The Ultimate Guide to Wire Mesh Fencing: Everything You Need to Know

For 20 years, QiangYu Fence has been dedicated to providing customers with the highest quality fences in the industry. Our loyalty to customers and continuous product improvement have kept us at the forefront of the residential and commercial fencing industry. We can provide fencing for any homeowner, government agency, company, or business. We are willing to transform our expertise into any type of property or wire mesh fencing ideas you might have.

Choosing the right fence for your project can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t have extensive fencing experience. Fortunately, we’ve outlined all the necessary information you need to know about different types of fences. If you don’t want to do all the research, that’s okay too. Welded Wire Fence fencing is a great common choice because it is simple, low-maintenance, and offers protective features. Many of our customers, some with extensive experience in landscape fencing and some with none at all, choose wire mesh fencing because it effectively provides the security a fence needs to offer.

Welded Wire Fence
The most popular type of wire mesh is Welded Wire Fence, which we specialize in producing. Due to the popularity of Welded Wire Fence, you may have heard of them by other names such as mesh fencing, utility fencing, or general-purpose fencing. Welded Wire Fence is similar to chain link fencing but more secure because they are sturdier and harder to climb. Welded Wire Fence consists of steel wire strands welded together to form a very strong mesh. In recent years, Welded Wire Fence has become very popular due to its high strength, functionality, and low maintenance requirements. It is also one of the cheaper fencing options.

Welded Wire Fence consist of wires arranged in simple horizontal and vertical patterns to form square or rectangular spaces, providing additional strength. While other patterned fences may scatter when cut, even if Welded Wire Fence is damaged, the fence’s integrity remains intact. The wires do not scatter like woven fences, providing maximum protection if someone tries to cut through the fence.

Welded Wire Fence have wire thicknesses ranging from 2mm to 8mm. The welded wires are thick and sturdy. If your goal is to protect your property from animals and rodents, the wires are difficult to cut and bite through. The distance between two horizontal wires typically ranges from 12.7mm to 200mm, and the distance between two vertical wires usually ranges from 10mm to 76.2mm. The spacing between the wires generally ranges from 0.5 to 4 inches. Additionally, these types of fences are ideal when you need a fence with high vertical strength but need to span and protect larger distances.

Uses of Welded Wire Fence
Welded Wire Fence is perfect for any property that needs protection. It is also commonly used because it is easy to see through, allowing owners to be aware of any intruders. In fact, one reason for its popularity is that the fence itself is hard to see; many owners installing Welded Wire Fence in forests will mark the fence with flags so that deer can see it. Popular locations for Welded Wire Fence include zoos and national borders, such as those in Europe.

While wire mesh is ideal for protecting commercial and government-owned properties, it is also equally suitable for residential properties. Many of our customers purchase Welded Wire Fence for their residential properties to mark their property boundaries and keep pets and unwanted visitors out.

Other common areas where you can find wire mesh fences or Welded Wire Fence include around public buildings, buildings requiring high security features like prisons, national borders, and parks and nature reserves.

History of Welded Wire Fence
Wire itself was invented about 2000 years ago in Egypt, using metals like gold, silver, or copper. Drawn wire, similar to the wire used in today’s fences, was invented around 1450 in Augsburg, Germany. There is debate about when the first wire fence was invented, but it started being used in the US around 1867. Farmers used it to enclose livestock because LB Smith from Ohio first made a fence from materials similar to wire mesh. Previously, building wooden fences was a significant investment for farmers, often costing as much as the livestock itself. Using wire fences instead of wooden fences or herders proved beneficial because wire fences were less likely to be trampled, allowed for farming on larger areas of land, and better controlled livestock.

Surface Treatments for Welded Wire Fence
While popular surface treatments for Welded Wire Fence include simple painting or spraying, there are many other surface treatment options that can provide more protection for your fence without affecting its aesthetic value.

A common coating for Welded Wire Fence is powder coating. As the name suggests, powder coating is a free-flowing dry powder. It is electrostatically applied and then cured under heat to form a tougher polymer coating. Powder coatings are harder and more durable than paint coatings. However, like paint coatings, powder coatings come in various colors, offering a great opportunity to help your new fence blend with your property or complement its style. Powder coating colors range from grass green to pastel blue.

