Matching New Iron to an Old Fence

The usual mistake is ordering a new gate from a catalog photo and only then holding it up against the existing fence, and the breakdown sitting on carlsbad wrought iron gates inside michigan politics lists what to measure first. Older iron fences in Carlsbad, CA neighborhoods were built from many different patterns, and a new gate has to match the picket size, rail heights and finish of what is already standing.

Measuring the old fence

The picket size and shape, the spacing between pickets, the height and position of each rail and the type of picket top are all measured. A caliper gives the exact bar size. The pattern of any scroll band is photographed straight on with a tape in the frame.

Matching heights

The top and bottom rails of the gate should line up with the fence rails. On sloped lots, common in hillside parts of Carlsbad and nearby Rancho Santa Fe, the fence often steps or racks with the grade, and the gate has to fit the step it sits in.

Matching profiles

Older fences may use solid bar where new stock is tubing. A tube picket looks the same once painted, but the size has to match exactly. Old cast finials can sometimes still be bought, or a new one is cast from the old.

Matching the finish

A new gate in fresh powder coat looks brighter than a fence that has been painted for years. Some owners repaint the whole fence when the gate goes in. Others have the gate coated in a color mixed to match the aged paint.

Joining to old posts

Hanging a new gate on an old post means checking that post for rust at the base, where water collects. In salty air near Carlsbad State Beach, a post that looks fine above ground can be thin at grade. If the post is weak, a new post is set beside it or the old one is cut and replaced before the gate goes on.