Man, I should have asked you guys for advice before I started. They'll probably end up replacing the whole fence at some point in the next 1-3 years, but for now it was an eyesore and I wanted to do something to help in the meantime since they haven't shown any signs that they were going to.
To make things worse, I'm only visiting for a few more days so I'm concerned that I don't really have time to start over and do it properly. I don't know anyone in the area with a saw I can borrow, especially on such short notice. I've tried filling some of the gaps with plastic wood, and I'll see how that fares once it dries. Honestly, if that doesn't work I'm thinking of just nailing in some horizontal boards instead of trying to start over with all of these posts from scratch, giving the time constraints.
I can then try to do it properly next time I visit.
There is probably no long term solution that will last very long other than starting over with appropriately sized post. Wood, especially that found outdoors, moves so much due to temperature changes that any putty or such will crumble and fall out shortly.
In a situation like that, a cheap handsaw would have been worth the extra cost.
Yeah, since it was 70 or so posts my relatives discouraged me from doing it with a handsaw, and I didn't really know any better since this is my first time doing something like this. I definitely regret the approach now.
When you mention a handsaw, do you mean an electric saw or a totally manual handsaw? I did experiment with a miter box / handsaw and couldn't even get through a single 2x2 with it.
They live in southern CA so I wonder if the temperature might be less of an issue for a short term solution?
If they're going to be there for 5+ years, just replace the whole fence. Those un-treated 2x2 won't last long... Unless you got cedar?
Also don't use nails, buy coated screws for exterior use and as you screw it in, it will suck in the top and bottom rails that are sagging. Probably need to use 3 inch long screws and predrill or use a pocket hole guide.
DON'T USE GLUE- unnecessary and probably ineffective as well.
I did a deck last summer, and I'd recommend writing down all the wood you need to replace the fence and then add 10% extra materials, and get a couples quotes from local lumber stores and then home depot.
The fence is built in two layers, and the nails to hold in the posts are in between the two layers of the frame of the fence. So if I tried to screw through the fence I would end up hitting the nails that are already in there between the two pieces. Hence trying to use the existing nails in the top.
Looks like a nice fence. Personally I would move ahead with refurbishing vs replacing. Like the poster above said, make sure you are using pressure treated wood or cedar. If you purchased untreated pine, that gives you an opportunity to start over anyway. :) Borrow a miter saw so you can make precision cuts as the sizes of the posts may need to vary slightly.
Perhaps you could fill the gaps with exterior paintable caulk, but this will be annoying and won't be as good or as strong as using the correctly sized pieces.
Yeah, it's untreated douglas green fir. So it really sounds like I should start over on the wood posts when I have more time. I tried using caulk and it was a huge pain just to try to fill in one. Plastic wood is a little easier to work with for this purpose, so it might be the short term solution I'm looking for. All of your comments are making it clear this isn't really a solution that will last for them, though. But I'm hoping it will be enough to hold them until my next visit later in the year?
Also, how are you are securing the posts from the bottom? It looks difficult to get a drill or a hammer underneath.
The posts aren't actually really secured on the bottom yet in the pictures. If I go with the plastic wood method, I'm thinking that will work as the adhesive.