The gate hinge mounting mistake I keep seeing on jobs in Austin

Over the last 6 months I've fixed 4 gates around Austin where the homeowner or a handyman mounted the hinges directly into the end grain of the post instead of into the face. On a 6 foot wood gate that's a lot of weight hanging on screws that are basically pulling straight out. I can usually tell before I even get out of my truck because the gate will be dragging on the ground or the top hinge is pulling away from the post. Has anyone else run into this or found a good way to talk people out of doing it before they finish the job?

3 comments

3 Comments

casey8189d ago

Is screwing into end grain really that bad if you use structural screws and pre-drill? I mean, I've seen some gates hung that way holding up fine for years, maybe it depends on the post material or the gate weight.

jennifer_jones178d ago

I read somewhere that the wood fibers in end grain act like a bunch of straws that just loosen up over time.

miller.diana8d ago

Hinges pulled right out of end grain over time, @casey818. Those old gates you see might look fine but the screws are slowly working loose. Structural screws help but the wood fibers just don't grip the same as cross-grain does.