Head to Head - Concrete vs Postmix

Regardless of the outcome of PostCrete V Concrete can we all just appreciate how much physical effort Stuart put in to do this video 👏🏻

What would really be a winner, is if Blue Circle sold bags of ready dug post holes.

as someone who is not bad at diy ,this guy is so helpful he deserves a medal ,cheers stu

You made very hard work of a very easy process regarding postcrete😂😂😂😂😂

I've used both over the years. Postcrete is a lot faster, and no cleanup to barrow, spades, etc. It also hardens off from moisture in the soil over an extended period, gradually solidifying more & more over weeks, if the ground is generally wet, so doesn't need as much water as shown. Keep adding water to the area, if needed in dry conditions, and it'll be fine. Exposed wood at the base doesn't really matter, as oxygen is very low there, and the rot is usually more of a problem at the top of the concrete, where surface soil is in contact with the post, so building up the concrete above soil-level is a good idea. Also consider what happens in 10-20 yrs, when you need to replace the post - trying to break out full-fat concrete is a real pain once the post has broken off at the base, but post-mixes usually break up easier. Concrete for concrete posts, postcrete for timber posts. Or combination of postmix first to quickly hold position, & concrete at the top? Wear a decent mask.

I applaud you for the amount of hard work you put in to make this video for us DIYers.

Something that comes across strongly watching this, you are very experienced at using concrete but a beginner at using postcrete. I ran a fencing business in the 1970's and we mixed large amounts of concrete when putting in posts but these days when i help friends with their garden fences I always use postcrete for ease. And I do it carefully making sure the mixing is effective. Using a metal bar rather than a piece of wood to thoroughly mix all the way to the base of the post.

Speed's usually of the essence, so I tend to use postcrete. However, after a bit of trial and error many years ago, I tend to fill the hole in stages, i.e. bit of water, bit of postcrete, give it a good stir/tamp and then repeat until I'm at the top. Beats getting out the mixer or barrow and the speed of the accelerant really makes it a one-man job. Great comparison, though - another really helpful and informative video. Many thanks.

What a great video and explanation. I used Postmix for the first time a few months ago and am so relieved that you came across the same experience and questions. I got to the point that I thought I had just not read the instructions correctly. Plus yes, I had to run off to the suppliers to get another two bags. Once finished, as I turned to clean and put away the tools, I muttered to myself that at least it will be easier to get the stuff out when I need to replace the post.

Thanks for this Stuart. Really appreciate the effort for this sort of scientific study. I did know the difference but I still found this helpful.

I love your passion, thanks for all that hard work, showing the differences across both.

Very informative video. Thank you. I helped my son in law build a garden fence couple year ago. We set the posts in Post crete. Great stuf. Posts were treated, then i painted them with fence on paint before we erected them.

Both ways you tried are something that personally, I would NEVER DO. When I moved into my house, over 20 years ago, the fence at the side of the drive was rotten. I decided that if I was to replace the fence myself, I better make sure that it not only lasted but was easy to repair if it ever needed doing again. This is what I did: 1) I dug the old posts out (12). 2) I then mixed concrete and instead of putting the posts in, I concreted 3 feet of fall pipe into the ground, making sure that the bottom of the pipe was still on soil. 3) A 4x4 fence post is a nice snug fit in a fall pipe but before pushing the posts in, I filled the pipes with about 5 inches of pea gravel and I soaked the bottom 3 foot of the fence posts in creosote for a few days. 4) I then pushed in the fence posts and filled round the edges with pea gravel. Why did I do this? When it rains, the water goes down the fence post and through the gravel into the ground like a mini soakaway at the bottom of each post. So far the posts are still solid after 20 years, but even if one did rot at the bottom, I merely remove some gravel and replace the post with no more digging of concrete bases EVER. I could literally replace a post in about 20 minutes and have the panels re attached. Hope this is helpful to anyone who is about to put up a fence, certainly something to think about if you are planning on staying in the house for a long time.

Hi Stuart . Thanks for this video , having used the postcrete product it did seem to work for me . But having said that I did wonder what was going on underground , which you’re demo has explained . With my little project I was able to use the first post to support the fence panel so working out the position of the next , and so to continue the project on the same day . Obviously your preferred method is the best , but to accurately set the spacing of the posts for preformed fence panels is no easy task . I personally would find it quite difficult , but with your skill set you would have no problem . Best wishes and kind regards. 😀👍👍👍

Fascinating as always. I thought similar to what you thought when we did our posts for the fence so thank you for clarifying!

Objective and excellent advice. I've put quite a few posts into our garden and have always used concrete - so my gut instinct has been validated by this unbiased experiment.

Fantastic experiment! I've always wondered how the 2 would compare. Thanks for doing this

Regardless of whether you use Postcrete or (as I prefer) a concrete mix, a wooden post will rot within its 'socket'. I paint the post sides (to just above ground level) and post end with bitumen paint and allow it to dry for a few hours before setting into the hole, to sit on 2-3" of tamped gravel or stone to promote drainage. Add one or two struts to keep the post upright and in the correct alignment and pour in and tamp concrete mix in stages, adding some broken brick or stone lumps around the post after each pouring to both bulk out the filling and help to wedge the post. Make sure the concrete sits a little above the ground and slope it to allow surface water to drain away. If rain is likely, protect the concrete with pieces of brick or wood and leave until the next day before removing struts and fixing fence panels.

So glad someone did this. Had to put some posts into ground with a high water table recently and was deeply sceptical that postcrete would work well when poured into a hole half filled with water already, but had no other choice. Fortunately I wasn't building a big structure.

Very interesting comparison, great methodology. I have always felt this about postcrete, because you just can not mix it properly. Great work!