Cedar clad steel gates: how they work and how they age
Timber clad gates on a steel frame have become the default for contemporary Dublin houses. They look like timber gates and behave like steel ones, which is exactly the point.
Why the frame is steel
A large timber gate built entirely from timber will drop. Timber moves with moisture, joints loosen, and within a few years the leaf is dragging on the ground. A welded steel frame stays square permanently and carries all the load through to the hinges.
The cladding is then purely cosmetic, fixed to the frame, and can be replaced decades later without touching the structure.
How cedar actually ages
Western red cedar starts a warm reddish brown and, left untreated, silvers to grey over one to three years depending on exposure. That greying is normal and protective, not decay, but it is not what most people picture when they order.
If you want to keep the colour, plan on applying a UV protective oil roughly annually. If you are happy with silver grey, cedar needs essentially no maintenance at all. Be honest with yourself at ordering stage, because the two lead to very different looking gates in year three.
Fixing and detailing
Boards are fixed with stainless fixings, because ordinary steel will stain cedar badly. Each board needs room to move, and the bottom of the cladding should sit clear of the ground so it is not wicking water.
Board orientation changes the look: horizontal reads as contemporary, vertical is more traditional, and a spaced batten arrangement lets light and wind through.
Wind and weight
Solid cladding turns the gate into a sail. Frames, hinges, posts and automation all need to be sized for that, particularly on an exposed entrance. A spaced batten design reduces the load considerably while keeping most of the privacy.
We fabricate the steel frame, arrange galvanising and powder coating, and clad in cedar to your chosen board layout.
Want this priced for your own job? Send us your drawings or a photo and we will come back with a fixed price, usually within one working day.
Common questions
Need this done properly? Talk to the workshop.
Send us drawings, a sketch or a site photo. We come back with a fixed price and a firm lead time, usually within one working day.