Creative Fabrications

"COMBINING THE STRENGTH OF STEEL WITH THE BEAUTY OF WOOD"

Purchasing any Entry Gate is not necessarily an easy task. Many of our customers began the process by asking numerous questions about our gates.
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions:

1. Will the gates eventually sag and warp? No! Almost all Wooden Gates have some structural provision to minimize sag or warp such as special joinery and/or a diagonal tension/compression brace. In contrast, our custom tubular steel frame is a strong rigid and stable framework upon which to secure the heaviest of hardwoods. Our excessive rigidity in the frame requires no need for an esthetically offensive diagonal brace.
2. How durable are our Gate hinges? In a word "overkill"! We use 1" self-aligning flange bearings with 1" dia. stainless steel hinge pins. All hinge pins are welded to the internal steel frame which carries all the weight! Additionally, there are no hinge screw holes to introduce moisture and rot. Butt-hinges on our Pedestrian Gates are fastened directly to a stainless steel block that is drilled and tapped and welded to the frame. Our Pedestrian Gates can be fitted with simple passage-thumb latches or state-of-the-art push button security latches.
3. What if the driveway is steep and not flat? Our hinges allow the fabrication of an "off-set bracket" which allows the hinge axis to shift as the gates open, thus clearing the driveway and not scraping any of the surface.
4. What kind of glue do you use to hold these gates together? We use exterior waterproof polyurethane glue that works extremely well holding the wood to the steel frame as well as the opposing wood pieces.
5. Can I use an automatic gate opener to operate the gates and where would it attach to the wood? Yes! Auto-gate openers are easily connected to the gates. However, it is not directly attached to the wood, but to the steel frame beneath it. In the case of the Pedestrian Gate, that is often subject to severe slamming, the strike-jamb is usually steel reinforced.
6. How do you protect the gates against the weather? In most cases "the weather" means moisture incursion. However, ultraviolet degradation must also be addressed. In California's Mediterranean climate, both water and sun must be dealt with to protect the wood. Wood is organic and left unprotected, will alternately absorb and give off moisture. The most insidious condition is moisture trapped within the gate. All wooden gates are subject to shrinkage. Gates constructed of "greenwood", i.e. more moisture than equilibrium moisture content, will shrink much more. All of our gates are constructed with kiln- dried wood and the end-grain is sealed with a clear penetrating epoxy sealer which prevents the wood from taking on excess moisture during high humidity conditions. This alone will minimize movement (swelling) of the wood and subsequent cracking, which would allow even more moisture to enter the wood. Wooden gates without steel frame rely solely on their joinery to prevent movement and it is only a matter of time before the joint weakens from weather and use and water finds its way in. Our gates, however, have a massive amount of glued surface area on the steel frame that virtually immobilizes the wood and thus assures minimum movement, minimum cracks, minimum water incursion, and minimum rot. A special feature of our gates is a panel protection feature that consists of three separate treatments;

A. The finished edges of the panel are treated with a clear penetrating epoxy sealer that locks moisture out.

B. The bottom groove into which each panel fits is provided with several interior vertical drain holes through which water may drain from the groove and not remain trapped inside the panel.

C. Every panel rests on small spacers which hold the bottom of the panel slightly above the bottom groove. This prevents capillary action from trapping the water in place and not allowing drainage through the drain holes. These are small details but they add immeasurably to the life- span of the panels and gates.

7. What about maintenance of the gates? The ball-bearing hinges are packed with lubricant at installation and should be repacked every five years. The stainless steel hinge pins will not rust. The integrity of the paint should be checked annually, and touched-up as needed.
8. Why are these gates so expensive? Hopefully, the aforementioned answers will give insight to the quality of our gates. They are not massed-produced but rather, individually custom crafted to our exacting specifications and standards, just as you would want them to be. They will occupy a prominent place at your residence and we want them to be worthy of that position.