Martin wrote:

Hi,

I am going to build a garden fence with posts which will be in very
close proximity to the foundations of an adjacent area of paving. For
this I want posts which won't need replacing every 10 years (with
consequential disturbance of the foundation) and I am thinking that
concrete posts will be better than wood for this.

I went to the local builders merchant this weekend and was appalled by
the quality of the posts they were offering - rough edges and full of
bubbles. I just can't believe they will surviving more than a few years
before the rebar starts to rust.

Are there any magic words I can speak when phoning around other
suppliers (e.g. name of a manufacture, name of a product, or particular
type of post) that will ensure that I get good quality posts which will
last longer than wood. I am looking for posts that I put rails and
featherboards onto, not slotted posts for panels.

Thanks,
Martin.

Have you considered making your own?

Plastic pipe for the outer profile
2 strips of timber for the 2 grooves. Each is wrapped with poly
sheet to give a smooth non-stick surface, and the timber is screwed
to the pipe from the outside, thus no blemishes on the inside. Dont
forget to taper the wood edges slightly.
Coiled stainless steel EML for reinforcement.
1:3:5 mix with fibres for increased tensile strength & crack control.


NT