Gateways Timber Gate Care Guide

Gateways Timber Gates  insist on giving all their customers

advice on how to care for their products so they get the maximum value from their purchase.

Ten things to know about your gates:

1.  Type of wood

 There is always an argument about what is the best wood. We are often asked for hardwood, such as teak.The best part of any wood is the heart wood and the worst is the outer layer, or sap wood. If you buy young teak which has sap wood, it is not as good as any heart wood from a soft wood tree. This Is often the case in buying teak in Ireland. We use a redwood , which is technically a softwood , but deals very well with the Irish climate.

 2. Use Sustainable wood

Always insist on wood which is FSC Approved. This means that the wood comes from a forest which has been properly managed and maintained and above all re-planted.

3. Treated wood.

Most wood comes treated now , with either a clear, green or brown treatment. While this treatment is excellent to preserve the wood against rot, and it is pressurized for the most part, it is not going to keep the wood from discoloring to a nasty grey shade. To avoid this you will need to apply a product to the wood and you should repeat It every 2/3 years.

4.  Staining wood.

Some people like to keep the natural wood look, if you do there are several options and some to be avoided. NEVER put yacht varnish or any clear varnish on your gate. The UV rays of the sun will break it down, and it will peel the varnish off and turn it black. Saddolin, Bondex and Ronseal , make very good two stage products. Most of them ( particulary Saddolin) have a stain which has a very watery consistency and should be applied first (one coat), and a thicker product which should have two coats applied. After the first of these coats, lightly sand everything before applying the last coat and you will get a beautiful finish (use light grade steel wool or 00 grade sand paper).

5. Painting Wood.

 This involves a little more time at the start. First apply one coat of aluminum primer. Second apply one undercoat of the colour that is applicable to your final colour. After this is dry, again lightly sand the gate this will de-nib the coat and leave it really smooth to finish. Finally apply two coats of your top coat, gloss or semi- gloss. After this you will only need to repeat with one top coat every 2/3 years.

6.  Swelling.

Timber is a natural product which swells with moisture and contracts with heat. The better you have your gate treated , the lesser the effect will be, but you will never totally avoid it . When we fit ours we always allow for a small gap in the middle and at either side, and if a gate swells and sticks, we always come back to adjust it, but we are old-fashioned.!

7. Wind

Wind is the enemy of any gate, and totally your own responsibility so watch out for it. Most gates, as ours do, should come with a ground bolt on EACH gate so that the gate can be bolted open as well as closed. If the gates are electrified ( as all gates can be) , you wont have this problem. If your gate gets damaged in the wind , it's not the end of the world, it can be repaired, and dont be told otherwise- it doesnt need to cost you the price of a new gate.!

8. Fittings

All fittings should be galvanized, if they are not (and that includes pained Iron) they will rust and at best stain your gate, and at worst, they will fall apart and end up costing your more money in the long run. We have often been asked to put on fancy black mock hinges on the front of gates to make them look more fancy, but we discourage it. They are expensive, not galvanized and again will rust and stain your gate. Good idea on the first day, bad idea long term.

9. How long should the gates last?

 Any timber gate will last as long as you keep it properly cared for, we have the same set of gates at our workshop for the past 20 years and they are perfect.

 10. Pricing

Timber gates have become more affordable in recent years, but you have to be acutely aware of quality . An entrance gate that costs 300 euro will simply be a waste of money as you will be replacing it in 2 years. Generally for a well made entrance gate the prices will start from around 500 plus fitting. Why not ring us for a quote?.