Sika Post Fix

[funkytuqe]

Anyone use this stuff for fence posts? It's a fairly new product that is an expanding type of foam. Much easier than concrete and comparable in price (1 pack = 2 cement bags). My neighbor just used it for his fence and is pretty exited about it and everything is rock solid. I'm thinking about using it for my fence posts now. Any thoughts?

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/post-fix/832491

[98brg2d]

I used Fast 2K from Totem a couple of years ago. Different name, same chemicals and process. I used it when I built/rebuilt my gates as their posts either couldn't be installed with the fence or needed to be pulled out and reinstalled.

Overall it works. Is it as sturdy as concrete - no. It isn't even as sturdy as the posts that were previously installed straight into the soil with no concrete (we couldn't tell there was no concrete until we dug them all up). The posts are very "bouncy". If you push on them they flex and spring back whereas the posts I did with cement can hardly be moved at all (this is comparing single non-adjoined posts with both methods).

Where this really shines is if you have a few posts to do and don't want to (or can't) mix the concrete (due to time or temperature constraints) - you know, be started and finished the posts in an hour or two including digging.

[funkytuqe]

Thanks for the input 98brg2d. Did you notice the springiness in the posts with Fast2K right away or did it deteriorate over time? The posts my neighbour did are super solid but he only did it a couple of weeks ago.

[98brg2d]

I noticed the springiness as soon as I tested them after the full recommended set time (a day or two, something like that).

They have not deteriorated over time. There was a period where I thought they actually got more solid after the first week but I am not sure about that now.

I think long term they will hold up almost as well as the cemented posts but I also did not use it on load bearing posts, these are free standing. I don't think they will fall over but they may lean if used in the main fence and the fence is not built very well and the posts are not installed as deep as they should be (happens often in Calgary - hit a boulder and that is where you stop, could be 24" or 30" but IME it is rare to be able to get a post to or past 36").

One other point - they say you only need one bag per hole but due to pulling cobbles and boulders out you will inevitably end up with a hole that is larger than recommended (by them) and you may come up short. The bags are also not easy to get a good mix and the end of the bag will always have some unmixed portion that is wasted. I think the bag shape (brand specific) controls this so other brands may work better than the one I used. In the event that you have a short hole you will get some overflow unless you watch it rise carefully, this stuff has huge expansion, but you can cut that down after with a saw.

[funkytuqe]

Ok, i think i may give this a try since it looks like it is supper easy to work with. I'll post up in 2-3 weeks about my experience with post fix