# Graveyard Fence



## MokkNoir

Here's my first tutorial, hope it helps. 

How I created my graveyard fence:










The horizontal cross bars are made from pine 1x2x8 boards. The vertical bars are created from 1/4" electrical conduit (looks like PVC pipe, but they are grey in color). I cut the 1/4" conduit into 3' sections, which left the last remaining section with the flaired end longer (about 4' long). 

Here's a couple of pics of when I was cutting the vertical bars:









Here you just make out the flaired end on the longer pieces that are upright leaning against my house:









Next I used a hole saw bit on my drill to make holes every six inches on the cross bars, and then slid the vertical bars through the holes:

















Once it was all even I screwed the bars into the cross bar. I first started out drilling the hole first and then screwing it together. However, I quickly found out that I could just dispense with the pilot hole and screw it straight through. Only a couple of minor cracks. Screws I used: 









Here's the fences before painting (notice the longer flaired bars on the ends, and all bars are even at ground level):









I used cheap spray paint (about $1 per can) that I got from Lowe's (Helpful suggestion - Get a good spray can grip like this one. It will save your fingers a lot of cramping. Trust me.)









Painting:









Here's the Pièce de résistance; the finials really make the whole thing come together. This is a link to Steel Supply, L.P. where I ordered the finials: Steel Supply, L.P.

I used wooded dowels about 6" long with the end wrapped in duct tape to hold the finials, and to make a tight fit into the vertical bars (this way I can remove them later if I wish). I ended up putting finials on my tall end bars, but I thought about putting the tops of tiki torches on 'em; or maybe mount skulls, etc. Just ran out of time this year. 

Here's the fences in place with nothing on the top of the end bars:









I cut rebar into 18" stakes that I drove into the ground leaving about 3-4 inches above the ground and just set the fences onto the rebar. I only did the end posts and it was pretty solid. You could add more in the middle if you wanted, but keep in mind that the rebar going up inside the vertical end posts will hit the screws if they stick out too high above the ground.

Any questions?


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## Yubney

Good idea using they gray conduit. It should take the inevitable scuffs and scratches without being glaringly obvious if it was the white PVC showing through.


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## Terra

Great and easy to follow tutorial. I second that spray can grip, really makes it easy and not painful to spray paint.


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## Drayvan

Nice looking fence. Thanks for the How-To


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## BackYardHaunter

i thought about doing this. this is the way i think im going to do it.


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## gravedigger greg

twisted minds think alike? not only is the gray a little more scuff proof, it was 20 cents a stick cheaper!
View attachment 8569


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## Hoodoo_Hermit

wow that looks great! Thanks for the tutorial.


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## hirez00

That is absolutely brilliant. This year for Halloween we decorated ONLY in our internal atrium of our home ... even though we can a good sized front yard. Last year we had a problem with Fed Ex, UPS, and the post office leaving packages outside our door when we were not home and a thief (which I caught a few weeks later) was driving down our street and stealing packages from my house and several of my neighbors. We live in a nice neighborhood, but fairly close (about 50 feet) from a main main main street that gets a lot of traffic and it very easy to access which means people come into our neighborhood sometimes and steal and then make a fast getaway.

Also last year I was cleaning out the gutters of my house using a 12' ladder and went inside for 15 minutes to have lunch and when I came out, MY LADDER WAS GONE!!! There were 3 people home at my house that day and someone had the guts to run up to the house and steal a 12' aluminum ladder!!!

My concern was people would STEAL the tombstones and other props I would want to put outside because I didn't have any sort of fencing. It is totally open.

Now would your fence idea STOP thieves? It would certainly be a deturant against it ... maybe ... Thieves are not going to want to come around to the small open area to then risk getting caught ... so maybe your graveyard fencing and a security camera would be enough ... at least for Halloween.

Thanks for the great tutorial and the idea of how to maybe protect my cemetary.


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## DawnDead

Great tutorial. I'm thinking about making a fence this year. I never thought about using the gray conduit. That's an excellent idea. Also, the spray grip is one of the best tools I bought years back. It makes working on projects so much more manageable!


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## Spookilicious mama

*thanks for sharing this I need to put up a fence next year and this would be perfect*


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## MokkNoir

*Bonus Content*

Here's a little bonus for you:

I used a hole saw on my drill when cutting the holes for the vertical posts:









Which left me with a bunch of round wood sections with a hole in the middle, so.... I started to put them to work:


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## halloweenjunkienick

Great Idea and cheap, thanks so much i am definately making a ton of these to put around my whole yard


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## alucard

Humm... a great tutorial and a great way to recycle. Can't lose with this one! Thanks for sharing.


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## The Reapers WS6

is the conduit being used really only 1/4 inch wide, meaning the hole in the conduit is an exact 1/4 ich..? I didnt know that it came in that size,,, and the link to the toppers thats on here, what size do i need to order?

im going to need almost 50 10' pieces of conduit to construct my fence,, and almost 120 toppers,,, i need to be sure im getting the right stuff,, dont want to order 120 toppers and have them be the wrong size! 

Thanx all..

Wayne


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## The Reapers WS6

up top for answers if they're out there.. thanx all!


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## MokkNoir

*1/2" Conduit Correction*

I just realized that I mistakenly gave the wrong size of conduit that I used. I actually used 1/2" electrical conduit, and NOT 1/4" since that would be too small. I'm sure everyone would realize it when they went to buy it, but just in case...

Also, here's how I fixed a small issue with the finials. The one's that I ordered were 1/2" at the base, so I used sections of 1/2" round dowel and some duct tape to fit the finials to the conduit. 

Here's a pic of the 1/2" conduit:









Here's a shot of the base of the finial and the dowel already wrapped in duct tape for a tight fit.









Finally, a finial pulled out of the conduit. You can also see where I pulled the others out a little:










You can also order the finials with a 3/4" base, but I'm not sure if that would fit over the conduit properly in order to eliminate the dowel approach. Perhaps someone else can chime in on the 3/4" base for us. Myself, I'm glad I did it in a way that allows me to remove the finials if I wish without doing any damage.... (think creative changes possible, but you'll see what I have in mind next HW).

In retrospect, the dowel size could be cut in half to about 3". That would equal about an inch inside the finial base and the rest in the conduit. The final thing I would change is not using a hole saw, but an actual 3/4" drill bit, since that would be much faster (I used what I had already on hand).


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## The Reapers WS6

Thanx!!!!!!


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## bobzilla

Nice job !


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## Growler

Hi,

I made 5 sections of fencing like that. I put the little pvc caps on top to mount skulls with the led eyes this year. Not sure I'll do it though since I like the basic look. What I really like is the finials that you used. Made the fence look so much more real. I agree with the spray can grip. I don't have one and my fingures were sore. I went through about 4 cans per fence. I also like the idea that you used screws to mount your poles. I sanded down every little hole so it would be the right size and then used a mallet to pound the poles into place and then used hot glue to keep them there. Of course they move over time after being hit or knocked around. This summer I'll have to add the screws. Great job and thanks for the ideas to upgrade mine.


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## crazy xmas

I was thinking of doing my fence diffrent this year. I really like your idea thanks!


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## MonkeyBasic

MokkNoir said:


> ....
> 
> You can also order the finials with a 3/4" base, but I'm not sure if that would fit over the conduit properly in order to eliminate the dowel approach. Perhaps someone else can chime in on the 3/4" base for us. Myself, I'm glad I did it in a way that allows me to remove the finials if I wish without doing any damage.... (think creative changes possible, but you'll see what I have in mind next HW).
> 
> In retrospect, the dowel size could be cut in half to about 3". That would equal about an inch inside the finial base and the rest in the conduit. The final thing I would change is not using a hole saw, but an actual 3/4" drill bit, since that would be much faster (I used what I had already on hand).


I used 3/4" finials which are a tad bit small. I had to use a drill press and vice to open up them slighty to fit (I forget what drill bit size). I've heard of others using heat gun to make them (or the PVC) more pliable. Great idea with the dowels!










*TIP:* I found that I wasted a LOT less spray paint if I painted the pieces before I assembled the fence.


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## StylishTekniqueCC

i like that! ill for sure do that this year!


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## Crunch

Oh wow, that looks awesome


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## SmartisSexy

In the process of making my fence, thanks for the pictures, it looks great.


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## Crunch

How'd you keep it from falling over?


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## Crunch

Crunch said:


> How'd you keep it from falling over?


Disregard that.


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## JUSTTINK

where did you get your finials may i ask? i made a fence like this a loooong time ago, about 10 years ago. at the time for finals i used that black foam you get in sheets and just cut out a shape. it worked good. But unfortunately my fence was destroyed in hurricane ivan and i havent remade one. i think I might try that again this year,


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## MonkeyBasic

I buy finials from http://www.kingmetals.com/

Make sure you get the plastic ones!


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## JUSTTINK

thanks! I went and checked them out. there great!


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## jfro70

*King Metals*

I also used King Architectural metals for my finials. I bought the 3/4" plastic ones and used a heat gun to make the end of the pvc pliable. I was then able to just work the finial onto the end of the pipe. Once it cooled and hardened, they seemed to kind of lock together.

Also, the prices on the King web pages are for 1 piece. You get discounts for bulk orders. I think the ones I bought were listed at 22 cents and I ordered 120 and they went down to 16 cents each.


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## wristslitter

I live like 20 minutes from Kings, they had the exact finials used on the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland. I wanted something close, I was uber happy to have the exact same ones.


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## MokkNoir

*Update 2010*

I made several more sections of fence this year, so I have a few tips from the second go round.

- First of all, I took MonkeyBasic's advice and painted everything before I started to create the fence. This made everything MUCH easier to paint once assembled. All I had to do was come back and do some quick touch up to the spots that got scratched or scuffed. 










After a first coat on the cross bars (1x2s), I started spraying the conduit, which I quickly learned to hold over the cross bars while painting to add the over-spray to the cross bars. I started with the conduit flat and sprayed a side, then rolled it over and did the other side, then finished off holding it over the cross bars and starting on one end working my way up.

