Tools & Resources
LYSAGHT® Fence Installation Section 3 - Installing a Fence Step by Step
The following section dicusses step by step, how to prepare and install your LYSAGHT® fence.
What kind of site do you have?
Work out your levels. Is it one straight run, or are there raked or stepped sections?
Footings Making up Posts Installing Fence Posts Preparing Raked Sections Installing Infill Sheets Finishing off the Installation Installing Lattices Tapering Ends of Fences Installing Cover Strips and Post Caps
FOOTINGS
Select your minimum footing depth
Your fence posts must be embedded in concrete footings of adequate size. Footings must not be placed in uncompacted fill. All footings in the following table are 200mm diameter.
Depth of Footings
| Terrain Category | Fence height (mm) | Soil Type | |
| Sand, soft clay, or loose earth (mm) | Firm clay, firm earth or gravel (exclusive of loose topsoil) (mm) | ||
| Wind Region A | |||
| 2, 2.5 & 3 | 1500 | 600 | 600 |
| 2, 2.5 & 3 | 1800 | 700 | 600 |
| 2, 2.5 & 3 | 2100 | 800 | 700 |
| Wind Region B | |||
| 2, 2.5 & 3 | 1500 | 800 | 600 |
| 2, 2.5 & 3 | 1800 | 900 | 600 |
| 2 2.5 & 3 | 2100 | - 1000 | - 900 |
|
EXAMPLE:Givens
Solution Any fence height of fence type 1 may be used at this site. See the table in LYSAGHT® Fence Installation Section 2 - Fence and Post Selection for determining the allowable fence types for your terrain category and fence height. Footing required is: 200mm diameter x 600mm deep. |
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MAKING UP POSTS
Start by making up posts by screwing them together. Screwing the posts together requires six staggered screws. (Refer figure below).
As a tip, bring your top screw down so it sits below your top rail. Otherwise your top rail is going to get stuck on it every time you go to fit it in. (Refer figure below.)
Use colour coated screws for best visual appeal. Make up the required number of posts. For fence types 2 and 3, post stiffeners must be fitted (Refer figure below). If using stiffeners, screw into place while making up posts.
INSTALLING FENCE POSTS
Figure: Stringline Layout
1) Layout stringlines to position your fence
Stringlines mark the outside line of your fence posts (above), and help to set your fenceposts at a uniform height.
Determine the exact location of your fence and setup a stringline. Keep the stringline taught and set at top of two end posts. Place the stakes 500 mm beyond the corners of the fence, so as not to obstruct the holes.
2) Layout posts and dig holes
Mark the position of fence posts. Lay the rails on the ground butting end to end between the two end posts so you can see exactly where your posts are going to go. For raked sites longer rails may need to be used.
If there is to be a gate, locate the gateposts as detailed in the gate guides listed below:
Download LYSAGHT NEETASCREEN® and LYSAGHT SMARTASCREEN® Gate Installation Guide (1029 KB)
or
Download LYSAGHT MINISCREEN® and MINISCREEN PLUS® Gate Assembly and Installation Guide (327 KB)
A fence panel can be reduced from the nominal width, without cutting infill sheets, by the increments shown below. Rails and lattices must be cut to suit a narrow fence panel.
Dig the holes using the hole sizes determined from "Footings" section.
3) Place the first post
Lay a minimum of 40 mm concrete under the end of the post and set your post into the hole. Fill the hole with wet cement and use your spirit level to get the post plumb. Tamp the concrete down. Ensure that the concrete tapers away from the post.
Be careful that concrete doesn't contact the posts or rails above ground.
4) Place remaining posts
Place the second post in its hole and engage a bottom universal rail with the first and second post. Make sure the bottom rail is 50mm above the ground.
A tip is to give the rails a squeeze when you are putting them into or out of your post. This helps prevent scratching.
Fasten the bottom universal rail with one hex. head screw (10-16 x 16) from both sides of each post.
