Fences and Gates - wood gate dilema
Doityourself.com community forum was created to provide answers to all questions related to home improvement and home repair. Doityourself community can help you find information about how-to topics on small fixes to large remodeling projects. With comprehensive how-to content and expertly moderated community forums DoItYourself.com makes it easy to tackle even the most complex home improvement projects.View Full Version : wood gate dilema
jaimjr1
05-09-09, 09:02 PM
I'm planning to build a 6 foot high and 9 foot wide board on board wood fence. it would have a 3 foot gate in the middle. I'm also planning to put a 2x4 cap and 1x4 trim with a 2x6 base. my dilema would be the gate which i would love to put cap,trim, and base. It would be a heavy gate. i'm trying to decide what kind of posts should i use for my gate, metal or wood. I'm affraid of the gate sagging. please any suggestions. Thanks!!!!
GregsFence
05-10-09, 02:38 PM
A board on Board gate is a pretty tough material in itself. Being it has more boards per panel than a typical fence because it is two sided it stands a better beating than another stockade or similar style fence or gate.
In this , yes the gate will be heavy. A gate sags. The post does not. The post can bend or move in the ground or it can come loose from the section and just bow over. Using the proper post is just as important as installing them correctly.
The gate I would strongly suggest to have a truss installed in the middle of the picket boards.
I would suggest double nailing or double screwing that truss in place.
In regards to the posts, I would say that a typical 4x4 post would work fine. This being the case as long as it is secured to the neighboring sections of material very tightly, not allowing the post to move at all.
In regards to cementing the post in... I am not much on the idea of combining cement and wood posts but in this case it may assist in keeping your post more secure in the ground. The use of cement will kill the lifespan of the wood post. If you plan to have the fence there 20 yrs from now, plan to replace that gate post in half that time if cement is used. Maybe even less than that if the gate is a heavy traffic area.
You could step up to a 6 x 6 wood post. If I were to install this gate at my own home, I would use that size post for a board on board gate. I do not suggest it ahead of time because most times you can not affordably buy a 6x6 post with a custom cap of any kind. The key word is affordably.
I would like to add more to this post, but I have to leave for an estimate ... sorry ... work calls.
I am sure everyone else will be able to add on to what I have already said, or suggest their own ideas.
Oh ,,, and on the note of using a steel post.... Very do able.. but if you leave the steel post visible it is not very attractive to a gate opening.
You can enclose the steel post with a wood frame... that too could look nice but you would have to be creative as well spend a little more money to make it all come out nice.
I do like the idea of using a cap on the fence... Not many people even know about that option. it makes sense and it usually makes the fence look fantastic.
gotta go...
good luck !
In this , yes the gate will be heavy. A gate sags. The post does not. The post can bend or move in the ground or it can come loose from the section and just bow over. Using the proper post is just as important as installing them correctly.
The gate I would strongly suggest to have a truss installed in the middle of the picket boards.
I would suggest double nailing or double screwing that truss in place.
In regards to the posts, I would say that a typical 4x4 post would work fine. This being the case as long as it is secured to the neighboring sections of material very tightly, not allowing the post to move at all.
In regards to cementing the post in... I am not much on the idea of combining cement and wood posts but in this case it may assist in keeping your post more secure in the ground. The use of cement will kill the lifespan of the wood post. If you plan to have the fence there 20 yrs from now, plan to replace that gate post in half that time if cement is used. Maybe even less than that if the gate is a heavy traffic area.
You could step up to a 6 x 6 wood post. If I were to install this gate at my own home, I would use that size post for a board on board gate. I do not suggest it ahead of time because most times you can not affordably buy a 6x6 post with a custom cap of any kind. The key word is affordably.
I would like to add more to this post, but I have to leave for an estimate ... sorry ... work calls.
I am sure everyone else will be able to add on to what I have already said, or suggest their own ideas.
Oh ,,, and on the note of using a steel post.... Very do able.. but if you leave the steel post visible it is not very attractive to a gate opening.
You can enclose the steel post with a wood frame... that too could look nice but you would have to be creative as well spend a little more money to make it all come out nice.
I do like the idea of using a cap on the fence... Not many people even know about that option. it makes sense and it usually makes the fence look fantastic.
gotta go...
good luck !