Post shoes are steel bases that anchor timber posts to a solid surface without burying them in the ground. If you’ve ever built a fence, a veranda or a garden room, you’ve probably either used them or wished you had.
I’ve used them on two builds. On my DIY veranda, bolt-down post shoes fix the support posts directly to my patio, with the decking installed around the base to keep things looking clean. On a garden room build, I used elevated post shoes to raise the timber frame base off the ground, which keeps air flowing underneath and protects the timber from moisture.
Both jobs used different types of shoe for a reason. That’s what this guide covers: the main types of post shoe, what sizes to look for, and how to pick the right one for your project.
What Are Post Shoes?
A post shoe is a steel bracket that holds a timber post upright on a hard surface. They’re also called post supports, post support shoes or fence post shoes, but they all refer to the same thing.
The alternative to a post shoe is setting a post directly into the ground, either in concrete or compacted soil. That works, but it puts the timber’s end grain in direct contact with moisture, which is where rot starts. A post shoe lifts the timber clear of the ground and keeps it dry, significantly extending the post’s life.
Most post shoes are hot-dip galvanised steel, which makes them suitable for permanent outdoor use. They’re designed to take the full load of whatever structure sits on top, whether that’s a fence panel, a veranda roof or a garden building.
They fix to concrete, paving or any solid base using anchor bolts, and the post sits inside or on top of the shoe, depending on the type.
Which Post Shoe Do You Need?
The right post shoe depends on what you’re building and what surface you’re fixing to. Here’s a quick guide before we get into the detail.
Fence posts on a concrete or paved surface: a standard bolt-down lightweight post shoe is fine for most domestic fence posts. You don’t need anything heavy-duty unless the posts are carrying a significant load.
Veranda, pergola or canopy uprights: use a heavy-duty bolt-down shoe. These posts carry the weight of a roof structure, so the shoe needs to be rated for the load. I used this approach on my own veranda build, fixing the shoes to the patio before installing the decking around them.
Garden room or outbuilding base: elevated post shoes work well here. They raise the timber frame off the ground, which allows air to circulate underneath and keeps the base dry. I used elevated shoes in a garden room build for exactly this reason.
Posts on an existing timber deck or raised structure: adjustable elevated shoes give you the ability to account for any unevenness and get the post perfectly plumb.
Aesthetic finish required: if you want the shoe hidden inside the post rather than visible at the base, an elevated or saddle-style shoe gives a cleaner result.
How to Choose the Right Post Shoe
Speedy Fixings further explained to me that there are various post shoes to choose from, including heavy-duty post shoes and elevated post shoes. If you need assistance to perfectly pick the right post shoe, I’d recommend talking to the Speedy Fixings team, who have the experience and expertise to help you choose the right solution for your requirements.
Heavy-Duty Post Shoes
Heavy-duty post shoes are built for structural applications where the post is carrying real load. Think veranda uprights, pergola posts, gazebo frames and garden buildings. The steel is thicker, the fixing points are more substantial, and they’re rated to handle the kind of downward and lateral forces a roof structure puts through a post.
On my veranda build I used heavy-duty bolt-down shoes fixed directly to the patio slab. Each shoe was anchored with two masonry bolts before the post went in, and the decking was then cut and fitted around the base of each shoe to give a cleaner finish. It’s a solid setup and there’s been no movement at all.
When buying heavy-duty post shoes, check the load rating if the supplier lists one, and make sure the internal width matches your post size exactly. A 100mm post needs a 100mm shoe. A loose fit means the post can shift before you’ve even loaded it.
They’re available in galvanised steel as standard. Stainless steel versions exist for coastal locations where salt air accelerates corrosion.
Lightweight Post Shoes
Lightweight post shoes are the most common type and the one most people encounter first. They’re designed for fence posts and other timber uprights that aren’t carrying significant structural load.
They work in the same way as heavy-duty shoes: bolt down to a solid surface, drop the post in, fix through the pre-drilled holes in the side. The difference is the steel gauge. Lighter steel is fine for a fence panel but wouldn’t be appropriate for anything with a roof on it.
The main advantage over a fence post spike (the type you hammer into soil) is that they give you a solid, level fixing on hard surfaces like concrete or paving where a spike isn’t an option. They’re also easier to get perfectly plumb since you can adjust the position before tightening the anchor bolts.
Common sizes cover most standard fence post widths: 75mm and 100mm are the ones you’ll use most often in a domestic garden setting.
One thing worth doing before you buy: measure your posts rather than assuming. Timber sold as 100mm can vary slightly between suppliers, and a shoe that’s a few millimetres too tight won’t seat the post properly.
Elevated Post Shoes
Elevated post shoes raise the timber post off the surface rather than sitting flush with it. The post sits inside a collar that’s held up by a steel stem, which itself is bolted to the ground. The result is an air gap between the base of the post and whatever surface it’s fixed to.
That air gap is the point. When timber sits directly on concrete or paving, moisture collects at the joint and works its way into the end grain. End grain absorbs water faster than any other part of the timber, and that’s where rot takes hold. An elevated shoe breaks that contact entirely.
I used elevated post shoes on a garden room build to support the timber framed base. The shoes kept the whole structure raised off the ground, which means air can circulate underneath the building and the base timber stays dry. It’s a simple detail that makes a significant difference to the long term life of the structure.
Elevated shoes are also worth considering anywhere the finished look matters. Because the post appears to rise cleanly from the ground with no visible bracket at the base, they give a neater result than a standard bolt-down shoe. The steel is mostly hidden underneath the post rather than wrapped around it.
