Garden gates aren’t necessarily the most thrilling element in home improvement, but they are an important decision that you’ll have to live with for many years to come. While you might not pay much attention to your garden gate, you’ll certainly notice the consequences of making the wrong decision; whether it’s rust, sagging frames, or the weather taking its inevitable toll. One solution that’s quickly gained popularity in the world of garden gates are the humble aluminium gates, and it’s not hard to see why when you consider the advantages they offer.
The Weight Advantage
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of assembling an iron gate, you’ll know the pain of hauling dozens of kilos of metal into place. It’s not the most glamorous job in the world, but aluminium gates make the job an awful lot easier, since they weigh in at about one-third the weight of their iron counterparts. This means you won’t have to worry about your hinges buckling under the strain, or the cost of industrial-strength gateposts to hold the gate in place.
Weather Resistance That Actually Works
Living in the UK, we’re not exactly spoiled when it comes to the weather, but we’ve all seen the horror stories of iron gates that look perfect in the showroom but quickly succumb to the dreaded orange rust after the first year or two of use. The oxide coating that forms over the surface of the metal means that corrosion is never an issue, whether you live in the midst of the pouring rain or in the snow-covered mountains.
This means you can forget the hassle of wire-brushing rust patches and reapplying fresh coats of protective paint every year or two. Simply washing the gates with soapy water every year or two is sufficient for most aluminium gates to keep them in decent condition. For homes near the sea, the corrosion-resistant properties of aluminium gates are particularly valuable.
Design Flexibility
Another advantage of aluminium gates is that they can be formed, cut, and shaped relatively easily, meaning you have more options when designing your gateway. For example, you may want horizontal slats for a modern look, or ornate scrollwork for an old house, or vertical bars for a minimalist look, and aluminium gates can offer you all this without the manufacturing difficulties of working with heavier materials.
Finally, the powder coating process gives you even more options, since you can have your gate in any colour you want, and the paint is bonded onto the metal so it doesn’t chip or fade easily. Do you want your gate to match your window frames or front door? No problem.
Longevity and Lifecycle Costs
Finally, the cost of an aluminium gate, while higher than the bare minimum of timber gates, is likely lower than the cost of an iron gate, while the overall cost of ownership is certainly lower than the former, since you’ll have the hassle of repainting, replacing rotting timber, and coping with rust corrosion eating away at the metal.
A good quality aluminium gate can last twenty-five to thirty years without any serious maintenance, which is equivalent to two or three timber gates, each of which will have to be replaced every ten to fifteen years.
Security Considerations
Although one would think that the reduced weight of aluminium would make it more vulnerable to intruders, a well-made aluminium gate can offer just as good a level of security as any other. This is because the relative strength for its weight makes aluminium a more secure option than one would initially think. A determined intruder will not find aluminium gates any easier to get through compared to their metal counterparts.
The answer to aluminium gates’ security lies in their design. A gate with closely spaced bars will offer a good level of security without having to resort to the added weight that a traditional security gate would need to offer.
Automation Compatibility
If you’re looking at installing automated gates, the reduced weight of aluminium gates can only be a good thing. This is because the motors needed for automated aluminium gates are smaller, use less power, and therefore put less strain on the system as a whole. This can mean that the cost of installing automated aluminium gates can be lower compared to their metal counterparts.
Making Your Choice
Although aluminium gates may not be suitable for everyone, their place in the market can only be a good thing for consumers. They offer a number of advantages that make them a consideration for any consumer looking at garden gates.
