Fence post spike vs bolt down
Updated: October 2026
You have soil beside a concrete patio. Fence post spike vs bolt down is a choice about the surface, not about which brand scored more stars. A drive-in spike needs ground that will hold a light fence. A bolt-down shoe needs concrete that is already sound. A tall exposed run can reject both. Peter F. compared the amazon.co.uk listings in the [post support comparison](/hub/fencing-and-wire/post-support) on 19 October 2026. We did not fit them. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You have soil beside a concrete patio. Fence post spike vs bolt down is a choice about the surface, not about which brand scored more stars. A drive-in spike needs ground that will hold a light fence.
You have soil beside a concrete patio. Fence post spike vs bolt down is a choice about the surface, not about which brand scored more stars. A drive-in spike needs ground that will hold a light fence. A bolt-down shoe needs concrete that is already sound. A tall exposed run can reject both. Peter F. compared the amazon.co.uk listings in the post support comparison on 19 October 2026. We did not fit them. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Type | Fixes to | Post fit | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  AHAQU AHAQU elevated adjustable post base | Elevated base | Hard base | 100 mm diameter | 9.6 | about £23.99 | View offer |
 Anmas Power Anmas Power drive-in repair stake | Repair stake | Soil beside post | No mm range | 9.0 | about £29.99 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Xingwenhao Xingwenhao bolt-down adjustable bracket | Bolt-down bracket | Deck or concrete | 38–101 mm | 8.8 | about £10.99 | View offer |
On this page
Use a drive-in spike when the soil can hold a light fence
Egerton Timber’s guide puts a drive-in spike on light, low, temporary work in soil that will hold, and takes it off gates, tall exposed fencing, pergolas and heavy wind. Clay is the awkward case. Egerton names frost heave, and a wet clay that will not grip is a poor home for a spike.
In this set the drive-in repair stakes are Anmas Power, the two Vinclus models, and the Vigtayue repair kit. The VEVOR pack is a drive-in socket titled for 2 x 2 inch timber, not a 100 mm fence post. A stake does not bolt to a patio. If the lawn edge is loose, stony or a buried rubble line, a bigger hammer is the wrong next step.
Use a bolt-down shoe when the concrete is already there and sound
A bolt-down shoe is the method when a slab, a path or a shed base is already in place and thick enough for anchors. Egerton and Empress Fencing both send you there when you are not digging. East Coast Fencing flags thin slabs and loose patio edges as a bolt-down failure. Essex Concrete and Fencing also exclude exposed coastal sites, tall solid panels and heavy driveway gates.
Xingwenhao, the best value, prints sizes from 38 x 38 mm to 101 x 101 mm and does not name an anchor. The Vigtayue shoe includes expansion bolts and has no bottom plate, so the post can slide up inside it. A shoe does not brace a post that is loose in turf a metre away from the patio.
An elevated base is not a fence-post spike
An elevated base is a third object. It bolts to a hard surface and holds the end grain off the wet, with a standoff stated as 100 mm to 150 mm on the jacks in this set. Bendrey Bros say this family is for supported posts, not free-standing fence posts. Simpson’s PPA names EN ISO 1461. The amazon.co.uk jacks do not, so do not copy a documented connector’s load onto them.
AHAQU is the top pick for a light restrained post: 4.8 from 92 ratings is a star line for that job. A review calls it too light for a gazebo on 70 mm posts. Domax is a fixed hot-dip foot at about £7.97, with no fixings in the box. A pergola or trellis that already ties the post is the job these feet are sold for.
Choose concrete when the fence is the sail
Use a spike for light work in firm, stone-free soil. Use a bolt-down shoe for a sound slab you are not digging through. Use concrete, or a fencer, for a gate, a tall exposed closeboard run, a coastal site, or any post the metal cannot reach because the timber is soft or the bulb is in the way. Egerton still calls a properly concreted post the strongest permanent fence. A contractor page’s 10 to 15 years for concrete, and 5 to 10 for spikes, is that page’s rule of thumb, not a test.
Quicker fitting does not make a spike as strong as concrete. A row of posts walking the same way is a new fence. Height rules for a taller replacement sit on the fence post support buying guide.
Common questions
Spike or bolt-down if I have both soil and a patio nearby?
Put the fitting where the post actually stands. A post in firm soil, on a light fence, can take a drive-in spike. A post on a sound slab takes a bolt-down shoe. The patio beside a lawn post does not brace that post. If both surfaces meet under one post, judge the footing you can trust, or set a new post in concrete.
Is a drive-in spike as strong as concrete?
Merchant guides treat a drive-in spike as the lighter method and a post set in concrete as the stronger permanent fence. Egerton keeps spikes off gates, tall exposed runs and heavy wind. No listing in this set publishes a test that equates a stake with a concreted post. Quicker fitting is not the same claim as equal strength.
Can I bolt a shoe to paving slabs?
Only if the slabs are thick, stable and far enough from a broken edge to hold anchors. East Coast Fencing treats thin slabs and loose edges as a bolt-down failure. A rattle underfoot is a sign to stop. Expansion bolts in a fragile patio crack the slab and still leave the post loose. A new pad, or a post in concrete beside the paving, is the honest fix when the slabs are only a wearing surface.
Will an elevated base hold a fence panel?
It will hold a post that a frame already restrains, which is how Bendrey Bros limit this family. A free-standing panel, especially a solid one at 1.8 m, is the case they exclude. The jacks in this set state a 100 mm to 150 mm adjustment and do not state a fence load. A high star rating, including the AHAQU top pick, does not add that load.
What about a gate post?
Leave spikes and light shoes off a gate. Egerton and Essex Concrete and Fencing both put heavy gates, including driveway gates, outside these fittings. A gate post takes repeated leverage, and a leaning gate is a safety problem, not a weekend adjustment. That post wants a footing designed for it, usually concrete, and often a fencer.
Does clay rule out a spike?
Clay rules a spike out when the ground will not grip or when frost heave is a known problem on that site. Egerton names heave as the clay risk. Firm, stone-free soil that closes around the steel is the case the spike is written for. Slick, rubble-filled or waterlogged clay is the case for concrete or for not driving at all. One dry week in summer does not prove the clay will hold in January.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources listed in the research digest. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk listing lines kept for these twelve ASINs.
- Planning Portal — fences, gates and garden walls (retrieved October 2026)
- GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 2, Class A (retrieved October 2026)
- HM Land Registry — boundaries and boundary disputes (retrieved October 2026)
- GOV.UK — party walls and building works (retrieved October 2026)
- ENA — Think before you dig (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE — excavations and underground services (retrieved October 2026)
- Wood Protection Association — Use Class 4 (retrieved October 2026)
- Simpson Strong-Tie — elevated post base PPA (retrieved October 2026)