What Is The Best Timber Suitable For Driveway Gates

Have you considered: what is the best timber suitable for driveway gates? In this article, we discuss the most common woods for gates and fences and outline their advantages. We look at what timber you should use for your new driveway gate?

What Timber should I choose for Gates?

Gates with ledges, morticed and tenon jointed gates, dowelled morticed and tenon jointed gates, through-wedged morticed and tenon jointed gates, standard and custom sizes... The list might go on forever. What kind of wood you choose for your gates is largely determined by what you want to do with them once they're done. Softwood gates are much less expensive than their hardwood counterparts. However, softwood is not as durable as hardwood in nearly all cases; there are exceptions to this rule, such as balsa, a hardwood used in model-making and other applications. Western red cedar, a softwood commonly found in cladding and with many characteristics of hardwood.

That is not to imply that a softwood alternative will be "here today and gone tomorrow"; if you properly care for your product, you should have many happy years of life from a softwood gate, but a hardwood gate, if properly cared for, will last far longer. Hardwoods are less 'knotty' than softwoods and hence more aesthetically appealing. In our experience, you can never fully make a softwood gate look like a hardwood gate by just staining it; the grain and knot content will always give it away, at least to a trained eye.

However, there is a new timber on the market that defies the adage of "hardwood outlasting softwood." It is known as Accoya. Accoya is a non-toxically modified radiata pine that has been non-toxically changed with acetic acid (essential vinegar). This provides the timber with tremendous durability, so much so that it is classed as class 1 durable (the highest class) and outperforms any other timber in its durability class. So, if you want the most durable wood for your gates, Accoya is the way to go. Just don't expect a softwood pricing for anything produced from Accoya, since it is an expensive timber that rivals European oak rates.  

CHOOSING WOODEN DRIVEWAY GATES

There are lots of designs to choose from that are sure to leave you impressed. Ultimately, the most widely utilised softwoods in fencing in England are pine, larch, and spruce. Featherboard fence is the most traditionally utilised kind because it provides superior security against shrubs and weathering properties like snow. Pine, beech and maple are the most common types of wood to decay the fastest during autumn. Therefore, customers must apply materials that let the wood become less susceptible to decay and thrive better once spring comes around, especially if you're thinking of using glamping pods. This means that your wood is better protected and can continue to be long lasting.

If you're searching for a gate for your property, some of the best types of wood are oak and iroko for hardwood gates; this means that it provides better security. However, softwood is a cheaper option for those who don't have an excess of money to spend - if this is the case, redwood or red cedar is the best type of wood to choose. Untreated wood is less durable than pressure-treated wood since it has been chemically treated to prevent degradation and insect infestation. The wood is placed in a depressurised storage tank with a preservative to restore the air. Pressure-treated wood is more weather resistant than untreated lumber and hence keeps its integrity in circumstances where raw wood would rot.

Will your Gate Outlast the Weather?

Although moisture and temperature can cause wood to expand, swell and shrink, the influence of seasonal fluctuations is exacerbated by the UK's extremely variable weather. When surveyed in isolation, wood seems to contract at cold temperatures. Humidity also surges in areas like London throughout the colder seasons, which might cause your exposed wood to expand.

If you look outside at any of your window cills, you'll see a 9-degree angle; this is to allow any water that strikes the cill to drain out; otherwise, water would pool on any of the cills, causing fungal rot. If you want your gates to last, this is a requirement. A top rail or head from one of our Denbigh gates is displayed; the heads are double-angled to allow water to flow in both directions. Other rails in the gates would have a single angle, diverting water away from the boarded area of your gates.

Most Common Woods for Gates & Fences:

One of the most serious flaws is that it does not take paint well. Use pine or spruce for a painted garden gate, or spend a little more money and get redwood. Red cedar has always been utilised in boat construction due to its low weight and robustness, two characteristics that make it one of the greatest types of wood for gate manufacturing. Due to red cedar being inherently rot-resistant, it does not require a preservative coating to protect it. Uncoated red cedar, on the other hand, weathers to a nice silver colour. Types of wood such as beech, mahogany, ash, oak, teak, and walnut are all from hardwood trees.

Mahogany is a tougher wood with lovely grain patterns; both western red cedar and mahogany gates are well-known for their durability. Cedar is inherently more resistant to insects and deterioration than many other kinds of wood; mahogany is much more resistant to rot. Cedar is often recognised as the gold standard in terms of rot and insect resistance in the wood trim. Cedar is a softwood that outperforms the majority of pressure-treated woods. The clear lacquer is widely used to stain cedar used for fences and decks.The extractives react with the metal in nails or screws used for installation. Cedar is the best wood to use to repel insect attacks and one with great durability.

It is a reasonably durable hardwood with red-brown heartwood that may be used to match or enhance the majority of an existing garden or perimeter fences. It is popular, but it requires more treatment than other woods to retain its strength and look. Due to its high natural oil content, red cedar is a one-of-a-kind substance. It is valued for its capacity to repel insects and fungus that might otherwise destroy other woods, as well as its stability, which means it is less prone to distort or shrink. Weather, sun, and moisture cause boards to bend and twist; it's inescapable.

Wood expands as it absorbs water and contracts as it dries. Some boards are less likely to be considerably impacted by the changes, while others are significantly influenced. Two factors influence the degree of change: grain pattern and species. For two reasons, redwood is the master of being able to prevent warping and shrinking. It has the most straight grain pattern and an internal chemical that is similar to tannin and protects the wood from moisture penetration and degradation. When it comes to decks, patio furniture, structural bracing, and even trim, redwood is by far the most stable of all industrial woods.

Softwood or Hardwood?

In nature, softwood and hardwood are characterised by their reproduction rather than their final form and characteristics. The advantages of these two types of wood vary, ranging from the material's strength to its appearance and longevity. Softwood is a popular choice for both residential and commercial gates since it is extensively used in a range of sectors and is normally extremely durable. Redwood is the most commonly used softwood since it is the least costly option; but, for a little extra money, the excellent durability of Siberian larch or Western red cedar may prove important against knocks, bumps, and even insect damage.

Oak, teak, sapele, iroko, and meranti are the most prevalent hardwoods. These variables increase raise the cost of the wood since they develop at a considerably slower rate and require longer drying durations. Hardwoods are substantially more durable than softwoods and are frequently used for tasks that need utmost durability. Hardwoods like beech, maple, and walnut are typically used for bespoke joinery tasks, such as making furniture, hardwood floors, and beautiful veneers. These hardwoods are best suited for these jobs because they value specific aesthetic traits such as colour and woodgrain. 

Are you looking for wooden driveway gates near you? If you require garden gates in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire contact us today. Our garden design experts can supply and install beautiful wooden garden gates for you and your family to enjoy for years to come.