Before · After Guides · by Richard Cordrey, qualified carpenter
How do you fix a sagging wooden gate?
The short answer
Most sagging gates are fixed by tightening or replacing the hinge screws, fitting heavier hinges, and making sure the diagonal brace runs from the bottom of the hinge side up to the top of the latch side. If the gate post itself is leaning or rotten, the post has to be sorted first.
Step by step
- Check the post — Push the hinge post. If it moves or is soft at ground level, no amount of work on the gate will hold — the post needs re-setting or replacing.
- Tighten or upgrade the hinge screws — Loose screws are the most common cause. Longer, thicker screws into fresh timber (or heavier T-hinges) often cure the drop on their own.
- Check the brace direction — The diagonal brace should run from the bottom rail on the hinge side up to the top rail on the latch side, so it pushes the weight back to the hinges. A brace fitted the other way lets the gate drop.
- Lift and re-square the gate — Prop the latch end up until the gate is square, then refix the brace. An anti-sag cable kit can help on wide gates.
- Ease and adjust — Plane any binding edge, reset the latch and keeper, and treat any bare timber.
When to call someone in
If the post is rotten, the frame joints have opened up, or the boards are soft, it is usually quicker to have a carpenter repair or remake the gate. Richard makes, hangs and repairs wooden gates across West Sussex and Surrey — quotes are free.
Questions people ask
Why does a new gate sag?
Usually the brace is fitted the wrong way round, the hinges are too light for the gate, or the post was not set firmly.
Is it worth repairing an old wooden gate?
Often yes, if the frame is sound. If the rails or stiles are rotten, a new gate made to measure can be better value.
From Our Work
Jobs like this
Before · After