How a Custom Metal Gate Is Built and Installed

A snow-covered alleyway in Hartford, CT with a brick building and wrought iron gate.

Nothing about a gate frame that is out of square shows itself until the steel is welded and standing, and the notes at metal gate contractor carlsbad nap nanny follow the work in the order it happens around Carlsbad, CA, from cut tubing to a hung leaf.

Cut, lay out, tack

Stone gate adorned with autumn decorations, framed by fall foliage, leading to a traditional home.

Frame members are cut to length and laid on a flat surface. Each joint gets a tack weld, nothing more. Before any final welding, measure the two diagonals corner to corner. Equal diagonals mean the frame is square. A frame a quarter inch off on the table will be worse once it hangs from a post, so the correction happens here, while a tack can still be broken loose.

Welding sequence

Black and white image highlighting complex shadow patterns on an ornate iron gate.

Heat makes steel expand while the weld is hot and shrink as it cools, and the shrinking pulls the joint toward the weld. Running one long weld down one side drags the frame out of square. Welds are alternated from side to side, top then bottom, so the pull is shared. This manages distortion and does not erase it, so the diagonals get measured again between passes.

Grinding and surface prep

Spatter and sharp edges are ground off. Coating pulls away from sharp corners first, and spatter leaves lumps that show through the finish. The steel is then cleaned or blasted, because mill scale and oil keep coatings from bonding. Paint over mill scale will flake. Near the coast the marine layer leaves steel damp on many mornings, so any spot where the powder coat or galvanized finish never gripped will show rust early.

Footings and the hinge post

The hinge post carries nearly all of the leverage, so its concrete footing is sized for the gate weight, the gate width and the soil. Soil in san diego county changes from lot to lot, and the footing has to account for it. Concrete keeps gaining strength for days after the pour. A heavy gate hung too soon can tilt its post before the footing is firm, and a post that has leaned does not go back.

Hanging and adjustment

The latch end of the gate rests on blocks or shims while the hinges are attached. Then the hinge side is checked for plumb with a level. Adjustable hinges allow small corrections later as the post settles. A planned gap at the latch side keeps a swing gate from binding, since the steel and the posts move with temperature. An operator or gate opener is mounted only after the leaf swings freely by hand.

Holes made after coating

Any hole drilled or cut made after coating exposes bare metal. Latch hardware, a bracket for the operator, or a cut to clear a post can each do it. The exposed edge should be sealed or touched up right away, before moisture gets under the finish and starts working along the tube.