- Second, I stuck with my dowel application for the finials (which fit 1/2"). This time I put two wraps of duck tape on the end going into the conduit. For the finial end, I just did two wraps of 1" masking tape which was sufficient to hold on the finials. My dowels were about 6" long, which you don't want them too much longer or they will hit the screw going through the conduit at the cross bar.

- Third, this year I abandoned the hole saw, and went with a 7/8" drill bit. This is pretty much perfect for the conduit to slip through and was MUCH, MUCH faster than the hole saw method.

- Fourth, when you are putting the screws through the cross bar and conduit, DON'T sink the screw since it will poke out the other side creating a sharp point that could come back to haunt you in a bad way (think kid's eyes, fingers, etc). I found that if I just made the screw head flush, there was only a very small point sticking through the other side which was easily covered by just the paint.

- Fifth, my conduit sections are all 3', with the exception of the two end pieces which I left longer (the extra foot from the 10' length, along with the end that has the flair to make it easier to slip over the rebar. I positioned the conduit so it was stick 6" above the top cross bar, and 4" below the bottom cross bar.

- Finally, if you want to know the amounts of materials for an 8' section: (2) 1x2x8 for the cross bars. (5) 1/2" electrical conduit - 10' sections, (30) #6 1-1/2 wood screws (flat head), (2) cans of cheap black spray paint (get the .97 cent cans at Lowe's, etc., and of course, (15) plastic finials


So, that's it. Good luck on your fencing.


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## SPED74

hey what did you use for the toppers that looks amazing


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## MonkeyBasic

SPED74 said:


> hey what did you use for the toppers that looks amazing


Here you go...


MonkeyBasic said:


> I buy finials from http://www.kingmetals.com/
> 
> Make sure you get the plastic ones!


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## SPED74

thanks i must of over looked that


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## HeadStone13

Booking marking this excellent halloween cemetery fence tutorial for reference.
Its a great looking pvc fence!


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## guitaristssweetheart

I made a cemetery fence this year for our haunt. I wanted to follow this method, but I was out-voted! We used 1x2 wood strapping and 1/2' PVC. I cut the PVC into 36" sections. I laid out the wood strapping and screwed the PVC every 12", leaving 4" from the bottom cross piece. We drove stakes into the ground and secured the fence to the stakes. Granted we made ours appear old and dilapidated. We screwed the PVC at angles. We weren't worried about whether the measurements were correctly.

I want to go back this year and add some more PVC at the 6" mark. I either want to purchase the finials or the PVC caps. This year I am going to go back and lightly dust my fence with green spray paint and drape it with moss.


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## Halloween Scream

*Love it!*

I'm so excited to make fencing for our graveyard this year! I ordered my finials from Kings last night and I can't wait for them to get here. Thank you for this detailed tutorial - I will be sure to post pictures when completed.


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## Halloween Scream

Halloween Scream said:


> I ordered my finials from Kings last night and I can't wait for them to get here. Thank you for this detailed tutorial - I will be sure to post pictures when completed.


Finials arrived and I'm beyond impressed. Very high quality for such a low price! I ordered the 4.5" "black pointed triad" design made for a 3/4" base.


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## GodOfThunder

Halloween Scream said:


> Finials arrived and I'm beyond impressed. Very high quality for such a low price! I ordered the 4.5" "black pointed triad" design made for a 3/4" base.


Awesome to hear! Those are what I'm going to order!

I started on mine today. This Public Service Announcement is brought to you by the sweltering Houston heat: 

I laid out my gray conduit, the 1"x2"x8' furring strips (I opted for these over the treated pine given the application and that the strips I bought were 98 cents ea VS $1.97 ea for the other). 

Started spraying and I can definitely validate what MokkNoir said about going through a LOT of paint! I've burned 3 cans so far and have most of the conduit done but barely half the 4 8' wood pieces. 

Also, I laid mine perpendicular across the wood to spray and when I came back to turn them after the first application, the heat had warped them! So the second coat was a pain in the ass. I took them and laid them on a tarp in the driveway to reshape and let them flatten out, but just an FYI to everyone who does this while we still have summer heat.


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## Papa_K

Just some of my own two cents here. PVC doesn't do well when being pounded into the ground. What I do is buy some rebar long enough so that I can pound 6 to 8 inches into the ground and have enough sticking up out of the ground to put the PVC over the rebar. Works great and leaves your pvc in decent shape.


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## GodOfThunder

Papa_K said:


> Just some of my own two cents here. PVC doesn't do well when being pounded into the ground. What I do is buy some rebar long enough so that I can pound 6 to 8 inches into the ground and have enough sticking up out of the ground to put the PVC over the rebar. Works great and leaves your pvc in decent shape.


I think that's what Mokknoir did; I went back and reread his tutorial and he indicated such.

I'd also add to *be careful about in-ground sprinkler system lines!* I've plotted mine out where they'll go and will have to offset them a bit from the edge of the sidewalk for that purpose. 

