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. The crews we send rebuild sections with matched materials.
Rather have a pro handle it?
Fence installation and repair across San Diego County. Leave a message and we match you with a local pro.
Keep learning.
Stain and seal a wood fence
Unsealed cedar turns gray in six months. A proper stain job doubles fence life. Here's how to clean, dry, and seal a wood fence in San Diego's climate.
Straighten a leaning fence post
A leaning fence is almost always a post problem, not a panel problem. Often DIY-fixable. Here is how to find the bad post and straighten the fence yourself.
Fix a sagging gate that drags or unlatches
A gate that drags or won't latch is usually a hinge-side post that moved or a racked frame. Here's how to diagnose it and rehang the gate so it swings clean.