How to fit a privacy screen to a fence
Updated: October 2026
The cloth looked taut in the photo and now it drums every time the side gate opens. Learning how to fit a privacy screen to a fence is mostly the order of the fixings and a fence that was already sound, not a new set of posts. You are covering timber, chain link or a rail you can already lean on. Short ties belong on mesh and thin rails. Timber usually needs a staple, a longer tie, or a batten, and you use every eyelet you were sold. The [privacy fence comparison](/hub/fencing-and-wire/privacy-fence) is the shortlist if you have not chosen the roll. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The cloth looked taut in the photo and now it drums every time the side gate opens.
The cloth looked taut in the photo and now it drums every time the side gate opens. Learning how to fit a privacy screen to a fence is mostly the order of the fixings and a fence that was already sound, not a new set of posts. You are covering timber, chain link or a rail you can already lean on. Short ties belong on mesh and thin rails. Timber usually needs a staple, a longer tie, or a batten, and you use every eyelet you were sold. The privacy fence comparison is the shortlist if you have not chosen the roll. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Fixings | Size | Fabric weight | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  VOUNOT VOUNOT 1.8 × 10 m privacy netting, 230 g/m² | Grommets and ties, count n/a | 1.8 m × 10 m | 230 g/m² | 9.4 | about £27.54 | View offer |
| Best value |  VOUNOT VOUNOT 1.8 × 10 m privacy netting, 90 g/m² | 50 cable ties and 22 clips | 1.8 m × 10 m | 90 g/m² | 9.2 | about £15.19 | View offer |
 Amazon Basics Amazon Basics privacy screen, 0.91 × 3.05 m | 20 ties at 300 mm | 0.91 m × 3.05 m | 175 GSM | 9.0 | about £13.29 | View offer |
On this page
Check the fence before the roll
Push the posts before you unroll anything. A rocking post or a leaning panel will work the eyelets loose. The cloth adds weight and catches air. It does not brace a rotten rail. Call a fencer if the posts move, if you need a new structural run, or if the boundary is disputed. There is no rule that the left-hand fence is yours. Soft timber will not hold a staple. The only stated tie count is the Amazon Basics screen: 20 ties at 300 mm. Buy longer ties before you start on timber.
Chain link, using the ties
Chain link gives a short tie a diamond to loop. Measure between the stretcher bars. Leave about 10 cm at the ground so the hem is not in the soil. Start at a corner with two ties. Work the top, then the bottom, and use every grommet. A missed eyelet flaps and then splits. Cut the tails. Replace chalky ties. Do not join one roll to the next by tying mesh only to mesh. Do not overtighten until the eyelet necks. Short ties can suit thin wire. On timber they often do not.
Timber panels, where the included ties run out
Reviewers say the included clips are awkward and the supplied ties are too short for wooden slats, so they bring longer ties or a staple gun. The staple has to go into sound timber, into the rails or the posts, not a rotten slat. A batten gives every eyelet something to meet. Do not copy bamboo spacing, about every 10 cm along and 50 cm down through the binding wire. Follow the holes in the HDPE. A staple between eyelets tears a new hole. On a leaf mat, staple the backing, not a leaf. A balcony rail is a different permission, on balcony privacy screen.
Keep it taut, then stop
Taut means the cloth does not drum, not that you have built a sail. The Royal Horticultural Society, writing about plant windbreaks, says a solid barrier throws eddies and a useful windbreak filters about 50–60% of the wind on a sturdy frame. It is why a tight sheet loads the posts.
Tension corner, top, bottom, then the missed eyelets. If a bay bellies, share the pull. Keep the about-10 cm ground gap. If a gale is forecast, take the screen down. If it is still open, the 230 g/m² roll is the top pick and the 90 g/m² roll is the best value.
Common questions
Can I use the cable ties in the box on a wooden panel?
Often they are too short for the slats. Reviewers bring longer ties, or they staple the cloth, because the included clips do not reach sound timber. On chain link the same short ties can loop the wire. The only stated count in this set is 20 ties at 300 mm, on the Amazon Basics screen, which is aimed at a gate more than a 10 m close-board run. If your roll prints no tie count, do not assume the bag covers every eyelet.
How do I fix privacy netting to chain link?
Measure the bay between the stretcher bars, leave about 10 cm at the ground, and start at a corner with two ties so the edge stays put. Fix the top, then the bottom, and use every grommet. Cut the tails. Use ties that can live outside, and replace them when they go chalky. Do not tie one piece of net only to the next piece, and do not pull a single tie until the eyelet tears. Both rolls need the fence, not each other.
Should I use every eyelet?
Yes. The holes are the designed fixing points. A gap you skip is where the cloth flaps, and the next eyelet then takes the movement and splits. That applies on chain link, on timber and on a rail. If an eyelet misses the frame on a close-board panel, add a batten rather than leaving the hole empty. Stapling between the holes to save time makes a tear beside the eyelet you ignored.
Staples or ties on timber?
Use a longer cable tie where it can pass around a rail or a batten, and a staple or U-nail into sound timber where it cannot. The staple goes through the eyelet area into wood that is not soft. Do not copy the 15–20 mm staple and the 10 cm by 50 cm spacing from reed or bamboo guides. Those rolls have no regular plastic eyelet. Your cloth does. If the panel is rotten, neither staple nor tie is the repair.
Do I leave a gap at the ground?
Leave about 10 cm on chain link, which is the gap UK chain-link fitting notes use so the hem is not in the soil. The same idea helps on timber: mud, a mower and standing water all sit at the bottom edge. Do not leave a gap so large that the privacy you bought is a viewing slot at knee height. If the panel itself stops above the gravel board, fix the cloth to the panel you have rather than inventing a hem in the flower bed.
When should I stop and call a fencer?
Call a fencer if the posts already move, if the run needs new posts, or if the boundary is disputed. Also stop if raising the cloth would make the enclosure taller than it was and you have not checked whether you may do that. A gale on a weak panel is a reason to take the screen off, not a reason to add more ties. Fitting a cover is a DIY job on a fence that is already straight, sound and yours to use.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest, plus the amazon.co.uk listings in this set. Page updated October 2026.
- Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Class A (retrieved October 2026)
- Planning Portal: fences, gates and garden walls, planning permission (retrieved October 2026)
- Planning Portal: fences, gates and garden walls, building regulations (retrieved October 2026)
- GOV.WALES: planning permission for fences, gates and garden walls (retrieved October 2026)
- Scottish Government: Circular 1/2024, Class 3E (retrieved October 2026)
- Northern Ireland GPDO 2015, Part 3 Class A (retrieved October 2026)
- Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, Part 8, high hedges (retrieved October 2026)
- HM Land Registry: boundaries and boundary disputes (retrieved October 2026)