I repainted the wood strips after drilling yesterday; because I used furrowing strips (not as good a quality wood) I had more splintering on the backside than I wanted (also drill torque a factor). I'm going to also waterseal them since they'll be in the ground by sprinkler throws for several weeks.


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## ironmaiden

I agree with Papa_K
we also use long pieces of rebar pounded into the lawn then slip the pvc fence sections over it.
We have been doing this for many years now and have never had any breakage of the pvc even in some pretty bad wind storms.


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## rpick89

Great tutorial here. If I'm not mistaken I believe I followed this one when making my fence a couple years back. Thought I would post a few pics of my fence as I did adjust the layout of the posts a bit. I thought it gave the fence a little more of an interesting look.

The first two photos were taken during construction. You can see I had set up a jig on my shed wall using some angle brackets screwed into the studs at the spacing I wanted the horizontal rails to be at. Made the construction much easier. Not sure if something like that has already been mentioned earlier in the tutorial.

I added another fence section and a gate last year. Again, I thought the gate broke up the monotony of the identical fence sections and gave it a nice visual.


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## GodOfThunder

rpick89- that is tremendous!! And that's a great idea with the jig--sure would have made my work thus far much easier too. that is some tremendous fencing!

Question for you: the taller cylindrical fence breaks, are those just 3" PVC? What is the other piece added to it atop the tube but below the finial? And did you attach the wood just using standard L joints screwed in? That's a nice effect.


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## rpick89

Yes, I have to say that jig has been one of my better ideas. Lord knows I have had plenty of other crappy ones while trying to create props! Those brackets are still up ready for more fencing to be made, and i'll never have to worry about getting the horizontal pieces to match the height on the fence sections already made. 

You'll notice though that I made the initial mistake of assembling my first fence section before painting it. As someone else already mentioned it's much easier to paint the pieces first, assemble, then just touch up where needed.

The taller fence posts are 2" PVC, with just a 2" cap, then the finial glued to the cap. And yes, the wood horizontal pieces are attached using a standard angle bracket screwed in, either a 1.5" or 2" bracket, I'm not sure. Because of the slope of my yard, and the fact that the fence layout changes slightly each year I will usually take the end posts off and reinstall each year. That way I can set them at the height that I think looks best at the time I'm reinstalling. For that reason too I don't glue the 2" cap onto the post, so I have some ability to adjust the height of the post finial so it looks best. That make sense?

I also used a different method of attaching the finials to the 1/2" PVC. I used my dremel to cut 3 to 4 3/4" slots in the top of the PVC which allowed me to bend the pipe in just enough to slip on the finial. that process was a little cumbersome and now that I have a heat gun I think that would work better.

Thanks for the compliments.


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## GodOfThunder

rpick89 said:


> Yes, I have to say that jig has been one of my better ideas. Lord knows I have had plenty of other crappy ones while trying to create props! Those brackets are still up ready for more fencing to be made, and i'll never have to worry about getting the horizontal pieces to match the height on the fence sections already made.
> 
> You'll notice though that I made the initial mistake of assembling my first fence section before painting it. As someone else already mentioned it's much easier to paint the pieces first, assemble, then just touch up where needed.


The jig is a solid idea. Wish I had the space in my garage to rig soemthing like that up for other things too. Agree on the painting, although man, it's a tedious process with spray paint no matter what in my experience. 



> The taller fence posts are 2" PVC, with just a 2" cap, then the finial glued to the cap. And yes, the wood horizontal pieces are attached using a standard angle bracket screwed in, either a 1.5" or 2" bracket, I'm not sure. Because of the slope of my yard, and the fact that the fence layout changes slightly each year I will usually take the end posts off and reinstall each year. That way I can set them at the height that I think looks best at the time I'm reinstalling. For that reason too I don't glue the 2" cap onto the post, so I have some ability to adjust the height of the post finial so it looks best. That make sense?


Yeah, totally....good call. Nice flexibility there too. Just a standard PVC solid cap component I presume?



> I also used a different method of attaching the finials to the 1/2" PVC. I used my dremel to cut 3 to 4 3/4" slots in the top of the PVC which allowed me to bend the pipe in just enough to slip on the finial. that process was a little cumbersome and now that I have a heat gun I think that would work better.
> 
> Thanks for the compliments.


My finials just came in the mail today. I had already pre-cut my 1/2" dowel sections and now see that it's probabyl easier to battle through shoehorning the conduit end into the finial than it is to wrap the bejeezus with duct tape out of the dowel to fit into the finial. I don't have a heat gun; although I think my wife has an embossing machine--not sure if it will generate the heat enough to make it pliable to fit inside. But your idea of cutting the top of the pipe is a good improvisation too--nice tip!


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## rpick89

GodOfThunder said:


> The jig is a solid idea. Wish I had the space in my garage to rig soemthing like that up for other things too. Agree on the painting, although man, it's a tedious process with spray paint no matter what in my experience.


Agreed!



GodOfThunder said:


> Yeah, totally....good call. Nice flexibility there too. Just a standard PVC solid cap component I presume?



