I was fixing a fence in my backyard and realized I've been doing it wrong for 15 years

I was helping my brother replace some posts at his place in Springfield last weekend, and he pointed out I was still using the old 'dig and pour' method for concrete. He showed me how he uses those foam expanding sleeves now, which set in an hour. It made me think about all the weekends I've wasted waiting for concrete to cure, like that time I had to prop up a whole section with scrap wood for 3 days. The tools and tricks have really changed since I started. Has anyone else switched to a newer method for setting posts and had it actually work out better?

3 comments

3 Comments

evan_nguyen231mo ago

Honestly I tried those foam sleeves last summer and had two posts start leaning after a heavy rain. Maybe I messed up the install, but going back to concrete felt more solid. That stuff has held up for decades, you know? Sometimes the old way sticks around because it just works.

zarapalmer1mo ago

Feel you, @evan_nguyen23. My own foam sleeve attempt looked like a toddler's art project after a storm.

grayperez8d ago

Foam sleeves fail because people treat them like concrete and don't follow the directions. You need a deeper hole with proper drainage gravel, and tamping every few inches is non-negotiable. Concrete cracks and traps moisture against the wood, which is why so many old posts rot out at ground level. The new method fixes that exact problem when it's done right.