Vinyl fence system

Abstract

A vinyl fence system for replacing an existing wood fence configured to be installed utilizing posts of the existing wood fence. The fence system includes vinyl post sleeves that are slipped over and cover the existing wood posts. The fence system also includes vinyl fence panels made of individual vinyl pickets connected along their lengths by connectors. The panels are configured to be locked together and surface mounted to the wood posts by fasteners, such as screws, passed through the vinyl fence panels and the vinyl sleeves and into the wood post. The fence panels configured to lock together using stiffeners positioned in horizontal rails located on the fence panels, with fasteners, such as screws, extending through the stiffeners, the rails, and into the boards of the panels. Decorative covers are utilized to cover joints and fasteners, and a top rail is located over the ends of the boards.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A replacement vinyl fence system, comprising:
 a vinyl post sleeve to enclose a wooden post;   a plurality of vinyl pickets, each vinyl picket coupled by a respective picket connector, along an edge of said vinyl picket, to an edge of at least one adjacent vinyl picket, to form a panel, the panel comprising:
 a first major surface; and 
 a second major surface parallel to and opposite from the first major surface; 
   a first horizontal rail coupled to the first major surface of the panel; and   a fastener to couple the second major surface of the panel to a parallel surface of the enclosed wooden post.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a stiffener disposed within the first horizontal rail, to stiffen the panel. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the stiffener extends along substantially an entire length of the first horizontal rail. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a second horizontal rail, parallel to the first horizontal rail and vertically offset from the first horizontal rail, the second horizontal rail coupled to the first major surface of the panel. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the panel comprises a second major surface of the panel, disposed opposite from the first major surface of the panel, and wherein the first horizontal rail comprises a first section coupled to the first major surface of the panel and a second section coupled to the second major surface of the panel. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the picket connector comprises barbs to resist removal of the picket connector. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the picket connector comprises a dovetail joint. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the vinyl picket comprises a pocket adapted to receive the picket connector. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the picket connector comprises surface features to resist rotational movement of the picket connector within the pocket. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the pocket extends less than an entire vertical height of the vinyl picket. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the wooden post is tilted at a nonzero angle from vertical, the angle less than about 35 degrees. 
     
     
         12 . A method to install a vinyl fence system to replace a wooden fence, comprising:
 removing wooden panels from the wooden fence;   sheathing wooden posts of the wooden fence with vinyl;   assembling vinyl pickets with picket connectors to form a vinyl panel;   attaching a first horizontal rail across a major surface of the vinyl panel, the first horizontal rail comprising an internal stiffener; and   fastening the vinyl panel with horizontal rail to a surface of the sheathed wooden post parallel to the major surface of the vinyl panel.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising attaching a second horizontal rail across a major surface of the vinyl panel, the second horizontal rail comprising an internal stiffener.