Category: Wrought Iron Fence and Gates

Topics about our wrought iron fences and gates

Optional Locinox Gate Latch for Iron or Aluminum Gates
Optional Locinox Gate Latch for Iron or Aluminum Gates

What are Some of the Standard Gate Latch Options?

|Author Jason

When choosing a fence gate for your property, it’s important not to overlook the importance of different gate latch types. The gate latch material and design not only secure the gate but also greatly impact the ease of operation, safety, and longevity of your gate system.

With the numerous gate latch options available today, it might feel overwhelming to choose the right type of gate latch and locking mechanism for your needs. Here, we?ll dive into various types of gate latches, highlighting their function, design, and who they work best for.

Gate hardware is an often overlooked part of the fence system. Folks are often unaware of what type of gate latch options are even available to them. There are a couple of basic styles that we offer.
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3ft Iron Fence Installed on a Wall Top Between Columns
We often get asked what options and recommendations are out there for installing an iron fence on top of a concrete surface or wall top.  It may be a wall, a backyard patio, or an elevated curb, but the installation is the same.

Mounting Wrought Iron Fence on Top of Concrete Surface or Wall

|Author Jason

How to Install Fence Post in Concrete Surface or Wall

The main things you will want to check in advance are:

  • For a fence post installation on a concrete surface (like a floor or patio) you will need to know the depth (thickness) of the concrete.  The standard is typically 4 inches, but you may find thicker ones on older properties.  You do not want to drill through the bottom of the pad.
  • For a wall top, you will want to know how wide the wall top is where the fence panels will be mounted.  You never want to drill holes too close to an edge so that leverage placed on the line posts, corner posts, guest posts, and more will crack or pop out the side of the slab or wall.

There are several options to go about this, but we will discuss the two most common:  flange/ deck mount posts and core-drilling.

Iron Flange Post for Surface Mounting
Iron Flange Post for Surface Mounting

The first is a flange post.  Our iron posts have a 5? square flange welded to the bottom of a steel post with four holes drilled for mounting.  As you can see in the photo, it?s basically a ?foot? welded to the metal post bottom at ground level, allowing it to stand freely and be bolted to a flat surface. 

You have several hardware options for mounting your own fence post, but we like concrete wedge anchors the best since they are the most stable.  Not familiar with concrete wedge anchors?  The following link has some info and a short video on how to install them:

https://www.concretefasteners.com/anchors-fasteners/thunderstud-wedge/installation.aspx

The second option is core-drilling your surface.  The core drill method bores out a cylindrical post hole, and you put the post in the hole.  Instead of using cement, the fence post is set in a mortar/ grout material such as Por-Rok.  The core drill tool can often be rented from a tool rental store.  The depth the post is set down varies based on the application and post location.  If it?s going on your own concrete mix surface in your patio, you do not want to drill through the bottom.  You need the rigidity of the sides and bottom to set your fence post.

An Iron Gate and Fence with Posts Core-Drilled into the Concrete Patio Surface

So, which is the better option for mounting a fence post on a concrete surface or wall?  Well, that really depends on your layout.  Core drilling is far stronger than a flange post.  However, flange posts are easier to install and do not require any special tools like a post hole digger.  Both methods are acceptable, but how you want the final product to look and your exact situation may influence which is the better choice.

Not sure how to proceed?  Give us a call at 800-261-2729 or email us at [email protected] and we would be happy to work with you to offer suggestions.