Picket Fence Repair

Tools:

circular saw
clamping pliers
drill
nails
hammer
string
chalk line
safety glasses
cedar privacy fence pickets
galvanized screws

1. Tack a couple of nails into the tops of pickets on opposite sides of the area you're replacing. Stretch a string taut between the nails to serve as a guide as you replace pickets (figure A).

2. Put on the safety glasses and go to work. Pry out old pickets and remove any leftover nails. If you're replacing several pickets, just remove and replace a few at a time to make keeping them in alignment easier.

3. Fit the new picket in place and attach to the upper horizontal support board using galvanized screws (figure B). Pre-drill pilot holes to make installing easier. Just attach the boards at the top, then come back when they're all in place and insert screws into the lower support board.

4. Continue replacing pickets a few at a time until you finish a section (figure C). If you get to the end of a section and the replacement picket is too wide for the last space, trim a little from both sides by making long rip cuts with a circular saw.

5. Snap a chalk line along the boards to mark the center of the lower support board, then attach the bottom screws (figure D).