How to Install a 4 Foot Vinyl Pool Fence

Measure the length of your vinyl fence panels. These panels run between the fence stakes and form the main body of your fence. Measure the width of the fence posts.

Identify the desired line of your fence, driving wooden stakes into the ground to mark it. Set a laser level on the fence line to provide a guide for the stake placement, following the laser to create straight fence lines. Use a hammer to drive the stakes into the ground about 3 inches deep. Use the length of the panels plus half the width of the vinyl posts to space the stakes, placing a stake into what will become the fencepost position. Run a piece of string between adjacent stakes, attaching the string to the stake top with a thumbtack to give you a visual representation of the fence location. Include a section for the gate, measuring the gate length and the gateposts and adding 2 inches to allow room for installation hardware, before placing the stakes to mark the posts' positions.

Dig the holes for the posts into the ground using a post-hole digger. Make the post holes 10 inches in diameter and extend them to the depth indicated by your local building codes. You can consult a building inspector to determine the necessary depth, which much extend through the frost layer for your region. Add 6 inches to the depth for a gravel layer on the bottom to aid in drainage. Add 6 more inches to the post holes beside the gate for a bit more strength in holding the posts in place.

Install the first post, beginning at one side of the gate. Fill the bottom of the post hole with 6 inches of gravel. Mix a batch of quick-setting concrete in a large bucket and then pour the concrete into the hole, filling it up. Lower the post into the hole, centered in the concrete, and tap it into place so that concrete rises into the center of the pole. Slope the concrete around the base of the pole away to help with drainage. Make sure the post is plumb by placing a carpenter’s level against two adjacent sides. Adjust it as needed. Check the posts a second time before the concrete sets completely in case further adjustments are needed. Wait for the manufacturer’s recommended drying time before adding the panels between the posts.

Measure the distance between mounts on the fence panels, and then use the measurements to place the mounting brackets onto the vinyl posts. Screw the rail brackets for the panels to the fence posts on the sides of the posts along which the panels will run. Screw the brackets in place using the type of screws recommended by the panel manufacturers. Attach a screw set to an electric drill to allow you to quickly set the brackets into the rails. Run a straightedge with a level over it between the rails once you’ve set the brackets into the first post to make certain that the corresponding brackets on the adjacent post are level, giving you a level fence.

Slide the fence panels into the brackets and secure the panels in place with screws turned through the brackets and into the panels. Use the same method to install the panels surrounding the pool. Keep all panels level with one another for neatness, unless on a slope; there, use a stepped mount, with one panel slightly higher or lower than the next according to the slope.

Cut two 2-by-4-inch boards to the same height as the gateposts using a carpenter saw. Place the boards inside the posts for strength. Drill holes in the posts for the gate hinges, and then screw the hinges in place using hinge lag screws. Install the latch for the gate to the opposing gatepost using latch screws. Screw the gate onto the hinges to complete its hanging.

Cut all posts to a height of 4 feet using a hacksaw. Place vinyl adhesive onto the interior of the post caps and then push the caps over the cut posts. Hold each cap in place for 10 seconds to secure it in place. Remove any excess adhesive with a damp sponge to complete the fence installation.