As it’s about to blow a gale, I am going to buy some replacement fence panels – the way my week is going, I’m expecting that they will be needed……!

Just measured up my current fence panels and, annoyingly/typically they seem to be a unique size at 180cm square, not the 6ft x 6ft standard (183cm square).

While 3cm doesn’t sound like a lot, it is enough to mean that the panels won’t fit (unless I cut them down which is a faff).

I’ve looked at all sources online. Have 180cm square panels suddenly vanished from the market? I’m a bit stumped as I just need half a dozen standard-looping lap panels, possibly the most basic requirement, but the size I have doesn’t exist anymore. WTF?

Thanks in advance for any advice/help.

Just swap all your posts for slightly wider ones?

andrewh, the actual issue is that the panels I have are narrower by 3cm than the standard 6ft type (mine are 180cm, and the standard are 183cm).

If it was the other way around, I could easily put a batten in to take up the space.

However, I can’t use narrower posts.

It looks like I will need to cut down some standard panels.

Screw 183cm panels to the front (or rear) face of the post, then screw a cover strip the same width as the post on top. Voila!

Buying fencing to fit an existing gap online is a hiding to nothjng

It’s a nominal 6ft so it will depend on supplier. Some have metricised to 180cm but still list as 6ft

Others list as 1.8 but are actually 6ft.

Common as shit in timber annoyingly. Some are well known to common users but you still get folk wondering why X by X timber is actually under the advertised size
…

If I had a gap id be going to the supplier and measuring the board against the gap my self. – that said bnq list both 6ft and 1.8 so I’m.going to suggest Google foo failure ?

As for changing out the posts. Don’t be daft.

https://www.travisperkins.co.uk/product/gardens-and-landscaping/fencing-and-trellis/fence-panels/c/1500100/?facets%5BWidth%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D=1800%20mm&pageLimit=20

trail-rat, good to hear I’m not the first the encounter this issue. I just need to replace a few panels that are looking a bit ropey.

Kevs, thanks for the link. I had looked at TP but they don’t have the basic lap design that I need. They do have the 180cm dimension but the designs don’t match what I have.

I think I’m going to get some 183cm versions and cut them down – I can do that in less time than trying to find the 180s!

Just done about 20 panels over tge last few months so I sympathise. Mostly lucky on spacing and panel sizing, except for a strange bit where I needed to adapt 4 panels to fit around pillars
and gaps. I did wonder at times why I didn’t do rails and slats instead.

At least your posts will be straight. Previous owner put in those concrete posts with the channel that the panel just slides into…except that half are not uite straight, so the panels blow out in the wind. FInally sorted it this year by buy panels that are edged all the way round with decent diameter wood, and have fitted tapered fillets of the same dimension to them to match the wonky posts.

Alternative was to dig out 30 ish posts and replace, without knackering the neighbours very lovely garden. That wasn’t going to happen. This winter was the first time no panels blew out – result!