Flush concrete looks neat for a season, but it creates a moisture trap that rots fence posts from the inside out. By the time you notice your fence leaning, the timber may already be spongy cardboard. Learn the simple techniques contractors use to build fences that actually last.
That protective concrete collar you carefully poured around your fence post might be slowly destroying it. Three winters later, you’ll find a dark ring of rot exactly where the post meets the concrete—and the culprit isn’t what you’d expect. We explain why concrete turns against wood and how to build posts that actually last.
Concrete seems like the obvious choice for setting fence posts, but it’s actually creating the perfect conditions for rapid rot. A 30-year builder revealed a simpler, more effective method using gravel that lets wood dry out between wet periods—the key to preventing decay.
