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How to install pickets for a picket fence

Fence palings being used to mark a wooden rail

Overview

Installing pickets to a fence is easy to do yourself. Follow our step-by-step guide and we'll show you how to position the pickets evenly along the fence line. You'll also learn how to attach them to the rails. 

Steps

1Cut the tops off your posts

Mark the height of the pickets on your posts. Transfer the pencil line around the post. Use your saw to cut the tops off your posts. 

A Bunnings team member cutting the top from an upright fence post using a circular saw

2Measure the pickets and mark the rails

Find the centre of your rail and measure the width of the picket. Mark the edges of the first picket so that the centre point of the rail sits in the middle of the picket. 

A wooden rail being marked with a pencil and tape measure

3Transfer your measurements to the rails

Now, take your level and transfer your measurements to the top and bottom rails. This will ensure that your pickets are straight when you attach them.

A Bunnings team member using a spirit level to check the angle of an upright fencepost

4Attach the pickets

Nail the first picket in place. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to position and fix the remaining pickets, working your way out from the centre. To work out the space between each picket, we have used the thickness of a picket. 

Fence palings being secured to a wooden rail using a nail gun

5Even spacing at the ends

When you get to the end of the run leave the last three or four pickets off so you can adjust your gaps to fit the remaining space. Lay the pickets against the rail and adjust spacing to suit. Mark the edges of each picket on the rail. Again, use your level to transfer these marks to the top and bottom rail. Then nail them in place. 

A wooden rail being marked with a pencil and tape measure

6Screw the pickets in place

Once all your pickets are in place, fix them to the rails with outdoor screws. Pre-drill each picket so that it doesn't split. Use a counter sink fitting to make sure you drill the same depth on each picket. Run a string line along the front of the pickets to make sure your screws are in a straight line.
A hole being drilled into a fence paling
Health & Safety

Please make sure you use all equipment appropriately and safely when following the advice in these D.I.Y. videos. You need to be familiar with how to use equipment safely and follow the instructions that came with the equipment. If you are unsure, you may feel it is safest to consult an expert, such as the manufacturer or an expert Bunnings Team Member.

Grave health hazards are linked to asbestos, which may be in homes built up to 1990. Health hazards may result from exposure to lead-based paints in older materials and copper chromium arsenic (CCA) treated timber. For information on the dangers of asbestos, lead-based paint and CCA treated timber and tips for dealing with these materials contact your local council's Environmental Health Officer. You can also use a simple test kit from Bunnings to indicate the presence of lead-based paint.