Stainless steel is a popular anti-corrosion finish. Stainless steel contains chromium, molybdenum, and carbon, which can easily reduce acid before it reaches the underlying metal. Stainless steel is also very effective at preventing staining. It is strong, has a natural luster, and requires very low maintenance: all qualities that make it a very popular choice for wire mesh finishes.

Another popular surface treatment for Welded Wire Fence is galvanizing. Galvanizing is the process of coating zinc to prevent rusting. The most common method of galvanizing is hot-dipping, which essentially means dipping the wire mesh into molten zinc. Galvanizing the Welded Wire Fence can protect the wire mesh in many ways, including shielding the metal from corrosive substances and preventing zinc from corroding before the iron does.

How to Install Wire Mesh Yourself
Wire mesh is ideal for DIY projects because it is affordable, simple, and easy to install. Welded mesh is much lighter than woven mesh because the wires are not crimped. Additionally, it uses fewer wires. As mentioned earlier, Welded Wire Fence can be cut without falling apart as a whole. This means you can cut the wire mesh roll wherever needed to ensure your fence fits perfectly between the posts.

Before you gather your materials and start the project, you need to consider the purpose of the fence. What are you using it for? What do you want it to look like? What area do you want to enclose? How many yards does the fence need to cover? What do you want to keep in or out of your property? A fence meant to keep pets inside doesn’t need to be as tall as one meant to deter intruders. What gauge of wire do you need to provide the protection you want? What protective coating and finish do you want for your fence?

Once you have a clear understanding of your purpose and the dimensions of the fence needed, for DIY wire mesh fence installation, you need some basic materials and tools, which you can also obtain from a basic fence company like ours. Materials include basic tools such as a hammer, welded wire, wooden posts, and fence staples. You can also use metal posts, which are usually less sturdy but easier and faster to install than wooden posts. It is essential to ensure you obtain high-quality materials from reliable and trustworthy manufacturers. The better the quality of the wire mesh and posts, the longer your fence will last and the better it will look. We can provide high-quality wire mesh of various lengths, heights, and gauges.

After obtaining the materials, just follow a few basic steps.

1. Dig Holes for the Posts and Install Them

Insert the posts into the ground a few feet apart, depending on how many posts you have and how long you want the fence to be.

2. Secure the Top and Bottom Rails Between the Posts with a Hammer

Cut the top rails to the appropriate length so that each end of the top rail is in the middle of one post. Nail them to the top of the posts. The bottom rails need to be cut to fit between the posts. After cutting, slide them between the posts.

3. Staple the Mesh Fence to the Posts, Top Rails, and Bottom Rails

Unroll the Welded Wire Fence from one post to the next. You may need someone to hold the starting end of the mesh at the first post. Use fence staples to secure the wire to the top rail every 3 inches until you reach the next post. When you reach the next post, pull it tight and staple the fence to the post every 6 inches. Go back and staple the fence to the bottom rail, just as you did to the top rail.

4. Trim Excess Mesh and Add Top Rails

Continue the steps above until you reach the last post. Then, trim the excess mesh with wire cutters to ensure the fence fits perfectly. Trim along the last post evenly. You can nail top rails to the top rail to secure the wire mesh in place and enhance aesthetics.

If you need to splice a new roll between posts, trim the old row evenly to the edge of the post, even if it hasn’t reached the post. Start the new roll so that one row of squares overlaps the old roll.

If you prefer using metal posts, drive them into the ground about 8 feet apart with a sledgehammer or post driver. Hang the mesh on the hooks of one post, then pull it to the other posts, repeating the same process. Hang all the posts until completed, keeping the mesh tight. While the metal post method is obviously quicker and simpler than using wooden posts, the fence may not be as stable.

Why You Should Choose QiangYu Fence for Wire Mesh Installation
QiangYu Fence promises our customers that all work will be handled professionally and timely, with quality service and attention to detail, providing the best investment value for any work you may need us to complete. Whether you purchase DIY wire mesh fencing materials from us or wish us to help with larger fencing projects, we are committed to helping you achieve your dream fence with the highest quality products and services. QiangYu Fence supports implementing safety practices in our work environment, exceeding safety requirements, and is certified by the Environmental Protection Agency.