Loading…

Fence gate: went with cedar over vinyl and my 80 lb lab proved me wrong in 6 months | Backyard Diy - SMM Buzz

Fence gate: went with cedar over vinyl and my 80 lb lab proved me wrong in 6 months

I ripped out my old chain link last spring and had to pick between a cedar gate and a vinyl one for the side yard. The cedar was $340 and the vinyl came in around $620, so I went cedar to save money. Well, my 80 lb lab hit that gate at a full sprint chasing a squirrel and cracked two pickets right off. The vinyl guy at the fence place in Boise told me this would happen and I didn't listen. I patched it with a 2x4 brace and some longer screws, but now I'm wondering if I should just eat the cost and swap to vinyl. Anyone here dealt with a gate that keeps getting rammed by a big dog?

2 comments

2 Comments

riley_taylor11d ago

So the dog cracked two pickets on a cedar gate that cost you $340, and now you're ready to drop $620 on vinyl? Why is that the move? Two pickets is like a $15 fix at the lumber yard, and you already braced it with a 2x4, so that gate is probably stronger now than the day you hung it. Vinyl cracks too, by the way, it just does it differently, and when a big dog slams it you're looking at a whole panel swap instead of a couple boards. Patch it right, maybe add a metal frame or some corner brackets, and give it another six months before you spend real money on a problem you might not even have.

the_nina11d ago

That $15 picket fix only works if the rails and frame are still solid, and with a big dog slamming into it, they're usually not. My neighbor went through this exact thing with a 90 pound shepherd and his cedar gate, patched the pickets twice, then the whole bottom rail split and the gate sagged so bad it dragged on the concrete. Vinyl flexes a little on impact instead of splintering, so a hit that cracks cedar might not even ding it. You're right that a full panel swap sucks if it ever gets to that point, but you're not replacing boards every other month either. How old is that gate anyway, because if it's already five plus years in the weather, you're just putting makeup on a broken bone.