Can I Use Regular Door
Hardware for My Wooden Gate?
In our
humble opinion, NO! Don't do it! Door hardware is fundamentally different
than gate hardware. We recommend that you never use regular door hardware
with an outdoor wooden gate.
Door
hardware comes with an internal latch and strike plate, just like your
front door. In order for these doorknobs or leversets to function, the
edge of the door needs to be very close to the doorjamb. The latch extends
only so far to engage in the strike. Your front door does not swell and
shrink slightly with the seasons the way that an outdoor wooden gate does.
Seasonally, wood "moves" slightly, expanding and contracting a bit. Let's
say you use regular door hardware on your gate that's installed in June when it's
dry and sunny. You install the gate quite close to the jamb (~1/8" to 1/4" away).
It opens and closes just fine. When January rolls around and you've had
wet, cold weather for several months, your gate might swell slightly and
wedge itself up against the jamb so you have to pull really hard to get it
open. Over time this can take a toll on not only the gate latch, but also
the gate and the hinges the gate is hung on. In the reverse
situation--where you install the gate when it's
"swollen" slightly--when the
season dries out and the gate shrinks a bit, your regular door hardware
might not even engage because the gate is too far from the jamb for the
latch to engage in the strike.
Door
hardware is also usually only available for standard door thicknesses of
~1-3/8" and many gates are quite a bit thicker than that.
Gate
latches, on the other hand, are produced to be installed externally to
accommodate seasonal wood movement. We recommend that gates are installed
with between 3/8" and 1/2" clearance between the edge of the gate and the
jamb (standard door sets are recommended to be installed no more than 1/4").
This will allow for seasonal movement without ever compromising the
integrity of the gate or latch. Latches use an external latch-bar to
engage with the jamb.
The only
instance of something being recommended for internal installation in a
wooden garden gate is a deadbolt. When a deadbolt is thrown (turned), the
bolt is long enough to allow space for seasonal movement of the gate.
We know
that there are people who have used standard door hardware and everything
is fine. Depending on your location, it might work out well for you. But
from our perspective the risk is not worth it.
Can I Install The Gate
Latch Myself?
Sure. To
install a gate latch properly, one needs to be very detail oriented. Since an
incorrect measurement or placement of the latch will leave holes in your
beautiful new wooden garden gate, we'd recommend you do the
installation personally only if you're very handy and have the appropriate
tools.
Each gate
latch is installed slightly differently, depending on its design. In
general, thumb latches are the easiest to install. If you've spent the
money to buy a beautiful wooden garden gate and you've chosen a great gate
latch to adorn it, don't skimp on installation. Measure twice, drill once!
Oftentimes you can order a gate and hardware from the same company.
If you do, ask if the gate builder will bore for your hardware so you or
your installer don't have to.
What Is A Gate Stop and Why
Would I Use One?
Every
wooden gate needs a gate stop. Your gate builder can provide one
with your new garden gate, or if you already have a gate installed you can
purchase a stand-alone gate stop.
What does a
gate stop do? It creates a boundary beyond which your gate can't travel.
If you or the wind were to slam the gate closed, that force could push the
gate further than it should go. The result of this is extreme force on
your hinges and on your latch-arm. The latch-arm could bend or break; the
hinges could be pulled out of the post. With a gate stop your gate cannot
go any further than the stop. They are easy to install and inexpensive and
will really save your gate and hardware from damage.
See 360
Yardware's collection of
Gate Stops.
