Replace broken fence pickets
Wind, impact, or rot, a few broken pickets don't need a full panel replacement. Here is how to match the wood and swap broken fence pickets in an afternoon.
What you'll learn
- How to match cedar and redwood profiles at the lumber yard
- Why stainless or hot-dip galvanized nails are non-negotiable
- The pre-drill trick that keeps cedar from splitting
- How to blend new pickets into a weathered fence
Step by step
- Remove broken pickets, work nails out with a cat's paw, not a hammer claw.
- Measure picket height and width. Match profile at the lumber yard.
- Pre-drill nail holes 1/2-inch from picket edges to prevent splitting.
- Nail with stainless or hot-dip galvanized ring-shank nails.
- After 30 days, stain new pickets to blend into the weathered fence.
If more than 20% of the panel is damaged or the bottom rail is rotted, the full section needs replaced, not patched. We do section rebuilds with matched materials.
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