Use the stringline to ensure your posts are all the correct height, plumb and in line, before concreting into position.
Wait at least 24 hours for the concrete to dry before installing infill sheets.
Continue installation of posts and bottom universal rails for the remainder of the run.
Use stringline to set post heights
Lay the rails along the stringline to determine positions of posts
Set all the bottom rails into position ensuring a 50mm ground clearance
| Mixing your concrete Thoroughly mix ingredients: 3 parts 20mm blue metal; 2.5 parts sand; 1 part cement. Add water and and mix well before use. Premixed concrete (20MPa min.) may also be used. |
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PREPARING RAKED SECTIONS
If your fence requires raked sections, you may need to prepare the rails and infill sheets. If your fence is level or stepped, skip ahead to the infill installation instructions.
Preparing Rails.
For small rakes, the increase in the length of top and bottom rails can be ignored. An approximate length of angled rail is shown in the adjacent table. A rail of 3100mm (and a lattice of 3122mm) are available for this purpose.
The length to cut these raked sections is detailed in the table at right, once you have determined the height of the cut.
Figure: Cutting infill sheets for a raked fence (Fence Types 1 and 2 Shown)
Preparing Infill Sheets
Work out the measure of the cut by resting your spirit level inside the rail (at least the width of a sheet) at the high end of the rail (Refer photo). Measure the width of a sheet, and measure the distance with your tape between the bottom of the level and the inside of the rail. That will show you the angle of your cut. Wherever possible, make the rake on the bottom rail the same as the top.
Measure the height of your fence up from your cut edge and cut at the same angle at the top of the sheet. Use a coloured pencil, texter or chalk to mark the cut, as a pencil may cause corrosion.
Measure the fall on the rail. This will allow you to position the top rail parallel and also to correctly cut the infill sheets.
Measure the amount to be cut and mark the sheet. Ensure you measure edge to edge, not rib to rib.
Cut the infill sheets three at a time. This equals a single bay and ensures uniformity. Measure twice, cut once.
| Height of step (D) | Normal rail length | Angled rail length (approx.) | Height of panel cut (d) |
| Fence Types 1 & 2 | |||
| 150 | 2350 | 2355 | 50 |
| 200 | 2350 | 2358 | 67 |
| 250 | 2350 | 2363 | 83 |
| 300 | 2350 | 2369 | 100 |
| 400 | 2350 | 2384 | 133 |
| Fence type 3 | |||
| 150 | 1582 | 1589 | 75 |
| 200 | 1582 | 1595 | 100 |
| 250 | 1582 | 1602 | 125 |
| 300 | 1582 | 1610 | 150 |
| 400 | 1582 | 1632 | 200 |
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INSTALLING INFILL SHEETS
Installing the infill sheets is where the art is in fencing. It requires getting a few things to line up all at the same time. It's preferable to treat this as a one person job. Two people get in each other's way.
Start at the high side. Insert the first sheet flush into the bottom rail, usually about 200mm out from the post. Lift the top rail and slowly slide the sheet into the top rail. Using your knee near the bottom of the sheet and your hand near the top, slowly ease the first sheet along the rails until they contact the post. Remember to move the sheet square or it might kick out of one of the rails.
When the second infill sheet is placed, make sure you place the sheet to allow for the overlap (overlap figure below). At this stage some minor adjustments may be necessary to get the lap to sit correctly or to fit the sheet into the rail. Gently bump the fence sheet into position as required.
Lifting top rail helps ease 1st sheet into end position.
Place 2nd sheet into bottom rail ensuring there is sufficient overlap.
Position 3rd sheet. Gentle force can be used.
The third sheet is the most difficult, only because there are a few things to get right. Place the bottom of the sheet into the rail, ensuring there is overlap to the second sheet.
