When choosing new gates for your home, you must pick a style that you love and that you’ll be happy with for years to come. As well as acting as a line of security, wooden garden gates contribute to the first impression people have of your home. No doubt you’ll want to make it a good one.
Gates are generally made of either wood or metal, and both have some pros and cons. The biggest things to consider are how the gates will fit in with your existing decor and where on the property the gate is being used.
Wooden Gates VS Metal Gates
Wooden gates generally have a very long lifespan with little required in the way of maintenance. The wood will be treated by the manufacturer and will have a guarantee in the region of five years for a hardwood finish. Aside from a fresh coating of wood treatment once per year, your gates will only need the minimum amount of maintenance. After the treatment has been applied your wooden garden gates will look as good as the day you bought them.
Compare this with metal gates – their appearance can alter drastically once rust takes hold, and because of the intricate shapes of the metalwork they can be difficult to repaint and restore to their original quality. This intricacy also means metal gates tend to offer less privacy than timber alternatives as they have gaps that can be seen through by passers-by. You won’t want a solid metal gate as while it’ll guarantee privacy it won’t be very welcoming whereas panels of wood give you privacy while retaining an aesthetic finish.
A lovely knock-on effect of a wooden gate is the warm and welcoming environment they can create. They work well with foliage and trees and can blend in and look very subtle, unlike the harsher appearance of a metal gate that can invoke images of a more industrial, cold, and unwelcoming setting. Unlike metal, wood isn’t energy-intensive to make, wood is much more natural and can be returned to the earth when the gates reach the end of their lifespan.
Should you choose wooden gates they are also much easier to modify over time. If you decide to move the gate to a different part of the garden or even just flip the way it opens, it’ll be very easy to complete jobs like this. Simply, remove and refit a new hinge with a simple power drill. However, with a metal gate, this will be a lot trickier and could involve some welding as well as some painting. This also applies to changing the look of your gates; should you want to change the colour it can be done easily with the huge variety of wood stains and treatments currently available.
Hopefully, this blog has shown you that wooden gates are the better choice compared to the cold, hard finish of the metal. Always remember to shop around and choose a reputable supplier with a good guarantee on their products.
If you would like to find out more about how we, Wilfirs, can help you find the wooden gate of your dreams, please feel free to get in touch on 0800 0190 316 or head over to our contact page for more details.