Yes



GodOfThunder said:


> My finials just came in the mail today. I had already pre-cut my 1/2" dowel sections and now see that it's probabyl easier to battle through shoehorning the conduit end into the finial than it is to wrap the bejeezus with duct tape out of the dowel to fit into the finial. I don't have a heat gun; although I think my wife has an embossing machine--not sure if it will generate the heat enough to make it pliable to fit inside. But your idea of cutting the top of the pipe is a good improvisation too--nice tip!


Yeah, I'm not sure if the embossing machine would work either. If you use a dremel-type tool to cut it will make quite the mess. I highly recommend a mask and goggles. If you don't have a dremel a pvc hack saw would work, just two cuts to make an "x". I also used a vise to hold the PVC pipe in place, much easier that way. When you go to put the finial onto the PVC you'll see it is a very tight fit. What I did was wedge the finial onto the pipe just a little, then made sure it was straight, then held it upside down and while holding the pipe gently, but firmly, tapped the finial onto the floor to drive it home. Keep the pipe as plumb as possible. If you slam it too hard, or at a slight angle you risk snapping the collar of the finial, and/or one of the PVC tabs created by the cuts. You'll see what I mean and get the hang of it pretty quick. As I said, it is a tight fit, and you will bow the square collar of the finial, but it doesn't look bad at all, and it should be pretty darn tight. Good luck regardless what method you use!


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## jfro70

> I don't have a heat gun;


Look for a Harbor Freight Tools near where you live. A heat gun there can usually be had for around $10 and will make your life a whole lot easier. Plus, it's a handy thing to have. Good Luck!
http://www.harborfreight.com/


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## Deadview

Great work but I missed something, where did you get the tops? They set everything off !


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## jfro70

I think for most people on here, King Architectural Metals is the source:

http://www.kingmetals.com/Default.aspx?page=category%20search%20results&CatList=0&Parent=1061&tree=1044*Spears+%26+Finials*0%40%401061*Plastic+Spears+%26+Plastic+Finials*[email protected]@


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## Greyhawke

A few notes - I made about 80 linear feet of this last year, so I had it down to an assembly-line science. Definitely cut the conduit and drill the holes BEFORE spray painting. The black paint will slop over into the holes. It won't be 100% solid, but enough to cover the areas not covered by the pipe.

If using conduit, 3/4" finials DO fit over w/o any heat/dowling required. I tested a few before I bought big. I used a standard pipe cutter to cut the conduit, so different tools may get different results. Since I used conduit, I went with cast iron finials. The price was .27 per unit from Kings. The advantages of cast iron: strength, ability to rust over time giving a weathered look, and a simple epoxy to hold them in place. Less hassle and I don't have to worry about them breaking.

Speaking of holding in place, I made the conduit equal lengths. Home Depot sells cut lengths of rebar - a few 1 foot sections keep the fence in place, and ORANGE cable ties let vandals know there's no way they're getting into my graveyard, save as a permanent resident. I also water the ground a bit for the fog machines and it softens it up enough to jam the conduit itself into the ground. That gives me the ability to use green fire effects and the soaked toilet paper roll trick for some great pumpkin effects safely.

For the holes, a 3/4" bit was large enough to slide the conduit into the furring strips. Since it was conduit, I had to use pilot holes. Broke a bit or two before I got the knack, but they're still cheaper per unit than the iron fencing from Lowes and Menards. That is nice stuff, but these look far better and can keep unwanteds outside.

I really do recommend conduit over PVC. I don't know the cost differential, but once made, you never have to worry about it again.


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## GodOfThunder

I've finished all of my prep work at this point. I affixed the finials onto the conduit for all sections (60 individual 3' long pieces and 20 2' ones that I'm going to run the 'foam chains' along as a side driveway border) and must say that my wife's embossing gun worked just fine to soften up the conduit and then shoehorn the finials on securely. 

it worked like a champ--once you get in the groove, it's pretty quick work too, for the most part. 

I also used 2- 2" sections of PVC as dividers between each individual section and then, my last fence-related project, is to make columns from 4' tall 8" diameter cement tubes, topped off with foam (to be monster-mudded and painted).

The attached crude diagram shows one half of the entire asembly as I'm envisioning; the mirror opposite to then exist on the other side of the walkway. I plan on using standard L brackets to join the component sections together and fit the complex atop rebar sections in the ground. 

Getting closer! Pics of the finished product to come!


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## [email protected]

What is the center to center hole spacing on an 8' section?


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## Skarvha

Love the tutorial, we took it one step futher. 
Here is our fence, my husband and I are building this year. This was a template just to show how it looks complete so the poles aren't lined up yet. There will be 38 sections made each of about 3' by 3'. 









The finials were purchased at Fencesupplyinc.com . Nice range, we bought the 1/2" Triad point ones at 25c each


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## Bryan316

I've seen the circle pieces done before, it looks so much more professional that way. Are you screwing them in place, or just using PVC cement?

One thing I've worried about, is these finials being pointy and hard. Poking an eye out is the last thing I want. So I'm planning to cut a bunch of arrow heads from 3/8" thick rubber, and hot gluing them in place. Will post results.


