How To Build Long-Lasting Gates

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Photo by Istockphoto/Fotovoyager.com
A well-built gate will last for years and can make a fence more attractive.

Whether you’re building a gate for a wooden privacy fence or building a swinging gate for livestock fencing, there are some basic, but important, things to remember when you’re designing and building a gate. Follow these tips to make your gate last longer and reduce maintenance.

Cross Brace Correctly

We all have a mental image of a gate (or a barn door) in our minds, and most often that image involves a brace that makes a Z-shaped pattern in the gate. Which direction should that brace go? (You didn’t know there was going to be a quiz, did you?) The question is this: Should the brace

A. start toward the top of the side nearest the hinges and slope down toward the side with the latch, or

B. start at the bottom of the side nearest the hinges and slope up toward the top of the side with the latch?

  • Published on Aug 28, 2007
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