They’re available in fixed and adjustable versions. The adjustable type is worth knowing about, so I’ve covered that separately in the next section.
Adjustable Post Shoes
Adjustable post shoes work on the same principle as elevated shoes but with one addition: the collar that holds the post can be moved slightly in any direction before it’s locked off. That gives you the ability to get the post perfectly plumb even if the anchor bolt isn’t in exactly the right position.
That’s more useful than it sounds. When you’re drilling into an existing concrete slab or patio, you’re working around whatever is underneath: aggregate, rebar, old fixings. You don’t always get the hole exactly where you wanted it. An adjustable shoe means a fixing that’s a few millimetres out doesn’t become a post that leans.
They’re also useful on surfaces that aren’t perfectly level. Rather than packing out the base of the post or grinding back the concrete, you can use the adjustment in the shoe to bring the post true.
The trade-off is cost. Adjustable shoes are more expensive than fixed elevated shoes, and for a straightforward build on a flat, newly laid slab you probably don’t need them. But for retrofit projects where you’re fixing to an existing surface with no control over where the bolts land, they’re worth the extra.
For my garden room build I used fixed elevated shoes since the base was planned from scratch and the fixing positions were marked out before any drilling started. If I were retrofitting posts to an existing patio I’d look at adjustable shoes first.
Custom Made Post Shoes
Custom-made post shoes are made to your requirements.
I think that post shoes are a great addition to your outdoor structures. Don’t just take it from me, though!
How to Fix a Post Shoe
Fixing a post shoe is straightforward but the prep matters more than the fixing itself. Getting the position right before you drill is the part most people rush.
What you’ll need
- Hammer drill with a masonry bit sized to your anchor bolts (typically 10mm or 12mm)
- Anchor bolts (M10 chemical anchors or expansion bolts both work on solid concrete)
- Spanner or socket set
- Spirit level
- Chalk line or pencil for marking out
The process
Start by marking out all your post positions before drilling anything. If you’re fixing multiple shoes, string a line between the outer positions and use it to keep everything aligned. Rushing this step and drilling one shoe at a time is how you end up with posts that aren’t in line with each other.
Once your positions are marked, place the shoe on the mark and use it as a template to mark the bolt holes directly onto the surface. Drill to the depth specified for your anchor bolt, clear the dust from the hole, and fit the anchor.
Before you fully tighten, check the shoe is square and oriented correctly. On bolt-down shoes with a rectangular base, it’s easy to fit them slightly rotated. Drop the post in and use a spirit level on two faces before the final tighten.
With the shoe locked off, fix the post through the pre-drilled holes in the side of the collar using the bolts or screws supplied. On structural applications, use the full number of fixing points rather than just the easiest ones to reach.
One thing I’d add from my veranda build: if you’re planning to install decking around the base of the shoes, mark out and fix all the shoes first, then use the shoe positions to plan your decking layout. Trying to work around decking that’s already down makes the whole job harder than it needs to be.
Post Sizes and Compatibility
Post shoes are sized to match the timber post that goes into them, so getting the sizing right before you buy is important. The shoe size refers to the internal width of the collar, which needs to match the actual dimensions of your post.
Common post sizes and their uses
75mm post shoes are the most common for domestic fence posts and lighter garden structures. If you’re putting up a standard fence or a lightweight pergola, 75mm is likely what you need.
100mm post shoes are the go-to for anything structural: veranda uprights, garden room bases, pergolas carrying real load. Most structural timber posts used in garden buildings are 100mm x 100mm, so this is the size I’ve used most on my own builds.
150mm shoes exist for larger commercial or agricultural applications. For most domestic garden projects you won’t need to go this large.
The sizing catch
Timber dimensions in the UK aren’t always what they say on the label. Regularised timber is planed after cutting, which takes a few millimetres off each face. A post sold as 100mm x 100mm will often measure closer to 96mm or 97mm finished. Most post shoe manufacturers account for this with a small amount of tolerance in the collar, but it’s worth checking the actual finished size of your timber against the shoe spec before ordering, especially on structural applications where a sloppy fit isn’t acceptable.
If you’re buying from a supplier like Screwfix, Toolstation or a specialist fixings supplier, the product listing will usually state whether the sizing is for regularised or rough sawn timber. When in doubt, take a offcut of your post to a trade counter and test the fit before committing to a full order.
Post Caps and Finials
Worth a brief mention while you’re buying post shoes, since they solve the same problem at the other end of the post.
Post caps fit over the top of the timber and stop water sitting on the end grain. End grain on the top of a post is just as vulnerable as the bottom, and an unprotected post top will start to weather and crack within a couple of seasons. A simple flat cap solves that.
Finials do the same job but with a decorative element: a pointed or ball-topped cap that gives the post a finished look. They’re common on fence posts and pergola uprights where the top of the post is visible.
Neither is expensive and both are worth fitting at the same time as your post shoes. Protecting both ends of the post is the simplest way to get the maximum life out of your timber.
To Summarise
Post shoes are one of those components that don’t get much attention until you’re standing on a patio wondering how to fix a post without digging up the slabs. Used correctly they make for a cleaner, more durable build than setting posts in the ground, and they give you the flexibility to fix to existing hard surfaces without major groundwork.
If you’re building a veranda, garden room or any structure with timber uprights, it’s worth spending a few extra minutes getting the shoe positions right before you drill. Everything that goes on top depends on it.
Thanks for reading. Why not try another of my garden DIY posts:
