Your Guide to Installing An Aluminium Fence

From the countless aluminium fence panels, posts and gates we stock here at Outback Fencing, you might be surprised to learn that many of these orders were installed by homeowners themselves. You don’t always need a professional to manage a fence installation to get the wow-factor look and strong security of aluminium fences – in fact, many of the photos you’ll find on our reviews were self-installed. Also, when you go DIY on your fence installation, you’ll more or less know how to repair a broken fence back to its original condition and upskill your home improvement expertise along the way!

Our selection of aluminium fences includes stylish and private aluminium slat fencing, contemporary aluminium batten fencing, standard aluminium pool fencing, and the renowned aluminium blade fencing that brings pool safety into the twenty-first century with a floating blade design. Today, we’ll focus on two of the most popular fences within the range: the slat and blade fencing.

Read along to learn how to install your own aluminium fence, and learn more about the variances in materials and steps across both these popular fence styles.

Aluminium Slat Fencing

Step by Step Process

1. Measuring
2. Preparing the Posts
3. Assembling the Fence

Materials needed:

• Slats (the number of slats will depend on how much privacy you want in the fence and the length of the fence)
• Posts with caps
• Post base plates with screws
• Spacers
• Posts (either 50mm x 50mm or 65mm x 65mm depending on your installation)
• Drill and drill bits
• Pegs and string line
• Angle grinder (if needed)
• Leveler
• Tape measure

Step 1: Measuring

The first thing to do when installing aluminium slat fencing is to measure and mark out the fence using a string line. Install pegs at each deviance in the direction of where you want the fence to sit. These pegs will hold the string, so attach the string to the pegs, and the string line will represent the prospective fence line. This won’t be necessary if your aluminium slat fencing is between two walls or pillars, but you will still need to measure a straight line between the two ends. 

Next, measure the distance of the fence to determine the meterage of the aluminium slats you’ll need. For each straight line of fence, measure the full length of that section first, and you can then work out how many full-length slats you need. Full-length slats are 6.1m long, and you’ll likely also need to cut down a slat fence section with an angle grinder to create a customised-sized length that fits the last length of the fenceline perfectly. Subtract the width of the posts (50mm or 65mm per side), and this will tell you how many slats and posts you’ll need.

Step 2: Preparing the Posts

Measure and mark the height of the posts. If the fence is on sloping land or between pillars on a limestone wall, for example, the posts' heights may vary and will need to be cut with an angle grinder. Aluminium slat fence posts aren’t installed in trenches or ground holes – instead, they attach to the ground with base plates and screws. While screwed-in posts aren't as strong as concreted posts, slat spacing lets wind through and puts less pressure on the fence, which makes them one of the best fencing styles for windy areas. 

Once you know where the posts will go, prop them up one by one and screw them into the ground. Ensure the posts are level before screwing the base plates into the ground. To do this, pre-drill the holes into the wall or ground, then secure the post bases into the ground with screws.

Step 3: Assembling the Fence

You can now screw the bottom end plate to the side frame using the provided screws. Then, to attach the side frame to the posts or wall, drill pilot holes into the frame and post, and screw the side frame to the post. Next, add the slats either by diagonally inserting or pushing from the top of the side frames down.

The aluminium-patented side frame applies tension to hold slats in place, which means you can achieve any variance in slat placement simply by moving it to the preferred position. The tension in the frame will hold it securely and rattle free without welding or screwing. 

Install snap-in spacers inside the side frame above the slat you just placed into position, which come in available heights of 5mm, 9mm or 20mm, or you can customise to your own height from 100mm lengths available in our shop. If you’re designing with garden plants, for example, wider spaces between slats would allow more of the beautiful greenery to be seen from outside while still offering privacy. If you want 100% privacy from your aluminium slat fence, you can simply stack the slats on top of each other without using any spacers. 

Repeat the process to install the remaining slats, to the same space for all of them. The beauty of this design is that you don’t need any screws to secure the slats in place, so once they’re stacked in, you can simply finish the fence installation by screwing on top plates to the side frames.

Aluminium Blade Fencing

 

Aluminium blade fencing is a beautiful and convenient approach to modern fencing, and they’re renowned for being one of the best fencing styles for contemporary homes. Their extremely strong welded construction comes with the blades fully assembled to the base. All you need to do is attach the blade panels to the posts, and you're all set. Of course, it’s not as simple as it sounds because measurement and alignment are critical. Installing the posts at the correct widths and securing the panels is an important step to get right for a sturdy fence.

But once they’re in, they’re a dream to have in your backyard. If you’re wondering if aluminium pool fencing is for you, it needs little to no maintenance, has a long life span and is durable and very safe.

So, let’s break it down here so you can set it up at home.

Step by Step Process

1. Measuring
2. Preparing the Posts
3. Install the Posts
4. Attach the Blade Panels to the Posts

Materials needed:

• Blade fence panels (2205mm, 1969mm or 975mm widths and 1280mm, 1800mm or 2500mm heights)
• Blade fence posts (50mm x 25mm with caps. They come in 1280mm, 1800mm or 2500mm heights)
• Post base plate (if you don’t buy the posts with welded base plates)
• Fencing brackets
• Matching gates that are available at 975mm width, if required
• For pool fences: Magna latches
• If you’re fixing into concrete or wood: the respective fixing kits
• Leveler
• Tape measure

Step 1: Measuring

Measure the length of your fence line in each deviation of your fence angle to determine how many fence panels you’ll need. When measuring, subtract 25mm per post to determine the true length of the blade fencing you need. Similar to slat fencing, you may need to cut a fence panel to create a custom-sized panel to fit the remaining section after you have fit in all the full-length panels.

If you’re installing pool fencing, make sure you buy fencing panels taller than 1200mm so that the fence is compliant with pool safety requirements.

Step 2: Preparing the Posts

Measure and mark the position of the posts in the ground. The posts should be aligned with the string line to ensure the fence is installed accurately. Take the length of the blade fence panels, which will be 2205mm, 1969mm, 975mm or whatever other length you have cut it down to in order to customise the fit, and use this length to accurately mark out the distance between posts. Remember to keep a 25mm space between each panel to cater to the post's width. 

Step 3: Install the Posts

Once you prop up the posts in their position, attach the posts securely to the ground. How you do this will depend on the ground material and if your posts have a welded base plate. There are different fixing kits for timber and concrete to ensure you have the right screws for your specific ground material.

If your posts don’t come with a base plate, screw the base plate onto the bottom of the post at this stage. If you’re installing onto a concrete surface with the concrete fixing kit, pre-drill holes into the concrete ground where you'll install the base plate. Pre-drilling holes won’t be necessary on timber. Then, screw in the base plate and post into the ground. If your posts come with a welded-on base plate, you can screw the post into the ground through the screw holes in the base plate.

Step 4. Attach the Blade Panels to the Posts

Aluminium blade fencing comes out of the box with the blades attached to the frame of the panel. This is part of the reason that they’re one of the top durable fencing styles – the blades are factory-welded on for strength that won’t fail. 

All that is left to do is screw the blade fence panels into the posts. There are two Slimline C Brackets on the fence posts, one near the top and the other near the bottom – the brackets line up with the two rails on the blade fence panels. Simply screw the brackets on the posts into the rails on the panel. 

Aluminium Fencing for All Seasons & Reasons

As you can see, installing your fence is much easier than it might seem when you buy all the right parts. Whether you choose our aluminium slat fencing for full or semi-privacy or blade fencing for contemporary pool settings, the products are designed for a smooth installation process that can be tackled by DIYers.

You don’t need to be a professional to get the job done – just follow the instructions, take your time, and you’ll have a beautiful fence that you can be proud of. What’s more, when you’re crunching the numbers to determine what you can expect to spend on a new fence, you can subtract the cost of professional contractor installation when it comes to aluminium fencing for a more affordable solution. 

If you ever run into any questions during your installation, we’re here to help. Check out our blog for additional resources, or feel free to give us a call on (02) 4062 0386. We’re happy to guide you through the process and make sure everything goes smoothly.

So go ahead – tackle the installation yourself, and the satisfaction and gained knowledge of completing the project will be well worth it!