metal or asbestos-cement pipe into which a wooden pole is inserted. Since the sleeve rises 10 centimeters above ground level, the tree will not have direct contact with the ground, and therefore will be subject to decay processes.

The process of installing a wooden pole into a sleeve requires care and time. To prevent the pillar from falling inward, you should select a piece of pipe (100 cm) with a diameter less than the diameter of the pillar by about 10 centimeters. The log is laid on the goats and at a height of about 30-40 a circular cut is made, and then the necessary layer is removed with an ax. The resulting cylinder should enter the pipe freely.

First, this part of the column is impregnated with drying oil or mining, and allowed to dry for several days. Then, the tar is heated on a fire to a liquid state, the beveled end of the column is thickly coated with a hot mass with a brush, and a piece of pipe is planted. The gap between the tree and the pipe and the lower part of the post are also treated with tar. The resulting pole is buried so that the top of the pipe protrudes slightly above the ground.

Step four.

Impregnation of the visible part of the column with an antiseptic and applying the main coating (paint, varnish). To further protect the pole, experts recommend covering it with a tin cover.

Protective coatings for the visible part of the post

The upper part of the post, which is above ground level, also requires special protection with both antiseptics and protective paints and varnishes. To understand how to process fence posts, decide on the type of coverage. If it is important to preserve the texture of wood, then coatings such as Pinotex or Belinka, Biotex, AVIS timbercoat varnish have long established themselves on the market.

If you plan to apply paint, then both a simple domestic-made oil paint based on zinc white, and wood paints from the largest foreign manufacturers Tikkurila (Finland), Selena (Poland), Alpa (France), Akzo N.V. » (Netherlands), Belinka Belles (Slovenia).

Before applying a layer of paint, the tree is always primed.

The paintwork should be renewed every three to five years to keep the wood from rotting and being damaged by insects.

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