Hide Rot-Proof Steel Posts Inside an All-Wood Fence

The Problem

Wood 4x4 fence posts are the first thing to fail — they rot at the ground line long before the pickets give out. Steel posts solve that, but a row of exposed metal posts on a wood fence looks like a chain-link yard trying to dress up.

The Technique

Postmaster-style posts are galvanized steel with a flat, screwable face — made to be buried inside the fence rather than shown off. This creator recommends them to all his clients and wraps them so the finished fence reads as solid cedar:

1. Set the posts as usual — in concrete, or driven, since the profile allows it.
2. For a horizontal fence: screw 2x2 nailers to the post face, running the full height.
3. Nail the horizontal pickets to the 2x2s.
4. Add a cover picket on the front and back of each post line to hide the metal completely.

For a vertical fence it's more direct: screw the rails straight to the post's flat face, then nail the pickets to the rails. Either way, no steel shows from either side of the finished fence.