Planning to install an aluminum fence this summer?  Other than the fencing materials themselves, the most important things you need are the proper fencing tools to get the job done!  To help you install your aluminum fence, here are the recommended fencing tools you’ll need.

Fencing Tools for Planning Your Project

Before you purchase materials, you need to plan where your fence will go.  There are several tools you can use to measure the area, determine how much fence you’ll need and mark where your posts will go:

• Measuring Wheel/Tape Measure—The best way to measure for a fence as it gives you precise measurements on an easy-to-read counter. This is what most fencing professionals use and some models are fairly pricy, but it gives you the most accurate results. A tape measure helps you measure your fence the old-fashioned way—best to do this with two people so one person keeps track of the ground you’ve measured.
• Garden Stakes/Orange Spray Paint—Once you measure your fence area, you need to mark where the fence posts will go so you know how many to order. Using garden stakes or a can of orange spray paint works best.  Why orange?  It’s what Miss Utility uses and it’s a traditional color among most fencing professionals.  Go ahead, use any color you like, but just make sure you remember to mark your posts!

Essential Fencing Tools for Installing Your Project

Once you measure the area and get your materials, here’s what you need to install your aluminum fence:

• Wheel Barrow—Helps with moving your dirt and any shrubs or tree parts from the area and helps when it’s time to mix concrete.
• Work Gloves—For any DIY project, these are essential, so remember to have them on hand.
• Posthole Digger—Digs holes in the ground for setting the posts. Kobalt and Blue Hawk are popular brands you can find in most stores.
• Digging Bar—When digging posts in rocky or rough terrain, you may need a little extra help and so this tool often works in most environments. If your area is truly rocky, that’s when you may need to rent professional tools.
• Ready Mix Concrete—This is the best tool for anchoring your posts into the ground. Some use dirt or gravel; we don’t recommend it as you want your fence to remain as sturdy and steady as possible.
• String Line— You want a straight line when you install your fence. Use string line to make sure your posts line up to create the border.  We never rely on eyes alone!  True, you can use lasers but since they are a bit pricy, string line gets the job done!
• Silver Sharpie—If you need to cut a few aluminum fence panels down from their standard 6 feet in length, mark them up with a silver sharpie.
• Hand-held Band Saw—Once you mark the sections, use this tool for cutting sections that might be too wide. If you don’t own one, you can either buy it or—in some areas—you can rent it from a local hardware dealer.  And…if you know of someone who already owns one, might I suggest giving them a six pack of beer or a few bottles of wine for letting them borrow their saw!
• Level—Once the posts go in, you need to make sure they are level and upright. Don’t forget to use this on EVERY post!
• Cordless Drill Gun—You can use your own hands for installing the screws and the hardware on your fence, but that will take you twice as long! If you’re a traditional DIYer who loves to work with your hands, then go ahead and give your hands a great workout!  However, if you’re like most people who want the fence in so you can enjoy it, have one of these on hand so you can get to relaxing a lot quicker!

Vital Fencing Tools for Your Entire Project

Now that you know what you need to plan and install your aluminum fence, there are two other things to install your fence.  Thankfully, these are the cheapest tools you need as they don’t cost you money, but without them, you might as well never install a fence:

• Brains/Common Sense—I know! This sounds rather obvious, doesn’t it?!  However, we’ve received tons of calls to either perform emergency installation work or assist in fence repairs all because someone turned off their brains and either didn’t measure the fence properly, used poor materials or they attempted to install a fence in less than ideal conditions.  Before you install a fence make sure you spend time planning and measuring and then organize your project to keep track of where you are in your process.  I tell people to measure twice and then do it once again for good measure.  This relates to the final tool you’ll need.
• Patience—If you’re prone to being a human bulldozer and just power through a fence installation without letting your concrete dry to set your posts, more power to you! Patience is, as they say, a virtue and ranks highly as a must-have tool for all fence professionals.  You can tell a fence that’s been carefully constructed from someone with patience from a fence made with impatience—it usually looks sloppy or you see all kinds of odd marks where someone has taken out their frustration on a fence panel!

Got Tools?  Ready to Install Your Aluminum Fence?

If you have your tools and are ready to buy your materials, click here to get started, use our chat feature to get your questions answered, or contact us today and we’ll tell you exactly what you’ll need to install your fence!

[callout thumbnail=”https://www.powersfencesupply.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/header-1-120×64.jpg” url=”https://www.powersfencesupply.com/about-our-fences/panels/”]Get Started Today![/callout]