Friday, March 23, 2012

Build An Iron Gate

There are many different styles in which you can design your gate.


A gate made of iron, or, more specifically, wrought iron, is a great decoration on any property. Such a gate, if properly maintained (painted regularly), is largely immune to the passage of time. It always looks great, whatever the current landscape fashion. You can design and install your own wrought iron gate or order one built and installed for you. Designing and installing a wrought iron gate, however, is not as difficult as some might think. Does this Spark an idea?


Instructions


1. Find the location for your gate. The area should be level and the ground surface stable. In addition, you may also want to have a paved road over which the gate will be placed (e.g. a driveway).


2. Take down the measurements of the area and think about the size of the gate which you'd like to construct.


3. Define a budget for your gate. Wrought iron gates can cost anything from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.


4. Design your gate. It is much easier to select a given pattern or design than come up with an original one, but you can incorporate particular elements into your gate, such as your initials, if you design it yourself. If you want to make your own design, you can draw the gate either on a computer or by using a pencil and a piece of graph paper. Mind, however, that a custom-made design will probably cost you more, as the parts you'll need for the gate are not mass-produced and so cost more to manufacture.


5. Contact a gate manufacturer and negotiate that the manufacturer supply you with the materials from which you'll be able to assemble your gate. Many, if not all, components of the gate will need to be cast from iron, which is a costly and impractical thing to do in your garage.


6. Dig out the holes for the posts on which the gate will hinge. Place the poles in the holes and secure them with cement.


7. Assemble the gate from the materials shipped to you by the manufacturer. Generally, the bigger the components that you order from a gate manufacturer, the easier it is to assemble them. If your work requires welding and you do not feel comfortable with the job, consider hiring a professional welder (you can also ask the manufacturer to weld the parts for you, but in that case the shipping costs will be higher as the welded, assembled gate takes up more space than its components).


8. Sand and clean the assembled gate to ensure it is ready for coating.


9. Coat the gate with a primer and a topcoat of paint. Painted iron gates do not rust as much as unpainted gates do.

Tags: your gate, gate will, assembled gate, cost more, gate manufacturer, iron gate