What posts for privacy screening?

sandymo

 Hi All, I’m looking at adding privacy screening to my back fence line using Ekodeck screening which will sit 500-600mm higher than the 1.8m back fence. The plan is to not have it attached to the fence and to install posts on our side to support. 
My question is what is the best but most cost effective posts to support the screening panels? I don’t know whether to drill the ekodeck panels to the front of a timber post or use aluminium post with a slat system to slide them in. Any advice welcome as I’m a reno newbie. 

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @sandymo. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about creating privacy screening.

First, we'll need to establish the height of the posts needed. If we assume that your fence is 1800mm high and you want the screening 600mm above that, we get an above-ground post height of 2400mm. On the minimal end, a post should have 1/3 of its length in the ground to be well supported. So, that would be a total length of 3200mm. You'd possibly get away with using 100 x 100mm 3.0m H4 Treated Pine Posts. Perhaps you could even combine, using the timber posts to establish most of the needed height and then affix the Jack 1.1m 19mm Slat Rear Fix Screen Up on them. Be advised that the existing slat systems are designed for 19mm decking timbers and not 22mm composite decking timbers. There is Ekodeck 67 x 15mm 2.7m Greystone Classic Screening Composite, which will suit the 16mm Screen-Up system.

I'm not aware of any aluminium posts with a slat system that could achieve your overall height by itself.

Given the height of your screening, you might like to consider plant alternatives. Here are some helpful guides: How to choose a screening plant, How to create privacy by planting and How to choose a hedging plant.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell