This article goes over everything homeowners need to know about concrete gravel boards. Wondered what are their pros and cons? If you can use concrete fence posts alongside them? How do they match with a fence panel? You’ll find the answer here! 

Pros and Cons of a Concrete Gravel Board

To understand why concrete gravel boards are increasingly popular with homeowners, you merely need to look at their advantages. When used in conjunction with concrete fence posts and fence panels, they create incredibly sturdy and reliable fencing: 

The Pros of Gravel Boards

• Strong foundation that ensures your fence can withstand rain storms and gales.
• Concrete has immunity against insects and other animals that can damage and eat away at wooden fence boards. 
• A concrete gravel board easily slots into place making the installation straightforward.   

The Cons of Gravel Boards

• Heavy and unwieldy. You might need assistance when carrying and fitting gravel boards. 

Step-by-Step Installation Process

After you’ve planted your corner posts and intermediate posts to the correct depth, secured them with a concrete mix and installed the fence panels, it is time to fit gravel boards and complete your fence: 

• Tools and Items You Need Before Starting 

Before you start, there are some tools and items you need. Making sure you have these on hand will make the fence installation faster and smoother: A drill, a hammer, screws or nails, grave board clips or cleats, and a spirit level.

• Preparing the Gravel Boards

Before installing them, you need to make sure the gravel boards are uniform in size and compatible with your fence posts. Carefully measure the distance between fence posts and width and see how your gravel boards compare. If they’re too long, you’ll need to cut them with a circular saw. 

• Slotting In the Gravel Boards

After you’ve prepared the boards, it is time to install the clips/cleats. Use a tape measure and denote the correct position to install the clips with a pencil, use a drill to create holes in the fence posts, and secure the clips with nails/screws. 

After the clips are successfully installed, if all your measurements are correct, fitting gravel boards is only a matter of slotting them in. You can even forgo using clips by digging holes and fastening the gravel board directly into the concrete fence posts, though this approach is more fraught and requires experience. 

• Adding the Finishing Touches to the Fence

You should now be a proud owner of a strong, functional fence. The only thing that’s left is some finishing touches like installing the fence post caps and painting the fence to ensure it matches the aesthetics and design of your home/garden.

Concrete Fence Posts and Boards FAQ

How Do You Attach Concrete Gravel Boards?

Attaching gravel boards to your fence is a relatively simple process. If you have slotted posts, the process is as simple as slotting in the gravel boards after cutting them and ensuring they fit the dimensions of your posts. If you have traditional fence posts, you need to use gravel board clips. Secure the clips on each fence post with drills and screws and then slot the gravel boards in.

Should Concrete Gravel Boards Touch the Ground?

There are no adverse side effects to the gravel boards touching the ground as they are naturally resistant to moisture and rotting, so it is ultimately a matter of preference. If you want complete privacy with no gaps in your fence, the boards should touch the ground.
If there are gaps between the fence panels and you don’t want the gravel boards to appear out of place, you can leave gaps between a grave board and the ground.

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Sadly, many don’t know how to approach the project. What fence posts to use? What are the differences between corner and end posts? How to slot in a fence panel? There are hundreds of questions homeowners have with few resources available to get them started. 

This blog post will be different! It’s your complete guide to designing and constructing fencing with concrete posts and gravel boards from A to Z. From their advantages to how to erect the fencing, it has everything you need to know!

Why Choose Concrete Fence Posts and Gravel Boards?

Both concrete fence posts and gravel boards are increasingly used in home and garden fencing because they provide several advantages when compared to traditional timber.

Benefits of a Concrete Fence Post

• Durability: Concrete fence posts are highly durable and resistant to severe weather conditions, holding the entire fence together extremely well, making the construction durable and long-lasting.
• Cost: Concrete posts are highly affordable and can help homeowners design and construct the fence of their dreams with a minimal budget.
• Ease of Installation: Installing concrete fence posts is simple. The posts are easy to handle and the fence panels simply slot in, making the process an excellent DIY project!

Benefits of a Gravel Board

• Resistance to Moisture: Gravel boards provide a solid base for your fence that protects it from direct contact with the ground. This prevents moisture damage, provides resistance to fungi, and ensures the fence panels are secure.
• Increased Privacy: gravel boards, especially alongside concrete posts, ensure there are no gaps or cracks in the fencing, providing privacy in your homes and gardens.

Steps to Erect a Fence with Concrete Posts and Gravel Boards

1. Dig Holes for the Concrete Fence Posts

After designing the fencing and identifying and pinpointing where the posts and panels will be installed, securing the fence posts is the first order of business. This starts with digging post holes, which ideally will be at least 2 feet deep and 3 times the width of the concrete posts. 

The final design, height, and reliability of the fence will depend on the width, depth and location of these post holes, so you need to be very careful about their placement. 

2. Install Concrete Fence Posts 

After all the holes are ready, it is time to carefully position the concrete fence posts and firmly place them in the ground, making sure that they are straight. You then need to fill the hole with a concrete/cement mix you’ve prepared beforehand. After the cement solidifies in about a day, you’ll be ready to move on to placing the concrete gravel boards and fence panels.

Important: When using post mix, you need to act quick, as it begins to set after only 5-10 minutes but achieves full strength after approximately 24h.

Not all concrete fence posts are identical. You must choose the right post type when placing them. Corner posts are for the corners of your fence/home; They help change the direction of your fencing run. Intermediate posts join fence panels together. End posts are where the fence ends – these posts can only accommodate panels from a single side!

3. Slotting in the Gravel Board

Installing concrete gravel boards is relatively simple. You start by ensuring the boards properly fit between the posts. As long as all the measurements have been done correctly, this shouldn’t be an issue. After that, you simply slot them in, and using spirit level ensure they are aligned correctly before putting the fence panels on top.

4. Installing the Fence Panels

Last but not least, it is time to install the fence panels. If all the measurements in the previous steps have been done correctly, panels should simply slot in on top of the gravel boards without any issues. For extra protection, you can consider installing anti-theft brackets on the sides of the panels. And that’s it!

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