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## Skarvha

We are screwing the circles in, and then using my lovely Dremel to file any screws that could cause issues. Finishing it up this weekend so I should be able to post a finished photo, they do look awesome in person though


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## HallowweenKat

Skarvha--love the addition of the circles.


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## Bryan316

Here comes one of Bryan's terrible ideas.... ready?



Cut two circles off, cut the circles in half, then heat up one circle to flatten it. Glue its ends to the ends of the half circles, to make an S like you see on fencing. Or perhaps cut a PVC pipe lengthwise for long strips, to really forge some wild designs!


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## GodOfThunder

[email protected] said:


> What is the center to center hole spacing on an 8' section?


Gah--I'm guessing 6" or so. Figure an 8' (96") long bar, I did 15 fence posts (Mokknoir did 16 I believe), and I know I started 6" in arbitrarily on the start of one end of each of them to stay uniform. You can plot it out easily enough, but 6" is about right.


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## BCReaper

Great ideas everyone, thanks. This place is great! What was used for the holes in the cross-bar wood? I am looking at using a spade bit. Just not sure of the size. I am using 1/2" conduit.


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## Bryan316

1/2" conduit is approximately 13/16" or 7/8" outside diameter. Use a 7/8" spade bit so they slide in easily instead of peeling back fresh paint.

Also, you don't really need super long screws. Yes, going through both walls of the conduit and anchoring into the other side is sturdy as hell, but you really won't need THAT much strength. Cuz if someone's climbing that fence and breaks it, I'd rather they break the fence, than get into the cemetery!


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## BCReaper

Thanks Bryan. Will use the 7/8". As for screws, I should end up half way through the conduit. I pray no one will climb this! Deco only!!! lol


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## rpick89

Regarding the post spacing question, I set mine 4" on center, but I used two different height posts that you can see in my earlier post. I start with a short post and alternate from there, ending with a short post. So on an 8-foot rail section I have 12 short posts and 11 longer posts.

I think anything in the 4-12 inch range would work, as long as it looks good to you!


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## HallowweenKat

To stay within budget & so DH wouldn't complain too much about drilling the holes, I have my posts 8 inches apart. On the ends I would move the hole center 1.5" from the edge so there would be less chance of wood splitting. I used 1.25" drywall screws to screw the rails to the conduit.


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## Bryan316

By the way... if y'all don't like the look of the screw heads showing, you can quickly dab over the screw heads with wood glue, to fill in the + and if the screw recesses too far. Never see em after that.

Also, pilot holes and finish nails with tiny nail heads.


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## jbaum

If you have access to a brad nailer it will go through the wood and pipe and this is a lot faster than using screws. They don't show up like screws or leave something to snag costumes on. My assembly is less than 2 minutes per section and if you need to remove the pipe it will come out.


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## Skarvha

We have completed approx. 75% of the fence for this year. Here's the finished product.


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## Halloween Scream

I just want to say thank you to MokkNoir for posting this tutorial and everyone else who gave their input! I'd found this thread over a year ago when I was first looking for cemetery fencing ideas. I'd come back to it every few months, and finally, I got up the nerve to become a Halloween Forum member myself. I've had so much fun so far and I can't believe the talent of the people on this site! I have projects and ideas to keep me busy for years to come. Here are a few pictures of my finished cemetery fencing, which added so much to my yard haunt. I ended up doing a 3 ft fence around my front yard grass, and a 2.5 ft fence lining the walkway in my interior courtyard. Thanks again everyone!


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## matrixmom

*I need 60ft of fencing!!*

I am pondering making a fence. My only issue is $$$. My front yard where I put my fence would have to encircle @ 60ft.And that's not even encircling it all. Unless I move my cemetery to the side grassy areas.(on the right of the car) But I think it would look strange having the focal point on one side. Any ideas for cheap fencing and one maybe I can "roll up" that much footage?


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## DaveintheGrave

I know Terra uses that wooden fencing from Lowe's that rolls up. I think the fence pieces are about two feet tall and connected by wire. If you look at pics of her awesome cemetery, you'll see it.
I tried to find a pic of it on the Lowe's web site, but couldn't find it.


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## Saruman of Many Colours

I believe that it's this one: http://www.lowes.com/pd_86110-196-R...rentURL=/pl__0__s?Ntt=garden+fence&facetInfo=


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## matrixmom

Thanks Dave & Saruman...this might be the way to go. !


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## jbaum

I tried the link to Steel supply and it's dead, can you tell me what size of finials you got? They look like they are for the square metal tube and I'm assuming that they fit on the 3/4 electrical conduit. Did you order the 1" square? I need to order 400 for my fence and I want to make sure I get the correct stuff the first time.


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## HollywoodHam

This is definately a GREAT idea and I will definately utalize this idea, thanks!!!


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## The Reapers WS6

Another great method to make your fencing seem old, tattered and what not,, take a propane torch to the PVC or electrical conduit to make bends, angles,, areas of your fence where a corpse has tried to escape,,,,


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## madmangt

Digging up this thread with a question... In your fence show here, how much rebar are you using to secure this? Are you using anything to fasten the 2" PVC to the ground?