It is usually necessary to gently bump, and push this final sheet into position. Roll the top rail away from you and this will assist feeding the top of the sheet into the rail channel. Get the side facing away from you in the bottom rail and then you can push the ridges of the side facing towards you into position with both the rail and the post. Once the sheet is in position, gently tap the top rail down onto the sheets using the heel of your gloved hand.
Do not screw off the top rail until you have fine-tuned the rails by standing back and looking at the whole of the fence. This allows you minor adjustments to get the rails aligned.
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FINISHING OFF THE INSTALLATION
Fixing the centre universal rail for LYSAGHT MINISCREEN® fencesFor LYSAGHT MINISCREEN® fences, fasten centre rails halfway up the infill sheets. Use at least 7 Ripple Tek® screws through the infill sheets into the centre rail. One screw should pass through the laps (figure below).
Figure: Sheet Overlaps
Align and Screw Into Position
Do not screw off the rail yet. Ensuring the rails are aligned, and the sheets are neat vastly improves the appearance of your fence. Once you have installed all the bays, stand back from the fence and have a look at the fence as a whole. Make sure the lines on your sheets run parallel to your posts. Make sure the joint of the overlap looks flush, without a big gap. Adjust where required. Screw the rails into position. Remember to wipe off the fence to remove any swarf from the installation.
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INSTALLING LATTICES
1: Installation of rails at top of infill panel
2: Installation of lattice
Fastening of Lattice
(LYSAGHT NEETASCREEN® universal rails shown)
Engage a top universal rail onto the top of a lattice (figure above for correct orientation).
Lower the rail and lattice onto the top of a fence panel, engaging the ends of the rail with the posts (figure above).
Fix with three screws (10-16 x 16) along the bottom flange of the lattice (figure above). Protect the paintwork with a piece of cardboard between the drill and the lattice.
Fix the top universal rail to the lattice with three screws (figure above).
Fasten the top universal rail to the posts with one hex. head screw (10-16 x 16) on both sides of each post.
A component is available to cover edges of the lattice if it is trimmed in length.
Fixing infill sheets to rails for Type 3 fence
From one side, fasten infill sheets to both rails with screws - for the LYSAGHT NEETASCREEN® range at every rib; for the LYSAGHT SMARTASCREEN® range at every 2nd rib; for the LYSAGHT MINISCREEN® range 6 screws for each infill sheet. See image to the right.TAPERING ENDS OF FENCES
At the end of the fence run, where the fence doesn't form a corner (sometimes called a free end), the panels experience increased wind loadings - particularly where your fence extends beyond the alignment of your house.
Tapering of 1500mm high fences is not mandatory in terrain category 3 of wind region B and all of wind region A. In all other cases your fence must be tapered in height over the last two panels.
| Fence height (H) | Half fence height (H/2) | Height of middle post | Normal rail length | Top rail length |
| Fence types 1 & 2 | ||||
| 1500 | 750 | 1125 | 2350 | 2380 |
| 1800 | 900 | 1350 | 2350 | 2393 |
| 2100 | 1050 | 1575 | 2350 | 2408 |
| Fence type 3 | ||||
| 1500 | 750 | 1125 | 1582 | 1626 |
| 1800 | 900 | 1350 | 1582 | 1645 |
| 2100 | 1050 | 1575 | 1582 | 1667 |
Cut the top of the infill sheets in a manner similar to that shown below for a raked fence - Preparing Raked Sections.
A rail of 3100mm (and a lattice of 3122mm) are available for this purpose.
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INSTALLING INFILL STRIPS AND POST CAPS
Post Infill Strips
Infill strips are used to complete the open side of two standard posts screwed back-to-back. Cut the strips to an appropriate length and slide in place. Some posts require a strip for the full length of the post. Short pieces are needed on stepped fences.
Post Caps
All post caps must be positively secured to your fence with either silicone sealant or hex head screws.
For a single standard post, it is easy to cut a cap in half with a sharp knife in the groove moulded into the underside - trim the edges straight.
Download Post Caps Installation Guide (77 KB)
