Composite Gate Installation in Galveston County, TX

What a composite gate is, and what we install

Composite boards are wood fiber or flour mixed into plastic and extruded. The USDA Forest Products Laboratory notes they are less stiff than solid wood, so on their own they would sag across a gate. That is why composite gates are built frame-first: the manufacturer welds a steel frame, then faces it with the same boards and cap rail as the fence. Trex describes its Seclusions gate this way, with the frame “hidden behind the Trex boards”. Its horizontal-board Horizons gate sits in a visible black powder-coated galvanized steel frame.

We install composite gates across Galveston County:

• Single walk gates in a composite privacy fence line, for side yards, pool equipment and trash access.
• Double swing gates for a driveway, trailer or boat, one leaf held by a drop rod.
• Gates for an existing composite fence, when the brand and color are still made. Bring the product name or a spare board to the estimate.

Material questions (what composite is, how to clean it) live on our composite fence page. Comparing materials? See wood gates, vinyl gates and aluminum gates, or the guide is a composite gate worth it?

What keeps a composite gate from sagging

A gate hangs off one post and leans on its hinges every time it opens. In the Trex guides, four parts share that load:

• The frame. Welded galvanized steel, not the composite boards, carries the structure.
• A stiffened hinge post. A steel stiffener slides inside the 5 × 5 in hinge post, and the hinges screw into that steel. If the hinge post isn’t tied to a fence panel, the guide calls for a heavier stiffener or a concrete-filled post.
• Adjustable hinges. Set about 6 in from the top and bottom, with at least 1 in between panel and post. Loosening the hinge nuts lets the installer raise the latch side or shift the panel. The guide warns that weather and temperature changes can call for periodic adjustment.
• An anti-sag cable. A steel cable and turnbuckle run from high on the hinge side to low on the latch side, fixed into the steel frame. Trex now lists it with its gates; the 2013 guide describes it as an option for large panels.

The posts are set in concrete 2–3 days before the gate is hung so the concrete can cure. On a coastal lot, also ask what the hinges, latch and screws are made of. Trex notes stainless steel components are available for coastal installations on its Horizons gates.

From estimate to a gate that latches

1. Free on-site estimate. We measure the opening and the swing space, check the ground under the gate, and look at what the hinge post will be tied to. We check the rules for your address, including HOA, pool and front-yard limits.

2. Choosing the gate. Single or double, vertical or horizontal boards, height, color, latch and hardware. If it’s joining an existing composite fence, we confirm the brand and color are still available before promising a match.

3. Posts first. Posts are set in concrete to the opening the panel needs, plumb and parallel, and left to cure before the gate is hung, per the manufacturer’s guide.

4. Hang and adjust. Hinges, latch, handles, drop rod and cable go on, then the gate is adjusted until it swings clear and latches cleanly. We walk it with you.

What affects cost and timing: single or double, standard or custom width, height, the product line and color, the number of gates, new or existing posts, concrete or dirt under a drop rod, removal of an old gate, and permit, pool or HOA review. Financing is available through the providers on our financing page, subject to credit approval.

Questions we get about this