Hardwood Entrance Gates

At Gatecraft, we build only using hardwood timber for all our gates. Hardwood timber (such as iroko, utile, and oak) is taken from deciduous (not evergreen) trees. The timber is cut from slow-growing deciduous trees, which grow at a variety of latitudes ranging from temperate to tropical regions. This slow growth rate increases the strength and stability of the timber.

We mainly use utile, an African hardwood, for our gates. Utile is a naturally extremely durable timber. The timber arrives at our workshop rough sawn and kiln dried. We then put the timber “in stick” in our yard for secondary seasoning. During this period the timber will take up moisture until an optimum of 18% is achieved. At this stage the timber is ready for machining and production.

Our team can recommend the most appropriate timber for your product, depending on the environment your gates will be situated in. For example, oak will weather very pale in rural environments with clean air, but on main roads, over many years the timber may take on some discolouration from polluted air. There are a few ways to mitigate this, which we will gladly and impartially advise you on. 

After installation, we can also advise on best care practices for the maintenance of your gates. All our gates benefit from being wiped down with clean warm water on days when the air is dry and clear.

The gates shown are from top to bottom are the Pimlico and the Kingston in black. To see more hardwood gates head on over to our Gallery Page.

The Pimlico gate
The Kingston black gate