Almost all homeowners in the United States use chain link fences to build an effective barrier between their backyard and other neighborhoods in town. A link fence provides little privacy for people but is cost-effective and well-maintained make it more common and appealing for your landscape. Because of its good maintenance, the chain-link fence could be used in a few years without replacement.
However, it doesn’t mean that in long term, the chain link won’t need repairing some times. Chain link fences (usually the post and the top rail) may be damaged for several reasons, such as bad weather, some falling debris, etc. For these minor damages on your fence, you absolutely can fix this section of your fence DIY with some right tools and materials to keep it strong. The chain-link fence repair process doesn’t take too much time for you if you know these helpful tips below!
Note: If your fence gets bigger damaged that you can’t control it by yourself, it’s always better to find a professional company to help you re-install.
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Table of Contents
MEASURE THE OLD RAILS
Before purchasing all the required tools and materials, you should measure the diameter of your old rails to avoid the failure of wasting money on the new rail with the wrong size.
Use a tape measurement and place it against the end of your old rail. Write down all the diameter you recorded and bring it to the store to get the new properly-sized rail for your project.
In case you have lost your old rails or they’re already broken, just bring the old ones to local stores. The manufactures will know which type and size the new rail should be. The new chain link fence rails should have a tapered end on one side and a wider end on another.
NECESSARY TOOLS & MATERIALS
To best repair a chain-link fence DIY, you must gather all the necessary tools on hand to avoid the case of lacking some during the process of repairing. The following equipment are for production:
- Pliers
- Hacksaw or reciprocating saw
- New rail
- Wire tie
- Wrench
- Metal file
Besides, you’ll need to gather all materials that protect you and bring you safety, including:
- Safety glasses
- Gloves
- Hearing protection (earplugs or soundproof ear muffs)
ASSESSING THE DAMAGE
Before proceeding chair link fence repair project, you must check for the damage on your fence on both two sides. You need to determine which section of your chain link fence needs repairing or even replacing. If there is any damage to its post, you need to repair and replace just that post without replacing the entire link fence.
Otherwise, if the chain link mesh or the top rail is damaged, you could expect to spend more effort to repair it with a new section of the top rail. Or you can contact immediately an expert in this field as soon as you realize you can’t handle this alone after considering all damaged sections. In turn, you won’t make the fence damage more serious and cost you much more money.
REMOVE WIRE TIES
After determining which damage need to be repaired, start removing all the wires around the top rail connected to the chain-link fence. Wear a pair of gloves to protect your hand and use pliers to untwist the wire ties out of their position. Pull the ties through the chain-link mesh to remove them.
Be sure that you just remove the wire ties on the tail sections which you need to repair/replace. Don’t take the wrong wires which are still useful and no damage to your chain link fence.
Tips: Try to fix the rail by your one hand to avoid putting too much pressure on the rail and making more problems!
REMOVE THE DAMAGED SECTION
Once the wire ties are removed, cut the damaged section of the fence rail by either hacksaw or a reciprocating saw. Saw the one end of the rail and then another end to free it. Slide the old rails off and put them aside for the next step. Remember to make sure any posts on the damaged section should be saved.
In case you use a reciprocating saw, you must have your partner hold the rail for you. That will be greater if your friend helps you with any saw you used, but it’s especially necessary when using a reciprocating one.
MEASURE AND MARK THE NEW RAIL
This is the most important step: cut the new rail with the perfect size for a chain link fence repair project. Remember to wear safety clothing, such as eyeglasses, respirator mask to protect you from metal fragments and breathing in metal dust. If you’re using a reciprocating saw, you should equip with hearing protection as well.
You need to remove one end of the existing rail to just keep one side of a tapered end and a non-tapered end. Have someone help you by holding the old rail and measuring the tapered end of the new rail followed by the old one. Use anything you have to mark the other end of the new rail and going to cut it where you’ve just marked by saw or hacksaw.
INSERT NEW RAIL IN RIGHT PLACE
Insert new rail in the right place. Slide on corner posts and slide the open end of the new rail onto the smaller end of the existing rail. On the other side of the rail, insert the tapered end of the new rail into the existing one. You might need to saw the new rails and reconnect the posts to fit them perfectly.
RECONNECT CHAIN LINK FENCE
Use the wire ties every 24 inches along the top rail to reconnect the rails and wire ties. Use pliers and enwrap the wire ties around the rail to secure each mesh into the fence. If the old wire ties are in good condition, you absolutely can reuse them instead of purchasing new ones. If it’s lost and you need to replace them, buy the metal wire ties for more security.
After you’ve done reconnecting the chain link fence, your project is finished completely!
COST OF CHAIN LINK FENCE REPAIR
The cost to repair a chain-link fence depends on several factors, including the serious level of the damaged sections, and labor cost. Your chain link fence might experience some problems such as sagging or wobbly posts, rusty fencing, damaged mesh, etc. On average, the cost to repair a chain link commonly is about $100 for a small-simple project and $1400 for more complicated tasks.
GET FREE ESTIMATE FROM YOUR LOCAL CONTRACTORS
If you need to repair your chain link fence and are finding for a professional to help you in this project, just contactGreen Arbor Landscaping for a 100% FREE estimate quote to best prepare for you. We will serve you with our best effort without any cost of guidance.
For more information about us:
- Phone: (206) 265-2940
- Email: info@greenarborlandscaping.com
- Website: https://greenarborlandscaping.com/
