The Beauty of a Hardwood Gate

The clocks have gone forward and the sun is less reclusive. As people  begin to spend more time outside they begin to focus on the garden. This is when here at Waterhall Joinery we begin to see the orders for a hardwood gate appearing in our calendar.

Each year we make many a hardwood gate; pedestrian gates, side gates, front gates, garden gates, driveway gates, 5 bar gates, field gates, paneled gated, closed boarded gates…..the list goes on, there are so many varieties and options available and we enjoy making them all.

They will vary in style but as always we will make them to the highest standard  and as solid as possible, the quality is shown by the weight and they really are a 2 man lift .

We are not interested in making something barely wind resistant that you regularly see in your local garden centre, we want to create hardwood gates that are bold and beautiful but above all solid and durable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our pedestrian hardwood gates have the same construction as framed and paneled front doors and are just as thick. All of our gates are made from hardwood, either Iroko or Oak if the finish is to be natural  or Iroko if the gate is to be painted. These two timbers, outside teak and chemically altered timbers such as Acoya, are as durable as they get.

The pedestrian hardwood gate is usually used for access down the side of the property or into the back garden so we fit these with a sash lock to enable the gate to be locked for security purposes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once manufactured the hardwood gate can either be left untreated to weather and gently go a silvery grey to blend in with the natural look of a garden. This might sound counter intuitive but a hardwood gate left untreated will survive very well as the Oak or Iroko gets wet but then dries out very quickly.

Alternatively they are treated with a preserving wood stain such as Sikkens or be fully painted  in a colour of the clients choice.

We now avoid clear varnishes or oils as we have found that the lack of pigment allows the the UV in sunlight to break down the coating too easily – a translucent finish such as Sikkens still allows the grain to show through, but it is far more durable as its level of opacity blocks the UV rays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once installed a hardwood gate really adds another dimension to a property or garden.  It will take time to adjust to its new environment, especially with the change of seasons. We make estimations for contraction and expansion and leave gaps as required, but it is not an exact science and sometimes adjustments are needed, so we return to a gate to tweak it and this is usually enough.

We are already looking forward to seeing what styles of hardwood gate we will get to make this year!