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## foolishmortal42

Another question for those that have made the PVC and wood fences....can you ballpark the cost per 8 ft section? I ask because I am comparing this to some of the premade plastic fence sections you can buy at home improvement stores. Thanks.


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## Madhatter00

Thanks for the tutorial, I think Im going to try it.


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## Skarvha

Hey, I can't really estimate the cost of the fence. Our sections are only 3' long for storage and setup (we will have a different set up each year to keep it fresh), that and we got our PVC pipe wholesale in 20' lengths (yay for having family working for a plumbing company, but boy was it hard to explain on the order!). As for securing the fence to the ground, we used 1/4" re-bar, at about 2' lengths. We tried the 1' lengths you can buy off the shelf but they weren't long enough to secure the fence. Also, we used black cable ties to secure the fences to each other. The cable ties were hardly noticeable as the fence was decorated with fake ivy and cobwebs.

Hope this helps!


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## Deaths Reach

DaveintheGrave said:


> I know Terra uses that wooden fencing from Lowe's that rolls up. I think the fence pieces are about two feet tall and connected by wire. If you look at pics of her awesome cemetery, you'll see it.
> I tried to find a pic of it on the Lowe's web site, but couldn't find it.


That's what I started using a couple years ago and it's awesome! The slats on the end of the rolls slide out of the wire easily, but you can fix that with a few staples. After set-up I walked around with some watered-down black exterior paint, slapped it on with a paintbrush-on-a-stick, and hit it lightly with the hose. Instant weathering!


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## HowlOween

Just curious, for those who have tried this fence. Would finials with a 1" base work better vs. the 3/4" where you have to heat the ends? Or would they be too loose or look awkward?


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## Saruman of Many Colours

DaveintheGrave said:


> I know Terra uses that wooden fencing from Lowe's that rolls up. I think the fence pieces are about two feet tall and connected by wire. If you look at pics of her awesome cemetery, you'll see it.
> I tried to find a pic of it on the Lowe's web site, but couldn't find it.





frughoul said:


> That's what I started using a couple years ago and it's awesome! The slats on the end of the rolls slide out of the wire easily, but you can fix that with a few staples. After set-up I walked around with some watered-down black exterior paint, slapped it on with a paintbrush-on-a-stick, and hit it lightly with the hose. Instant weathering!
> 
> View attachment 121201


This is what I'm planning to use for this year. I too had noticed that it doesn't seem to be listed on the Lowes website anymore, but stopped at the local store last week. Still have a good quantity of these rolls on the shelf.


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## Lumpy

So how expensive is that roll fencing from Lowes? I didnt see a price.


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## Saruman of Many Colours

Lumpy said:


> So how expensive is that roll fencing from Lowes? I didnt see a price.


Think that it was $19.99 for a 15'-long roll of the fencing, when I had looked at it.


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## EveningKiss

This is a section of the fence i am making. I have 4 done right now but need to make at least 6 more. The fencing is spaced 8 inches apart. Here is half of the gate i am working on as well. I am painting it right now. Once done the gate will hang from a set of pillars and actually work.









For me the prices broke down like this (for the fence)
3 pieces of 1"x2"x8' @ $0.75/each
11 Pieces of 5' pipe @ $1.50/each
A Box of wood screws (2lb box for $6.49)
12 Fence finials from Kings Metals (plastic) @ $0.24 each (I buy 100 at a time)
Total Cost PER section: ABOUT $9.63 not counting the price of screws.


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## Zombastic

Great job everyone!
I have access to a bunch of old pallets so I think I'm gonna go that route.


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## Chops6965

Why do I only see circles with a dash in the middle on MokkNoirs first post instead of pictures?


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## xxScorpion64xx

Chops6965 said:


> Why do I only see circles with a dash in the middle on MokkNoirs first post instead of pictures?


I see that too Chops. thought it was just my smartphone


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## EveningKiss

if his photos were originally on Hauntforum or something like that where the site no longer exists that could be why.


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## Zombastic

I got a bunch of dirty old pallets for my fence. Would you guys paint it or leave it?


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## xxScorpion64xx

EveningKiss said:


> if his photos were originally on Hauntforum or something like that where the site no longer exists that could be why.


thanks EveningKiss....


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## xxScorpion64xx

Zombastic said:


> I got a bunch of dirty old pallets for my fence. Would you guys paint it or leave it?


I would at least give it a watered down coat of either white or black...


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## trashinfekt

This looks cool, thanks for the idea


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## Predator35

rpick89,

Awesome fence.May I ask how you went about making the gate,bending the pvc and the ornant pieces?

Daren


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## im the goddess

I'd leave it. It looks perfect the way it is. It looks weathered and worn.



Zombastic said:


> I got a bunch of dirty old pallets for my fence. Would you guys paint it or leave it?


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## Great Pumpkin

I used the white picket fence and AI think I got it from Home Depot a number of years ago.


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## Twiceshy

Nice picket fence!


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## Twiceshy

rpick89...........How long are the short pieces of conduit? Awesome job!


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## Stonegate_Manor

I am so glad we are not the only crazy people! Storage is the hardest part of these big fences, but so worth it to keep the kiddies from romping through the graveyard!















It's also nice to be able to close the gate, not that it would stop someone really wanting to get in, but it helps.


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## SaltwaterServr

Stonegate_Manor said:


> I am so glad we are not the only crazy people! Storage is the hardest part of these big fences, but so worth it to keep the kiddies from romping through the graveyard!
> 
> View attachment 216708
> View attachment 216709
> 
> 
> It's also nice to be able to close the gate, not that it would stop someone really wanting to get in, but it helps.


Great looking fence!


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## BCReaper

Hi All,

I built the Cemetery Fence on which this thread was started, using the first listed tutorial. Does anyone know a way of weather-proofing the fence? I intend to leave it out for a few days, and I just want to protect it.

Thanks in advance.

BCR


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## Joecan10

Very Nice work, very very nice


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## mlcurtis44

Hi, I have a question... What are the little black pointy things, that y'all are using on the tops of the pickets, on the cemetery fences?? Thanks in advance


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## spookydave

they are called finials


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## Stonegate_Manor

They are finials. Google plastic fence finials and you will get a bunch of different places you can buy them, and there a few different types you can get.


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## mlcurtis44

Thank you


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## ryanlamprecht

MokkNoir, is there any chance you could reinsert your pictures for this tutorial? None of them seem to be showing up. Or is everyone else able to see them and it's just a problem I'm having with viewing them?


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## budude

I started getting the parts for my new fence which will include eight 7' sections for the main fence and two 5' sections for the gate. I will be using 6" center-to-center spacing. I just bought 150 plastic finials and a 7/8" twist bit to round out the finials (need to go from .75" square to .85" circle) and a 7/8" forstner bit for the fence sections. I have no idea where I'm going to store these but can't wait to see them up in the yard - it will look great! Thanks for original post (~6 year ago!).


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## ldogg53

Noticed that others posted photos of their picket fences so I thought I'd drop mine in here. We did the same cheap roll of fence material from Lowes. I randomly took out a few pickets here and there and then put some back crooked. We then just did a dry brush treatment on them with black paint starting from the top down. To hold them up I bought some 2' sections of rebar and just strategically drive that into the ground at angles in front of and behind the pickets. 
I've got about 65' worth and it rolls up into a few small bundles. It is a space saver in the garage.


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## Papa_K

I love your fence.


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## Papa_K

Where did you get those LED lights you use on your tombstones?


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## ldogg53

Papa_K said:


> Where did you get those LED lights you use on your tombstones?


Those are actually just standard blue floodlight bulbs I bought from Lowes. I've been using the same ones for 6 years now. Sooner or later they'll go out and I'll have to replace with new LEDs I guess.


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## Stonegate_Manor

I actually got little led flashlights at the dollar store, a lot of them. I then attached green lenses I made to them. We also use floods for overall lighting.


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## vduvernet

Hi,
- the first images are not available anymore. 
- where did you find the peaks at the top of the PVC tubes ?
Thanks


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## EveningKiss

vduvernet said:


> Hi,
> - the first images are not available anymore.
> - where did you find the peaks at the top of the PVC tubes ?
> Thanks


I get mine: https://www.kingmetals.com/Catalog/Catalog.aspx?CatalogId=c39&CatalogDetailId=145&NSM=Y 
They are probably the most expensive part of my fence builds but worth it.


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## creeeepycathy

I can't see the images either. But, this tutorial shows you how to make the peaks/ finials. It's an easy how-to; I made this fence a few years ago & unfortunately sold it. {now making another}.  
click here: http://www.stolloween.com/?p=6377


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## chicksedh

EveningKiss said:


> View attachment 173009
> 
> This is a section of the fence i am making. I have 4 done right now but need to make at least 6 more. The fencing is spaced 8 inches apart. Here is half of the gate i am working on as well. I am painting it right now. Once done the gate will hang from a set of pillars and actually work.
> 
> View attachment 173010
> 
> 
> For me the prices broke down like this (for the fence)
> 3 pieces of 1"x2"x8' @ $0.75/each
> 11 Pieces of 5' pipe @ $1.50/each
> A Box of wood screws (2lb box for $6.49)
> 12 Fence finials from Kings Metals (plastic) @ $0.24 each (I buy 100 at a time)
> Total Cost PER section: ABOUT $9.63 not counting the price of screws.


How are you making the working sections of fence tie in to pillars?


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## adh-florida

Skarvha said:


> We have completed approx. 75% of the fence for this year. Here's the finished product.
> View attachment 91998


HOw did you do the tops of the fence?


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## bobby2003

adh-florida said:


> HOw did you do the tops of the fence?


I think a lot of people get plastic fence finials like these, but if I recall sometimes people need to heat the top of the pcv pipe slightly to get them to fit. I'm sure there are plenty of fence building threads if you use the search function.






Plastic Spears & Finials







www.kingmetals.com


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